Best Places24479, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 24479, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
24479 ranks 7,117th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 24479
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.
24479's strengths and weaknesses
Where 24479 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 88% of zip codes
Where 24479 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 24479
A household needs to earn about $65,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 24479 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,179, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 24479's effective rate of 0.46%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 24479
24479 runs older than the country, 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 24479.
Who works in 24479, and how
Work in 24479 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 24479
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 24479.
What the weather is like in 24479, month by month
24479 sees roughly 80 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 34° | 24° |
| April | 68° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 24479
The nearest airport, Shenandoah Valley Regional, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 109 miles away.
The best schools in and around 24479
Schools across 24479 average an A−, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Riverheads ElementaryA · 69% proficient
- Churchville ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Arthur R. Ware ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Beverley Manor MiddleA · 59% proficient
Top high schools
- Buffalo Gap HighA · 73% proficient
- Riverheads HighA · 70% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 24479 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
24479 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 24479 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 24479
Is 24479 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 24479 ranks 7,117th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, low crime, and civic engagement, and lowest on walkability and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 24479 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $261,629. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $66,179 median income, cost of living beats 34% of zip codes.
Is 24479 safe?
Yes, 24479 is safer than 95% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $173 per resident a year.
Compare 24479 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 24479. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 24479 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.
24479 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 24479: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 24479: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 24479: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 24479: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
24479 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.