All you booze hounds who justified the daily run to the ABC store by thinking of the roughly $150,000 you’re annually contributing to local government in Charlottesville and Albemarle—you’re going to have to find a new enabler. Governor Tim Kaine’s budget has most of that cash staying with the state to pay for things like treating alcoholics and improving the mental health system and otherwise filling funding gaps left by a limp economy.
 The ABC store on W. Main Street has the highest return rate in the area, and one of the highest in the state, at 35 percent. The Commonwealth can drink to that. |
This news led C-VILLE to wonder—just how much of a drunk is Charlottesville? A rundown of the numbers from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control 2007 annual report shows that this planning district area, comprising Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson, consumes the sixth most per person in the state and produces the fourth most profit per person. (The lowest of the 21 districts is Southwest Virginia, where the average person drinks a mere half gallon annually.) If you’re dubious because you know that you and all your friends each buy Aristocrat Vodka by the box, remember that children are included in the population count.
Top five areas for booze profits
| Planning District | Net Profit per person | Gallons per person |
| Richmond | $21.63 | 1.5 |
| Hampton Roads | $20.76 | 1.3 |
| Roanoke | $19.22 | 1.4 |
| Charlottesville | $18.43 | 1.3 |
| Warrenton/Culpeper | $16.69 | 1.3 |
Source: Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 2007 Annual Report
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