Best PlacesHead River, GA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Head River, 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.
Head River ranks 17,673rd of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Head 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.
Head River's strengths and weaknesses
Where Head River ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of towns
- Voter turnoutBetter than 94% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 92% of towns
- Cheap childcare$502 a month, better than 92% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 131 pleasant days a year, better than 85% of towns
Where Head River ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 3% of towns
- Cell coverageBetter than only 17% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than only 21% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than only 22% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Head River
A household needs to earn about $86,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Head River home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $70,484, 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 Head River's effective rate of 0.58%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in Head River
Head River runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Head River.
Who works in Head River, and how
Work in Head River centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Head River
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Head River.
What the weather is like in Head River, month by month
Head River sees roughly 131 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 40° | 31° |
| April | 73° | 59° | 47° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 68° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Head River
The nearest airport, Lovell Field, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 94 miles away.
The best schools in and around Head River
Schools across Head River average a C, better than 41% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Fairyland Elementary SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Dade Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Gilbert Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dade Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Chattanooga Valley Middle SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Lafayette Middle SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Ridgeland High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Dade County High SchoolD · 23% proficient
- Lafayette High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Head River school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Head 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 Head River against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Head River
Is Head River a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Head River ranks 17,673rd of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on heat safety, civic engagement, and a strong job market, and lowest on biking and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Head River expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $340,391. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $70,484 median income, cost of living beats 57% of towns.
Is Head River safe?
Yes, Head River is safer than 75% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $207 per resident a year.
Compare Head River with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Head River. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Head 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.
Head River detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Head River: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Head River: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Head River: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Head River: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Head 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.