Best Places26690, WV Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 26690, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
26690 ranks 29,674th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Cell coverage pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on tree cover.
The best neighborhoods in 26690
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.
26690's strengths and weaknesses
Where 26690 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 72% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 67% of zip codes
Where 26690 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 26690
A household needs to earn about $18,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 26690 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,698, 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 26690's effective rate of 0.57%, 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 26690
26690's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 26690.
Who works in 26690, and how
Work in 26690 centers on retail trade and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 26690
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 26690.
What the weather is like in 26690, month by month
26690 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 43° |
| July | 89° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 73° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 26690
The nearest airport, West Virginia International Yeager, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is John Glenn Columbus International, about 154 miles away.
The best schools in and around 26690
Schools across 26690 average a D, better than 8% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ansted ElementaryC− · 28% proficient
- Lizemore Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Valley Pk-8D− · 14% proficient
Top middle schools
- Summersville Middle SchoolD · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Nicholas County High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Midland Trail HighD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 26690 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
26690 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 26690 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 26690
Is 26690 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 26690 ranks 29,674th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, a strong job market, and low property taxes, and lowest on cell coverage and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 26690 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $70,969. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $59,698 median income, cost of living beats 38% of zip codes.
Is 26690 safe?
26690 is safer than 34% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $344 per resident a year.
Compare 26690 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 26690. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 26690 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.
26690 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 26690: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 26690: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 26690: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 26690: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
26690 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.