Blackstone makes Virginia’s top 10 on 2 lists
Blackstone is ranked on 35 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 3.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Blackstone marked.
More vacation homes than 98% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Blackstone’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Blackstone lands in the top half on 5 of 21 lists
Each dot is Blackstone’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Blackstone does best come first.
Every VA list, and where Blackstone lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#9
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#61
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#3
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#92 Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#241
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#247
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#232
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#242
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#211
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#122
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#244 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#234
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#131
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#184 Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#61 
People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #234 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #188 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #69 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #53 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #142
Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#247
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#8
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#46
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#59
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#170
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#134
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#70 
The number on the right is Blackstone’s spot. All of Virginia’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 VA 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.