Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012)

This article, the twelfth in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Virginia based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, "places" are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000.

Among the twenty best places to live in Virginia, nine are suburbs of Washington, D.C., four are suburbs of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, four are college/university towns, one is a suburb of Richmond, one is a suburb of Roanoke, and one is a suburb of the VA-TN Tri-Cities area. By county, two of the best places to live in Virginia are located in Fairfax County, two in Loudoun County, two in Montgomery County, and one each in Fauquier, King William, Rockingham, and Washington Counties. The remaining ten best places to live in Virginia are independent cities that are not located within the legal boundaries of any county.

After reading "Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in Virginia (2012)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2012)."

This article may be amended as new data becomes available.

1. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Vienna, VA (Fairfax County)

Population: 14,894

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $84,434
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 61.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.27

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 16 miles E
Baltimore, MD: 51 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 107 miles S

2. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Falls Church, VA**

Population: 11,233

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $82,590
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 69.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.19

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 9 miles E
Baltimore, MD: 49 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 106 miles SSW

3. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Fairfax, VA**

Population: 23,369

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,655
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.36

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 17 miles E
Baltimore, MD: 57 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 100 miles S

4. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Leesburg, VA (Loudoun County)

Population: 38,394

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $69,165
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.65

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 37 miles SE
Baltimore, MD: 71 miles ENE
Richmond, VA: 125 miles S

5. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Purcellville , VA (Loudoun County)

Population: 4,964

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,478
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 51.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.44

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 48 miles SE
Baltimore, MD: 76 miles ENE
Richmond, VA: 131 miles S

6. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Poquoson , VA**

Population: 11,775

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $86,328
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.86

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Norfolk, VA: 28 miles S
Williamsburg, VA.: 28 miles NW
Richmond, VA: 77 miles NW
Virginia Beach: 41 miles SE

7. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Herndon, VA (Fairfax County)

Population: 21,996

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $65,347
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.31

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 24 miles ESE
Baltimore, MD: 57 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 100 miles S

8. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Williamsburg, VA**

Population: 12,330

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $40,707
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.67

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Norfolk, VA: 45 miles SSE
Richmond, VA: 53 miles WNW
Virginia Beach: 60 miles SE

9. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Bridgewater, VA (Rockingham County)

Population: 5,386

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $56,962
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.02

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Harrisonburg, VA: 8 miles NE
Charlottesville, VA: 57 miles SE
Richmond, VA: 125 miles SE

10. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Lexington, VA**

Population: 6,909

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $35,472
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.28

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Roanoke, VA: 54 miles SW
Charlottesville, VA: 67 miles ENE
Richmond, VA: 132 miles ESE

11. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Alexandria, VA**

Population: 150,006

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $55,906
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 59.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.67

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 8 miles N
Baltimore, MD: 46 miles NNE
Richmond, VA: 102 miles S

12. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Blacksburg, VA (Montgomery County)

Population: 41,624

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $32,539
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 69.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.59

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Roanoke, VA: 39 miles ENE
Richmond, VA: 202 miles ENE

13. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - West Point, VA (King William County)

Population: 3,077

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $70,138
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 22.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.78

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Norfolk, VA: 66 miles SSE
Richmond, VA: 41 miles W
Virginia Beach: 81 miles SE

14. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Virginia Beach, VA**

Population: 433,575

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $60,018
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.98

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Norfolk, VA: 18 miles W
Richmond, VA: 95 miles NW

15. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Manassas Park, VA**

Population: 11,633

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $52,299
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 24.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.96

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 30 miles ENE
Baltimore, MD: 69 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 98 miles S

16. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Warrenton, VA (Fauquier County)

Population: 8,834

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $49,097
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 25.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.47

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Washington, D.C.: 47 miles ENE
Baltimore, MD: 85 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 92 miles S

17. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Chesapeake, VA**

Population: 222,455

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $65,586
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 28.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 7.82

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Norfolk, VA: 6 miles N
Virginia Beach, VA: 21 miles ENE
Richmond, VA: 107 miles NW

18. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Christianburg, VA (Montgomery County)

Population: 19,057

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $54,838
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 29.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.17

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Blacksburg, VA: 8 miles N
Roanoke, VA: 34 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 196 miles ENE

19. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Charlottesville, VA**

Population: 41,393

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $40,009
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 7.34

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Harrisonburg, VA: 58 miles NNW
Washington D.C.: 115 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 71 miles SE

20. Best Places to Live in Virginia (2012) - Abingdon, VA (Washington County)

Population: 7,919

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $41,207
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 28.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.6

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Johnson City, TN: 41 miles SW
Roanoke, VA: 133 miles NE
Richmond, VA: 293 miles ENE

*In some cases, municipalities either do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from county or contiguous municipality data.

**Independent city (not part of any County).

Source(s):

"All Cities in Virginia," City-Data.com
" American Community Survey ," U.S. Census Bureau
" American Fact Finder ," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Reports," Federal Bureau of Investigation