Best Places23518, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 23518, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
23518 ranks 9,153rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on transit, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 23518
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
23518's strengths and weaknesses
Where 23518 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 87% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 84% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 23518 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 23518
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 23518 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $86,204; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 23518's effective rate of 0.97%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 23518
23518's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 23518.
Who works in 23518, and how
Work in 23518 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 23518
23518 has more parkland per resident than 71% of zip codes. The coast is about 3 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 23518 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 23518, month by month
23518 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 33° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 92° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 76° | 65° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 23518
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 73 miles away.
The best schools in and around 23518
Schools across 23518 average a B, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Tarrallton ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Larrymore ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
- Crossroads Prek-8 SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Independence MiddleA+ · 72% proficient
- Academy For Discovery At LakewoodA · 63% proficient
- Bayside 6th Grade CampusB− · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Bayside HighA · 67% proficient
- Norview HighB+ · 54% proficient
- Lake Taylor HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 23518 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
23518 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 23518 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 23518 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 77% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 23518
Is 23518 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 23518 ranks 9,153rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, fast internet, and cell coverage, and lowest on state finances and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 23518 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $353,078. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $86,204 median income, cost of living beats 77% of zip codes.
Is 23518 safe?
23518 is safer than 28% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $421 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 23518?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 33. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 31% of zip codes.
Is 23518 good for families?
Schools beat 69% of zip codes, crime safety beats 28%, and childcare runs $983 a month.
Compare 23518 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 23518. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 23518 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
23518 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 23518: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 23518: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 23518: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 23518: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
23518 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.