'Best Places to Live 2016': This Northern Virginia Region Makes the List

Money Magazine is out with its 2016 "50 Best Places to Live" list, and not one but two areas in Northern Virginia made the cut this year. Fairfax County's Hunter Mill District — which encompasses parts of Vienna, Herndon, Reston and Tysons Corner — comes in at No. 28 on the 2016 list, released Monday.

Here are some statistics the magazine released about the Hunter Mill area of Fairfax County:

• Population: 128,000
• Median home price: $502,000
• Property tax: $6,253
• Unemployment rate: 3.2 percent
• Commute time: 26 minutes

"Hunter Mill isn’t a traditional town—it encompasses parts of several Fairfax County communities, including Reston, Herndon, Vienna, and Tysons Corner," the magazine noted. "But that special blend gives the Hunter Mill District many qualities that make it a great place to raise a family."

The magazine uses a photo of Fairfax County's Frying Pan Park with its ranking of the area.

The magazine goes on to note residents' access to great jobs, shopping, history and the arts. Downsides: Traffic and home prices. Read the magazine's complete description of Hunter Mill here.

Cathy Hudgins is the Hunter Mill District supervisor, representing the area on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Read more about the district here.

The other area in Northern Virginia that earned a spot on this year's 50 "best places to live" list? Loudoun County's Ashburn, coming in at No. 22.

Another town in the DC metro region took the No. 1 spot: Columbia, Maryland: Money magazine describes it as "A planned community that prizes economic and social diversity."

Here are the top 10 areas on the 2016 list:

1. Columbia, Md.

2. Eden Prairie, Minn.

3. Plano, Texas

4. West Des Moines, Iowa

5. Parsippany-Troy Hills, N.J.

6. Highlands Ranch, Colo.

7. Clarkstown, N.Y.

8. Weston, Fla.

9. Beaverton, Ore.

10. Naperville, Ill.

PHOTO: Frying Pan Park; photo courtesy of Fairfax County