Bridgewater makes Virginia’s top 10 on 2 lists
Bridgewater is ranked on 34 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 4.
Drier than 97% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Bridgewater’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Bridgewater does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Bridgewater marked.
Bridgewater lands in the top half on 17 of 21 lists
Each dot is Bridgewater’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Bridgewater does best come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for safety
Lists where Bridgewater sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every VA list, and where Bridgewater lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#5 Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#4 
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#93
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#74
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#65
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#94
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#67
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#176
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#106 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#117
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#77
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#79
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#154
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#56
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#123 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #111 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #19 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #237 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #57 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #205
Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#76
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#172
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#209
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#187
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#38
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#218
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#219 
The number on the right is Bridgewater’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.