Best PlacesNorth Central, Virginia Beach, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Central, Virginia Beach, 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.
North Central, Virginia Beach ranks 1,678th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in North Central, Virginia Beach
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.
North Central, Virginia Beach's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Central, Virginia Beach ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where North Central, Virginia Beach ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Central, Virginia Beach
A household needs to earn about $121,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Central, Virginia Beach home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $100,360, 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 North Central, Virginia Beach's effective rate of 0.80%, 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 North Central, Virginia Beach
North Central, Virginia Beach's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Central, Virginia Beach.
Who works in North Central, Virginia Beach, and how
Work in North Central, Virginia Beach centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in North Central, Virginia Beach
The coast is about 8 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across North Central, Virginia Beach, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Central, Virginia Beach, month by month
North Central, Virginia Beach sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 32° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 49° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 76° | 64° | 54° |
Flying in and out of North Central, Virginia Beach
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 81 miles away.
The best schools in and around North Central, Virginia Beach
Schools across North Central, Virginia Beach average an A−, better than 94% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Kingston ElementaryA+ · 92% proficient
- Thalia ElementaryA− · 62% proficient
- Malibu ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
Top middle schools
- Great Neck MiddleA+ · 85% proficient
- Plaza MiddleA+ · 82% proficient
- Lynnhaven MiddleA+ · 73% proficient
Top high schools
- Frank W. Cox HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Princess Anne HighA+ · 82% proficient
- First Colonial HighA · 78% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Central, Virginia Beach school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Central, Virginia Beach 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 North Central, Virginia Beach against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North Central, Virginia Beach suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 85% of neighborhoods and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in North Central, Virginia Beach
Is North Central, Virginia Beach a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Central, Virginia Beach ranks 1,678th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, good schools, and tree cover, and lowest on cell coverage and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Central, Virginia Beach expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $462,729. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $100,360 median income, cost of living beats 85% of neighborhoods.
Is North Central, Virginia Beach safe?
Yes, North Central, Virginia Beach is safer than 59% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $478 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Central, Virginia Beach?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 32. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 24% of neighborhoods.
Is North Central, Virginia Beach good for families?
Schools beat 94% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 59%, and childcare runs $999 a month.
Compare North Central, Virginia Beach with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Central, Virginia Beach. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Central, Virginia Beach 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.
North Central, Virginia Beach detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Central, Virginia Beach: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Central, Virginia Beach: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Central, Virginia Beach: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Central, Virginia Beach: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Central, Virginia Beach 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.