Colonial Beach ranks #2 in Virginia for cheap rent
Colonial Beach is ranked on 33 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 2.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Colonial Beach marked.
More vacation homes than 99% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Colonial Beach’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Colonial Beach lands in the top half on 6 of 19 lists
Each dot is Colonial Beach’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Colonial Beach does best come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for safety
Lists where Colonial Beach sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Colonial Beach lands in every VA ranking
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
#65
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#2
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#104
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#28 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#210
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#57 
People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #181 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #236 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #20 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #24 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #174
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#244
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#233
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#240
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#242
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#189
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#229
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#227 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#246 Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#174
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#79
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#39
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#29
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#199
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#93
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#93 
The number on the right is Colonial Beach’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.