Best Places28745, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28745, 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.
28745 ranks 8,683rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 28745
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.
28745's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28745 ranks high
- Short commute10.3 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 96% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 28745 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Household income$61,210 median, better than only 26% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28745
A household needs to earn about $81,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28745 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $61,210, 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 28745's effective rate of 0.38%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 28745
28745 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28745.
Who works in 28745, and how
Work in 28745 centers on public administration and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 73%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in 28745
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28745.
What the weather is like in 28745, month by month
28745 sees roughly 117 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 70° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 84° | 72° | 62° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 28745
The nearest airport, Asheville Regional, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 116 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28745
Schools across 28745 average an A, better than 96% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Junaluska ElementaryA · 66% proficient
Top middle schools
- Waynesville MiddleA · 61% proficient
Top high schools
- Haywood Early CollegeA+ · 92% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28745 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28745 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 28745 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28745
Is 28745 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28745 ranks 8,683rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, civic engagement, and health care access, and lowest on noise and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28745 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $330,000. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $61,210 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 28745 safe?
Yes, 28745 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $296 per resident a year.
Compare 28745 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28745. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28745 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.
28745 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28745: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28745: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28745: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28745: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28745 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.