There has been a longstanding rumor that Charlottesville, with it’s plethora of dining establishments, actually may have more places to eat than Washington D.C., and possibly even New York City per capita. We’ve quoted this on occasion publicly, and overhead quite a few friends and acquaintances asserting it as legitimate fact. So how does it stack up? Any truth to this rumor?
The title for most restaurants seems to be in hot contention around the US, as numerous cities have claimed this with little to no mathematical references to back it up. However, after a little digging around on the census site, and some research into the aforementioned areas, a few rough figures have come to light. We have NOT included Albemarle within the Charlottesville numbers, nor does the below reflect the 21,057 UVa students enrolled during the 2008-2009 year.
| City: | Population: (2008) | Restaurants: | People Per Restaurant* |
| New York | 8,168,338 | 6,650 | 1,128 per 1 |
| San Francisco | 744,230 | 2,662 | 280 per 1 |
| Washington D.C. | 591,833 | 2,367 | 250 per 1 |
| Charlottesville | 41,487 | 220 | 188 per 1 |
So it certainly appears that we can confirm this one by a pretty good margin. If we were to include Albemarle in the numbers, it would only be fair to count the D.C. metro area, which would still keep us in the lead. Congratulations Charlottesville diners & restaurant owners, we certainly do love our variety.
[NY, SF, & DC Info] [Census Info] [UVa Info] [Charlottesville Restaurant Count From Google] [* lower ratio is obviously better]
Related posts:
- Charlottesville Restaurants, All Smoke & Mirrors?
- The Capshaw Divestiture of Restaurants Imminent?
- Charlottesville Food Prices to Soar? Will Restaurants Raise Prices?
Hmm but it’s quality not quantity that sets these fine cities apart.
If we have such variety, why do I always find myself in a Five Guys? Answer me that, smarty-man.
Because you don’t want to spend eleventy bucks on toast?
For DC, you took a 2006 estimate for restaurants per capita and a 2008 estimate of the population to determine the total number of restaurants. Those numbers are incongruous. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with the conclusion that there are more restaurants per capita in Charlottesville, I’m just questioning your data. Furthermore, failure to include UVa students eliminates roughly 1/3 of the restaurant going population. That would be like not including poor people for the other cities because they can’t afford restaurants.
but do DC et al.’s numbers reflect THEIR college students?
Good question. I have no idea.
Well, the DC population has gone from 606K in 1990, to 572K in 2000, to 599K in 2009, with an average of 592K. One would imagine that most restaurants which close in a given area are replaced by others opening up, at least that seemed to be the trend in NY, and while I can imagine that it’s easier to put a new restaurant up in DC, I’m unsure if there was a significant jump or not. [Info]
As far as counting the students, I can only say the myth I’ve heard was per capita, not per max load, and those individuals are always counted in their home locations for Census purposes.
f’ed up that they can be called for jury duty in their college locale, then.
Confirmed? You can confirm a lot of values if you ignore 1/3 of the population. Perhaps we should look in to the stat that shows 2 out of 3 people in Charlottesville can’t do math.
Perhaps the village has finally decided that UVA is a big pile of crap and wants to give it to Ahhhllllbeeeemarrrrlll County.
Now, time to go run off to Fatty’s Fat Pig Fried BBQ Eatery.
You aren’t arguing the math, you are arguing the logic. Perhaps you should review basic definitions before attempting to contest a point.
Perhaps I should have been clearer when stating that they were not included. Of the 20K students who attend school here, I have no firm numbers how many live here year round, and therefore would most likely list this as their primary residence. It is impossible to know these figures, as many of the 20K may have been locals, and merely totaling everything together would be pointless, much like your argument.
hahaha! The fact is that UVA is in Albemarle County! Look it up. There are only a few buildings that are in the city. Pretty much all of the dormitories are in the county. Most of the UVA population goes to Albemarle, Census-wise.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080206125709AAAUxmJ
UVa students ARE NOT COUNTED FOR CENSUS PURPOSES, unless they reside here year round, etc.
Sorry to burst your bubble but the link you supplied hardly provides a definitive answer to the question, it is just 4 people responding to a question with one ranked as best (and their credentials as “NC native”)
I work in with people that deal with the repercussions of this very situation every day. The Census includes a count of people where they reside on April 1st of the Census year. So since school is in session on April 1st, the dormitories are and will be counted under the Group Quarters category. Most, if not all, of the dorms at UVA are physically in the county. Only half the hospital and a handful of other buildings are in the city.
So you are correct in not counting the students in your assessment of city population.
You are quite correct about the ‘Group Quarters’ aspect, as outlined in the below pdf. http://2010.census.gov/campus/pdf/GroupQuarters_CensusOnCampus.pdf
I was told there would be no math.
/which is why I brought a towel.
