9 Best Places To Live In Virginia

For a variety of reasons, many people believe that Virginia is one of the best places to live in the U.S. and one of the best states for retirees. Whether you want the mountains or the beach, a small-town feel or to be close to a large city, Virginia has a little something for everyone.

Virginia has lots of qualities that make it a great state to settle down in. Within the state, there are a ton of choices for places to buy a house and live long term. It’s important to research and find the perfect place for you or your family. If you’re ready to move, consider this list of the best places to live in Virginia.

Key Characteristics Of The Best Places To Live In Virginia

Some of the common recurring factors that make the areas on our list the best places to live in Virginia include:

• Safety: Neighborhood safety played a role in choosing the following cities. Any city with a violent crime rate greater than or equal to 55 and/or a property crime rate greater than or equal to 65 were not considered.
• Career opportunities: Career opportunities play an important role in being named one of the best places to live in Virginia. Specifically, unemployment rates were used to help rank our cities.
• Affordability: Affordability also plays in being named one of the best places to live in Virginia. Home affordability and median rent were considered in our rankings of each city.
• Well-being: Additionally, we used a well-being index to help us rank cities. This index included such factors as access to healthcare, food and community resources, as well as economic, financial, physical and social health of community members.

5 Best Cities To Live In Virginia

1. Salem

• Population: 25,373
• Median household income: $63,411
• Median home sold price: $249,950
• Median monthly rental price: $926

Salem is a popular family town with a suburban feel. It has low crime and is second on our list for most affordable housing. Salem also has a low cost of living that’s 12.2% below the national average, making it a great choice for anyone. Those factors, paired with the great school system, make Salem a very popular area for families to move to.

While Salem is more of a suburban feel, it is only 45 minutes from Blacksburg, which is home to Virginia Tech University and has all of the amenities of a university town. It is also only about 15 minutes from Roanoke, so there are numerous travel options within reach. Salem is perfect for families looking for a suburban feel with a lower cost of living.

Does Salem sound perfect for you? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Salem and explore Salem real estate trends.

2. Brambleton

• Population: 20,843
• Median household income: $188,644
• Median home sold price: $772,667
• Median monthly rental price: $2,182

Brambleton is a suburb of Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia. Brambleton is considered a section of Ashburn, which is home to a lot of tech companies that settle just outside of DC.

This area has miles of walking trails, good schools, and is in the top three cities on our list for low violent crime rate. While this area has a much higher median home price than many of the other towns on our list, it has lower home costs when compared to most of the metro DC area. Since many people commute to D.C. from here, that makes it more affordable comparably.

Brambleton is a great option for those who need to be close to Washington, D.C., but want more of a suburban feel, with more home and yard for your money than you would get closer to the city.

Are you thinking of putting down roots in Brambleton? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Brambleton and explore Brambleton real estate trends.

3. Mechanicsville

• Population: 37,141
• Median household income: $77,291
• Median home sold price: $309,950
• Median monthly rental price: $1,249

Mechanicsville is located about 15 minutes outside of Richmond. Mechanicsville is home to many historical sites and activities, as it featured many battles and events during the Civil War. It has historically been a rural area but has been built up in recent decades. While it has attracted a larger population, it still maintains a lot of the rural population and ideologies. Additionally, Mechanicsville has one of the lowest unemployment rates of the cities on our list, at 2.1%.

Is Mechanicsville the place for you? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Mechanicsville and explore Mechanicsville real estate trends.

4. South Riding

• Population: 32,526
• Median household income: $168,738
• Median home sold price: $679,945
• Median monthly rental price: $2,366

South Riding is considered a deep suburb of Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia. South Riding itself is a slow-paced area – residents often drive 20 minutes to Reston for restaurants and entertainment. This might not make it a great option if you need a lot of activities for yourself or your children. If you are looking for a slower, more rural feel in northern Virginia within a drive of D.C., South Riding could be a good option for you.

Be sure to check out homes for sale in South Riding and explore South Riding real estate trends.

5. Montclair

• Population: 21,329
• Median household income: $125,919
• Median home sold price: $550,000
• Median monthly rental price: $2,090

Montclair is located in northern Virginia, about 35 miles south of Washington, D.C. Montclair is home to Lake Montclair, a 104-acre lake with multiple beaches. In addition to the beaches, there is a country club with golf and tennis for members.

Montclair is a great option for families who want to have a lot of outdoor activities and lake life opportunities at their doorstep. Its central location makes it accessible to many surrounding areas.

Does Montclair have the potential to be your new home? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Montclair and explore Montclair real estate trends.

4 Other Popular Areas To Live In Virginia

There are many great places to live in Virginia and what is best for you will depend on your lifestyle. While some people may prefer small towns, others prefer big-city life. The following cities are included for those who want to live in a larger metropolitan area. However, please note that this list of popular Virginia cities is not based on our metrics listed at the beginning of this article.

