Northchase ranks #27 in North Carolina for conserved land
Northchase is ranked on 29 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
More kids than 100% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Northchase’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Northchase does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Northchase marked.
Northchase lands in the top half on 8 of 18 lists
Each dot is Northchase’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Northchase does best come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for conserved land
Lists where Northchase sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Northchase out-ranks 0 of its 1 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Northchase lands in every NC ranking
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#27
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#72 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#83 
People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #118
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#16
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#283
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#264
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#2 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#182
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#206
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#88
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#198
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#123
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#216
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#189
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#172
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#258
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#270 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Boone · 26 in
Least snow#1 Laurinburg · 1.1 in
Mildest winters#1 Southport · 36.8°
#38
Hottest summers#1 Laurinburg · 91.4°
#102
Coolest summers#1 Boone · 78.9°
#181
Longest growing season#1 Kill Devil Hills · 266 days
#98
Wettest#1 Brevard · 69 in
#12 
The number on the right is Northchase’s spot. All of North Carolina’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NC list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.