Best Places31909, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 31909, 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.
31909 ranks 13,210th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on low disaster risk, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 31909
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.
31909's strengths and weaknesses
Where 31909 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Short commute20.9 minutes each way, better than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$649 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 31909 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 31909
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 31909 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,938, 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 31909's effective rate of 0.89%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 31909
31909 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 31909.
Who works in 31909, and how
Work in 31909 centers on health care & social and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 31909
31909 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 90% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 31909 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 31909, month by month
31909 sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 48° | 37° |
| April | 80° | 66° | 52° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 69° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 31909
The nearest airport, Columbus, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 81 miles away.
The best schools in and around 31909
Schools across 31909 average a C−, better than 21% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Britt David Elementary Computer Magnet AcademyA+ · 92% proficient
- Clubview Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- North Columbus ElementaryB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Richards Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Blackmon Road Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Veterans Memorial Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Northside High SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Shaw High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
- Jordan Vocational High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 31909 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
31909 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 31909 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 31909 suits
Families
Schools land around the 21st percentile and crime safety beats 61%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 16% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 31909
Is 31909 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 31909 ranks 13,210th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on noise and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 31909 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $241,388. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $75,938 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 31909 safe?
Yes, 31909 is safer than 61% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $273 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 31909?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 37. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 36% of zip codes.
Is 31909 good for families?
Schools beat 21% of zip codes, crime safety beats 61%, and childcare runs $649 a month.
Compare 31909 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 31909. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 31909 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.
31909 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 31909: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 31909: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 31909: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 31909: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
31909 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.