Best PlacesIsland Ford, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Island Ford, 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.
Island Ford ranks 10,721st of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Island Ford
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.
Island Ford's strengths and weaknesses
Where Island Ford ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of towns
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 91% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 85% of towns
- School gradeA−, better than 84% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of towns
Where Island Ford ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 16% of towns
- BikingBetter than only 18% of towns
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 32% of towns
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 37% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 39% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Island Ford
A household needs to earn about $90,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Island Ford home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $75,293, 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 Island Ford's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Island Ford
Island Ford runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Island Ford.
Who works in Island Ford, and how
Work in Island Ford centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Island Ford
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Island Ford.
What the weather is like in Island Ford, month by month
Island Ford sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 34° | 24° |
| April | 68° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Island Ford
The nearest airport, Shenandoah Valley Regional, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 79 miles away.
The best schools in and around Island Ford
Schools across Island Ford average an A−, better than 84% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Mcgaheysville ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- South River ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- River Bend ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Montevideo MiddleA · 59% proficient
- Elkton MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Spotswood HighA · 74% proficient
- East Rockingham HighA · 72% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Island Ford school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Island Ford 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 Island Ford against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Island Ford
Is Island Ford a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Island Ford ranks 10,721st of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on tree cover, cheap car insurance, and a strong job market, and lowest on state finances and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Island Ford expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $356,431. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $75,293 median income, cost of living beats 53% of towns.
Is Island Ford safe?
Yes, Island Ford is safer than 64% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $290 per resident a year.
Compare Island Ford with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Island Ford. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Island Ford 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.
Island Ford detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Island Ford: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Island Ford: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Island Ford: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Island Ford: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Island Ford 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.