Best PlacesWestern Branch South, Chesapeake, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Western Branch South, Chesapeake, 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.
Western Branch South, Chesapeake ranks 1,465th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Western Branch South, 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 South, Chesapeake's strengths and weaknesses
Where Western Branch South, Chesapeake ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where Western Branch South, Chesapeake ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Western Branch South, Chesapeake
A household needs to earn about $103,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Western Branch South, Chesapeake home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $127,353, 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 South, Chesapeake's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 South, Chesapeake
Western Branch South, Chesapeake runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Western Branch South, Chesapeake.
Who works in Western Branch South, Chesapeake, and how
Work in Western Branch South, Chesapeake centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in Western Branch South, Chesapeake
Western Branch South, Chesapeake has more parkland per resident than 83% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 17 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Western Branch South, Chesapeake and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Western Branch South, Chesapeake, month by month
Western Branch South, 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 South, Chesapeake
The nearest airport, Norfolk International, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Richmond International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around Western Branch South, Chesapeake
Schools across Western Branch South, Chesapeake average an A−, better than 94% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Edwin W. Chittum ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Southwestern ElementaryC+ · 38% proficient
- Hodges Manor ElementaryC+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jolliff MiddleA− · 55% proficient
- William E. Waters MiddleA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Western Branch HighA · 77% proficient
- Manor HighB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Western Branch South, Chesapeake school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Western Branch South, 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 South, Chesapeake against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Western Branch South, Chesapeake
Is Western Branch South, Chesapeake a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Western Branch South, Chesapeake ranks 1,465th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on what local pay buys, good schools, and cheap car insurance, 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 Western Branch South, Chesapeake expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $400,588. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $127,353 median income, cost of living beats 94% of neighborhoods.
Is Western Branch South, Chesapeake safe?
Yes, Western Branch South, Chesapeake is safer than 56% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $434 per resident a year.
Compare Western Branch South, Chesapeake with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Western Branch South, Chesapeake. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Western Branch South, 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 South, Chesapeake detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Western Branch South, Chesapeake: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Western Branch South, Chesapeake: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Western Branch South, Chesapeake: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Western Branch South, Chesapeake: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Western Branch South, 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.