Best Places28778, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28778, 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.
28778 ranks 13,288th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 28778
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.
28778's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28778 ranks high
- Short commute18.1 minutes each way, better than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 28778 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 37% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 38% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28778
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28778 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $73,179; 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 28778's effective rate of 0.47%, 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 28778
28778's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28778.
Who works in 28778, and how
Work in 28778 centers on health care & social and other services. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 28778
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28778.
What the weather is like in 28778, month by month
28778 sees roughly 106 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 28778
The nearest airport, Asheville Regional, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 86 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28778
Schools across 28778 average a B, better than 64% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Black Mountain PrimaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Artspace Charter SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Williams ElementaryC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Owen MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Middle CollegeB · 50% proficient
- Community High SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28778 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28778 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 28778 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28778
Is 28778 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28778 ranks 13,288th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, state finances, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on an overheated housing market and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28778 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $322,511. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $73,179 median income, cost of living beats 37% of zip codes.
Is 28778 safe?
Yes, 28778 is safer than 57% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $320 per resident a year.
Compare 28778 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28778. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28778 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.
28778 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28778: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28778: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28778: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28778: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28778 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.