1. Arlington

• Population: 236,434
• Median household income: $122,604
• Median home sold price: $700,093
• Median monthly rental price: $2,005

Arlington is a very popular suburb of Washington, D.C. It’s actually a bit large to be considered a suburb and is often considered a city in its own right. The area is home to a lot of younger adults, is more car-friendly, and has a slightly cheaper cost of living compared to D.C. While it’s cheaper than D.C., it’s still one of the most expensive areas in the state. There is also a lot of military history here, most notably with Arlington National Cemetery.Arlington is also considered one of the best places to raise a family, due to its high number of playgrounds and parks per square mile. Pair that with its short distance to several popular Washington, D.C., neighborhoods and Arlington could be the perfect compromise for many families.Is Arlington the right city for you? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Arlington and read about Arlington real estate trends.

2. Richmond

• Population: 226,604
• Median household income: $51,421
• Median home sold price: $308,867
• Median monthly rental price: $1,070

Richmond is the capital of Virginia and a popular city for families. The city is well positioned to be an easy drive from both the mountains and the beach and has a wide variety of amenities.In general, the Richmond area is much more affordable than the northern Virginia area, because it is away from the higher salaries that are the result of the government and tech jobs in D.C. However, the suburbs of Richmond will have cheaper housing costs compared to the city proper.Does Richmond sound like the right choice for you? Be sure to  check out homes for sale in Richmond and explore Richmond real estate trends.

3. Virginia Beach

• Population: 457,672
• Median household income: $78,136
• Median home sold price: $345,684
• Median monthly rental price: $1,380

Virginia Beach is a coastal town located close to the North Carolina border. It is home to a navy base and much of the city has military influences. The cost of living is generally much lower than in the northern part of the state and is fairly reasonable for an east coast beach-side town.However, the city does have high public safety concerns and if you plan to move to the area, you should carefully look at the crime rates for each neighborhood.Virginia Beach is considered one of the best places to be a teacher due to the teacher’s pay adjusted by cost of living and the training programs available to teachers in the area.Ready to make Virginia Beach your new homebase? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Virginia Beach and explore Virginia Beach real estate trends.

4. Alexandria

• Population: 154,706
• Median household income: $102,227
• Median home sold price: $600,011
• Median monthly rental price: $1,774

Alexandria is a suburb of Washington, D.C., that is large enough to be considered its own city. It has many neighborhoods with a great food scene and lots going on at all hours of the day and night, including the Del Ray area that touts “where Main Street still exists.”The area has a high cost of living, but you are able to get more home for your money, and more space in general, compared to Washington, D.C. Many of the residents commute to D.C. for work, so while it is not far geographically, it can be a lot of travel time.Does Alexandria sound perfect for you? Be sure to check out homes for sale in Alexandria and explore Alexandria real estate trends.

The Bottom Line

Virginia is a beautiful state to live in with both the beach and the mountains nearby. Within Virginia, there are cities and towns that offer a wide variety of living options. If you are ready to buy a home in Virginia, get approved with Rocket Mortgage^®.

Our Methodology For Finding The Best Cities In Virginia

Rocket Homes collected and analyzed the most recent data on twelve key local and countywide metrics to give us insight into the top cities best for living. The 70 most populated cities analyzed are home to 47.51% of U.S. residents living in The Old Dominion State.

To ensure readers can learn more about the cities and view homes for sale in the area, cities with Rocket Homes^SM listings and market reports were chosen for this study.

The metrics used in this study include the violent crime rate, property crime rate, unemployment rate, google search volume, median rent, well-being index, median monthly income, median monthly housing costs, median days on market for homes, median home list price, and Freddie Mac primary mortgage market survey interest rates. Some of these metrics were then used to calculate housing cost to income ratio and home affordability index. These metrics were chosen based on public data availability and topical relevancy. Metrics from the U.S. Census are based on 2020 ACS 5-year estimates. In one case, county-level data was used because data is not recorded at the local level.

The housing cost to income ratio was calculated by taking the median monthly housing costs divided by the median monthly income to get the average percentage of income spent on housing costs in a household. The home affordability index was calculated using median listing price for homes in that city, interest rate from Freddie Mac primary mortgage market survey, and median yearly income. To interpret the indices, a value equal to or greater than 1 means that the average person has enough income to qualify for a mortgage in that area. The calculation assumes a down payment of 20% of the home price and a qualifying ratio of 25%.

Each metric had data collected on it for the metropolitan statistical area and that area was ranked for each metric from best (1) to worst. Once all the metro areas were ranked from best to worst for each metric, weights were then applied to each metric depending on their individual importance when it comes to choosing the best cities to live in Virginia. Cities with violent crime rates greater than or equal to 55 and property crime rates greater than or equal to 65 were removed from the ranking. The final scores are sorted to produce the final rankings. If multiple cities ranked within the same county, only the top one or two cities were chosen to be represented in order to showcase the diversity of the state and offer readers a wider representation of the state.