Best PlacesEagle River Valley, Eagle River, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Eagle River Valley, Eagle River, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River ranks 385th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
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.
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River's strengths and weaknesses
Where Eagle River Valley, Eagle River ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
Where Eagle River Valley, Eagle River ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
A household needs to earn about $128,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Eagle River Valley, Eagle River home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $164,678, 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 Eagle River Valley, Eagle River's effective rate of 1.17%, 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 Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Eagle River Valley, Eagle River.
Who works in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River, and how
Work in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is low.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River has more parkland per resident than 82% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 14 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Eagle River Valley, Eagle River and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River, month by month
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River sees roughly 98 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 70 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 6. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 15° | 6° |
| April | 48° | 38° | 26° |
| July | 70° | 60° | 50° |
| October | 45° | 35° | 26° |
Flying in and out of Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
The nearest airport, Merrill Field, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 19 miles away.
The best schools in and around Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
Schools across Eagle River Valley, Eagle River average a B+, better than 79% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ravenwood ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Homestead ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Alpenglow ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gruening Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Mirror Lake Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
Top high schools
- Eagle River High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Chugiak High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Eagle River Valley, Eagle River school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River 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 Eagle River Valley, Eagle River against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River
Is Eagle River Valley, Eagle River a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Eagle River Valley, Eagle River ranks 385th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, clean air, and a stable housing market, and lowest on cell coverage and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Eagle River Valley, Eagle River expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $467,699. The overall cost of living runs about 17% above the national average. Set against a $164,678 median income, cost of living beats 93% of neighborhoods.
Is Eagle River Valley, Eagle River safe?
Yes, Eagle River Valley, Eagle River is safer than 82% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $492 per resident a year.
Compare Eagle River Valley, Eagle River with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Eagle River Valley, Eagle River. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River 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.
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Eagle River Valley, Eagle River: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Eagle River Valley, Eagle River: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Eagle River Valley, Eagle River: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Eagle River Valley, Eagle River 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.