All I know is that I’ve become a foodie since moving here in Oct 2008. My husband and I agree: we feel we are on permanent vacation – eating out no matter the price point with non franchise choices. I’ve gained weight.
I think that the research and numbers are generally sound. As for @9 and @10, it’s fair to not count the students. As Orchid said, the other cities are not counting theirs…
PLUS the other cities have the benefit of MILLIONS of tourists and visitors that use their restaurants. While the Charlottesville / Albemarle Boards of tourism would probably kill me for saying this, I think that it’s safe to say that we don’t get the tourist load that those cities do (even per capita). We also don’t have the catering business that those cities get, either, so I think it’s safe to say that we have plenty of places to eat for the number of people that live here.
Wow! we ave a bunch or restaurants for a VA hick town, so what? That the majority of them serve pretty much the same thing. Shrimp & grits, anyone?
Thank you all for pointing out that UVA is not part of Charlottesville. Those people contribute nothing to the area, and I’m sure all businesses agree with you. Perhaps we should just get rid of it entirely. Oh wait…they own the city.
So you all wrote your thesis on Gaussian Fluctuations? You people is so smart. I’m dumb. You’re smart. I did a few excess cigs at Miller’s with DMB and killed my brain cells.
I am just speaking from the technical point of population counting. I assume your comment was meant sarcastically. You are trying to make the point that UVA has a huge impact on many local issues. That is true and I do not deny that. Just as Albemarle County does. And many of the surrounding counties. That is why some statistics for the area are gathered for the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area. VA city independence makes it difficult to distinguish when people are referring to an actual city or the metro area.
Sometimes it makes sense to talk about the actual city, like when people complain about Charlottesville plowing. The city only plows within the city limits, VDOT does the other roads that VDOT maintains in the surrounding area. Albemarle County doesn’t plow roads, because they do not maintain roads, not their responsibility nor in their budget.
Other times it makes sense to talk about the greater area and that is why there is an MSA for Charlottesville. Unemployment in and around Charlottesville is probably better represented with MSA level statistics, since many people cross jurisdictional boundaries to get to work.
Bottom line, the majority of UVA is not part of the area that is governed by the City of Charlottesville, it is in Albemarle County. Therefore, it is part of the Charlottesville MSA, along with the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson counties. Perhaps the per capita restaurant calculation should be for the MSA, not just the city, since restaurants in this area draw people from outside their jurisdictional lines.
I have no idea what Gaussian Fluctuations are. I’m just trying to clarify things. No intent to prove intellect. I had to use the built-in spell check many times while writing this. I am no better than anyone else trying to contribute here.
I like you, a lot. Stick around.
And Thanks.
Ragazzi’s totally blew us away. Our whole family wanted pasta/italian and we debated where to go. We finally agreed on Ragazzi’s.
Ragazzi’s is NOT a chain and that is a good thing. Everything is made fresh and it tastes it.
We began with a salad that is served family style and icy cold on chilled plates…full of olives, peppers and delicious crunchy croutons. You can ask for seconds on salads and request what you want in it. Their homemade caesar dressing is fantastic…just the right amount of garlic and tang. They actually just started selling their dressing in bottles (we got one to take with us).
Our meals were served hot and by a very very nice server. My son wanted Calzone, but really wanted artichoke and chicken in it. They didn’t have artichokes, but by the time we finished our salad, the server had gotten one of the kitchen folks to go over to a nearby grocery store to get some and voila, my son had his Calzone, piping hot, oozing with cheesy flavor and delicious, just the way he dreamed of–with artichokes and grilled chilcken.
I ordered the smaller portion of linguine with freshly made sauce with sauteed mushrooms and grilled chicken. I like that they have large and small sized portions, so I can really scarf down the salad and not be too full of a main dish. The larger portions look great too.
My husband had linguine with a special chicken and a wine/marinara sauce with peppers/onions. He didn’t even take a breath….it was that good! He said the flavor was so incredible and ate every bit although he was full with the hot bread and the salad.
I haven’t had this kind of service, quality, price in a long time. Most restaurants get duller with time…this one gets brighter and better!! We had a great time and a better dinner we haven’t had in ages. Yes we will go back again and again!!!
That was just… awful.
Furthermore, Ragazzi’s makes Olive Garden look like French Laundry.
I just love to go to restaurants and ask for things they don’t have so they’ll go have to go out and buy it for me. Your son is a twat.
My husband had linguine with a special chicken… He didn’t even take a breath
So what your saying is your husband choked his special chicken? And your son just artichoked it?
/The Aristocrats!
wow, i haven’t seen something this advertorial since the owners of that asian restaurant (which was it?) tried to speak engrish.
right, it’s not a chain, just six restaurants that “share the same vision” that used to be a chain but were “unchained” in the late ’90s. (& their vision is the same as the olive garden’s.)