East Range, Virginia

The East Lawn is part of the original landscape of the University of Virginia. At one end of the Lawn area is the Rotunda, the impressive round building designed by Thomas Jefferson himself, as the centerpiece of the academic environment at UVA. Along the sides of the garden area are the East Lawn and the West Lawn, which included rooms (or barracks) for the academic community to live. Historically, professors and students both lived in these Lawn rooms, which are rather stark by comparison to modern housing. However, students selected to live in the Lawn rooms are definitely considered elite, since there is an extensive screening process to become one of the lucky recipients. Although the actual rooms may be stark and without many amenities, the surrounding landscaping is impeccably neat, clean and beautiful. Those chosen to live on the Lawn are fortunate, indeed. There is an annual Christmas lighting during the holidays, which brightens up the whole Lawn area and brings the faculty and student residents together. During the rest of the year, the flowers, shrubs and trees provide a beautiful and peacful backdrop to all the residents. This is a very nice place to live if you're a UVA student.