Chesapeake ranks #4 in Virginia for conserved land
Chesapeake is ranked on 40 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 1.
Longer growing season than 99% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Chesapeake’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Chesapeake out-ranks 3 of its 4 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.
1 spot from the top 3 for conserved land
Lists where Chesapeake sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Chesapeake lands in the top half on 12 of 26 lists
Each dot is Chesapeake’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Chesapeake does best come first.
The lists Chesapeake does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Chesapeake marked.
Every VA list, and where Chesapeake lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Chincoteague · 54%
#111
Most new homes#1 Falls Church · 12.8 per 1,000
#19
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Crewe · +71.5%
#109
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Manassas Park · 61.4 per home
#15 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#4
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#171
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#236 Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#164
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#210
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#142
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#119
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#95
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#122
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#186 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#110 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Covington · 0.9 yrs
#113
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#114
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#124
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
#79 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Bristol · 11.5 per resident
#15
Most library borrowing#1 Falls Church · 30.8 per resident
#13
Best libraries for kids#1 Falls Church · 49.3 per child
#14 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #144 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #113 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #144 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #144 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #98Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#52 
The number on the right is Chesapeake’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.