Best Places28742, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28742, 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.
28742 ranks 3,069th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28742
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.
28742's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28742 ranks high
- School gradeA+, better than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 28742 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28742
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28742 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $83,729, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 28742'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 and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28742
28742 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28742.
Who works in 28742, and how
Work in 28742 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 28742
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28742.
What the weather is like in 28742, month by month
28742 sees roughly 129 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 37° | 29° |
| April | 69° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 64° |
| October | 71° | 57° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 28742
The nearest airport, Asheville Regional, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 93 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28742
Schools across 28742 average an A+, better than 98% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hendersonville ElementaryA+ · 75% proficient
- Glenn C Marlow ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Etowah ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rugby MiddleA+ · 70% proficient
- Brevard MiddleA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Henderson County Early CollegeA+ · 93% proficient
- West Henderson HighA · 69% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28742 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28742 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 28742 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28742
Is 28742 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28742 ranks 3,069th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, civic engagement, and heat safety, and lowest on walkability and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28742 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $387,344. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $83,729 median income, cost of living beats 55% of zip codes.
Is 28742 safe?
Yes, 28742 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $225 per resident a year.
Compare 28742 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28742. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28742 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.
28742 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28742: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28742: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28742: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28742: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28742 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.