How Front Royal compares across Virginia
Front Royal is ranked on 35 lists against the 255 Virginia towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
Drier than 96% of Virginia
Not better or worse, just Front Royal’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Front Royal does best on
Each list ranks every VA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Front Royal marked.
Front Royal lands in the top half on 7 of 22 lists
Each dot is Front Royal’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in VA, the right end is last. Areas where Front Royal does best come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for affordable rent
Lists where Front Royal sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Front Royal 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
#88
Cheapest rent#1 Clifton Forge · $592/mo
#65
Lowest property tax#1 Covington · $681/yr
#55
Rent easiest to afford#1 Franconia · 28.6%
#27 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Groveton · 53.8%
#49
U
Most trails#1 University of Virginia · 10.3 mi / sq mi
#210
O
Most walkable#1 One Loudoun · 214 / sq mi
#176 Safety
Safest#1 Broadway · 5.7
#40 
Health
Healthiest#1 Tysons · 100 / 100
#214
N
Lowest obesity#1 Navy · 20%
#198
Fewest smokers#1 Great Falls · 5%
#205
Most active#1 Wyndham · 14%
#191
Fewest uninsured#1 Great Falls · 4%
#170
Lowest depression#1 Loudoun Valley Estates · 15%
#203
Closest to a top hospital#1 Charlottesville · 0.0 mi
#216 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Quantico Base · 11.5 min
#211 People
N Most educated#1 Navy · 87.8% #230 U Youngest#1 University of Virginia · 19.6 #108 N Oldest#1 North Shore · 62.6 #147 N Most residents 65+#1 North Shore · 44.9% #107 F Most kids#1 Fort Belvoir · 47.5% #160Climate
Snowiest#1 Norton · 47 in
#19
Least snow#1 Emporia · 1.4 in
#234
Mildest winters#1 Norfolk · 33.2°
#214
Hottest summers#1 Colonial Heights · 89.7°
#142
Coolest summers#1 Wise · 79.9°
#84
Longest growing season#1 Norfolk · 252 days
#152
Wettest#1 Big Stone Gap · 52 in
#216 
The number on the right is Front Royal’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.