The City is autonomous and entirely independent of any county or any other political subdivision. It does not have the same boundaries with or is not subject to taxation by any county or school district, and is not liable for any county or school district indebtedness.
Charlottesville serves as the economic, cultural, and educational center of a multi-county region in Central Virginia. In 1981, the United States Census Bureau recognized the Charlottesville area as a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). The SMSA includes the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson. In 2014, the Census Bureau estimated the population of the City to be 45,593 and the Charlottesville SMSA population of over 200,000.