Best Places To Live, Work, Play In VA: 2024 Recap

VIRGINIA — Some of the best places to live in the country are towns and cities in Virginia, according to a handful of national rankings released in 2024 that look at quality of life indicators.

There’s no one quality that makes a town or city a great place to live. High quality schools, hospitals and medical facilities and a robust cultural and dining scene all matters. So do good jobs and places to play and have fun.

Publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Money, Forbes and Fortune and the ratings and review site Niche used different methodologies to compile their lists. Read more about why Virginia’s cities and towns were mentioned in these rankings:

• VA Has 2nd Safest Community In America; 6 Others In Top 25: U.S. News
• 2 VA Cities Among Best Places To Live In America, U.S. News Says
• VA City Among Money's 50 Best Places To Live
• VA Neighborhood Claims 1st Spot On Best Places To Live In America List
• 3 VA Towns Among Best Places To Live, New Ranking Says
• VA Town Among 50 Best Places To Live For Families, New Ranking Says
• VA City Ranked Healthiest Community In America, 30 Others Make Ranking: U.S. News
• VA Among Best States To Live In U.S., New Survey Says
• 11 VA Cities Among Best Small Towns In America: Ranking
• These Are The Top 10 Safest Towns In Virginia: 2024 List
• VA One Of The Safest States In America: Report

Rankings also came from other sources:

• 3 VA Towns Among Best Places To Live, New Ranking Says
• 3 Virginia Cities Named By Southern Living Readers As Best In The South
• Best States To Raise A Family: See Where Virginia Ranked

U.S. News also released rankings that looked at how well different communities and companies meet older Americans' needs. Read more:

• 2 VA Communities Ranked As Best Places To Retire In 2024: U.S. News
• 9 Nursing Homes In NoVA Among Nation’s Best: U.S. News

Good jobs, whether at one of the country’s fastest-growing startups or a mid-sized or large company, also make communities more livable. Read more:

• 17 VA Startups Among Fastest-Growing In America: New Ranking
• 4 VA Companies Ranked Among Forbes’ Best Employers
• These 10 VA Companies Are Among America’s Best Employers

Virginia also got mentions in rankings of places for a getaway or vacation. Read more:

• 10 VA Bed And Breakfasts Named Among Best In America, New Ranking Says
• Virginia Has 3 Of Nation’s Top 25 Hotels: U.S. News
• Chincoteague Is Among 14 Best East Coast Beach Towns: Condé Nast