Parking: Residents are required to have a tag on their rear view mirror while parked in The Village. This policy is very strict, and towing is frequent for first time violators. I was always able to find a parking spot even if it was a little further away. However, there is limited guest parking in the back that fills up quickly on the weekends (arrive early!).

Parking Lot Vandalism: I did encounter a couple of cases of vandalism in the parking lot. Someone bent off my rear windshield wiper during the night. Also, a friend carried sandbags in his truck bed and several residents ripped them open and sprayed the sand all over the place. Take note that The Village is not responsible for any damage to your car in the parking lot, you have to go through the police.

Noise: All I will say is that this community specifically caters to the college renter. From my experiences visiting people in other complexes around Blacksburg, they are all about the same for noise level as far as apartments go. Be prepared for parties Thursday through Saturday night with extra crazy on game nights. It is noisy very late into the night in some places. You cannot control where exactly you will be placed so keep that in mind. If you can t stand noise, this is not the place for you.

Grounds: I loved the view from the parking lot of the Blue Ridge. There are plenty of trees everywhere and because there is a strict no pet policy the grounds stay fairly clean (compared to places that do allow pets).

Safety: I usually felt safe in my apartment with the deadbolt locked and door closed. Be careful to always lock your door when you are not in. There are people who go around testing doors to find ones that are open and invite themselves right in. The first few times I believed that it was an honest "mistake" but it has happened to too many people that I know. He was either the most forgetful person on the planet, or he was trying to catch residents unaware. I highly recommend renter s insurance to cover losses due to vandalism. We even had our lawn chairs stolen right off of our (7 foot high fenced in) porch.
Other safety concerns are mostly handled through the police. Be sure to have the non-emergency number in your phone book just in case.

Construction: My apartment was a deluxe model [Phase 1 only]. All of the appliances seemed fairly new, perhaps 2-3 years old and in good condition. The apartments come with a washer and dryer in each unit which is a big plus. You do not have to wait for hours in the laundry room or leave your clothing unattended. The floors seem solid and do not squeak as in older complexes. However, some of my friends had trouble with leaking in their apartment which was difficult and time consuming for maintenance to fix.

Maintenance/Staff: Every experience we had with maintenance was wonderful. They were prompt, courteous, and very knowledgeable about how to fix the problem. However, I never had any huge problems like leaks to test how they respond in an emergency. The staff was fantastic. The Village hires a sort of substitute RA (like in the dorms) who organizes community events so that you can interact more with your neighbors if you choose.

Overall: I would not recommend The Village to a person like myself. Rather than Location, Location, Location; think Community, Community, and Community! I did not appreciate the apparent lack of control The Village had over its residents. The anti-party rules are strict. You can only have 2 guests per resident in your apartment, but you will often find parties of 50 or more at least one per weekend. The police inevitably have to be called in to clear up a party. It is loud, I experienced a lot of vandalism (more than the anecdotes listed in this essay), and several residents were extremely rude.

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