Best PlacesWestern Branch North, Chesapeake, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Western Branch North, Chesapeake, 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.
Western Branch North, Chesapeake ranks 1,697th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Western Branch North, Chesapeake
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.
Western Branch North, Chesapeake's strengths and weaknesses
Where Western Branch North, Chesapeake ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Western Branch North, Chesapeake ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Western Branch North, Chesapeake
A household needs to earn about $91,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Western Branch North, Chesapeake home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $94,825, 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 Western Branch North, Chesapeake's effective rate of 0.82%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Western Branch North, Chesapeake
Western Branch North, Chesapeake'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 Western Branch North, Chesapeake.
Who works in Western Branch North, Chesapeake, and how
Work in Western Branch North, Chesapeake centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Western Branch North, Chesapeake
Western Branch North, Chesapeake has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 68% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 18 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Western Branch North, Chesapeake and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Western Branch North, Chesapeake, month by month
Western Branch North, Chesapeake sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 40° | 28° |
| April | 75° | 60° | 46° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 67° |
| October | 75° | 61° | 48° |
Flying in and out of Western Branch North, Chesapeake
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 68 miles away.
The best schools in and around Western Branch North, Chesapeake
Schools across Western Branch North, Chesapeake average an A−, better than 93% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Edwin W. Chittum ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Western Branch IntermediateA · 65% proficient
- Creekside ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- John Yeates MiddleA+ · 71% proficient
- Western Branch MiddleA+ · 69% proficient
- Churchland MiddleA · 61% proficient
Top high schools
- Western Branch HighA · 77% proficient
- Nansemond River HighA− · 66% proficient
- Churchland HighA− · 66% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Western Branch North, Chesapeake school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Western Branch North, Chesapeake 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 Western Branch North, Chesapeake against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Western Branch North, Chesapeake suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 81% of neighborhoods and 15% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Western Branch North, Chesapeake
Is Western Branch North, Chesapeake a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Western Branch North, Chesapeake ranks 1,697th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on civic engagement, cheap car insurance, and good schools, and lowest on cell coverage and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Western Branch North, Chesapeake expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $347,681. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $94,825 median income, cost of living beats 81% of neighborhoods.
Is Western Branch North, Chesapeake safe?
Western Branch North, Chesapeake is safer than 50% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $491 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Western Branch North, Chesapeake?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 28. That works out to about 88 pleasant days a year, more than 45% of neighborhoods.
Is Western Branch North, Chesapeake good for families?
Schools beat 93% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 50%, and childcare runs $961 a month.
Compare Western Branch North, Chesapeake with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Western Branch North, Chesapeake. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Western Branch North, Chesapeake 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.
Western Branch North, Chesapeake detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Western Branch North, Chesapeake: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Western Branch North, Chesapeake: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Western Branch North, Chesapeake: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Western Branch North, Chesapeake: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Western Branch North, Chesapeake 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.