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3 of 50
3. Vienna, VA
Vienna, VA
3
Top 50 rank: 3
Population: 16,285

Unlike other cookie-cutter suburbs in Northern Virginia, Vienna offers walkability, a historic center, and unique businesses that give Vienna an identity all its own.

A town green anchors the community and serves as a gathering spot for local events, like the Concerts on the Green summer series. A 45-mile bike path and park built on the roadbed of a former railroad cuts right through town, and downtown is dotted with one-of-a-kind stores and homegrown eateries. The small-town feel comes with access to all the D.C. metro area attractions.

All that comes at a cost: Real estate prices and taxes are among the highest in the county. A typical three-bedroom can sell for $600,000 -- and bidding wars are the norm. Then there's the traffic, though that's just a fact of life for anyone near the nation's capital. --Ismat Sarah Mangla

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Vienna, VA
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$144,502
Job growth % (2010-2012)
7.20%
Median home price (2012)
$550,000
Reading test scores (% above/below average)
7.5%
Math test scores (% above/below average)
25.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
12
Financials
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$144,502
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$105,230
Sales tax
5.00%II
State income tax rate (highest bracket)
5.75%
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)
2.00%
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,584
Job growth % (2010-2012)
7.20%
Housing
Median home price (2012)
$550,000
Average property taxes
(2012)
$6,066
Education
Reading test scores (% above/below state average)
7.5%
Test scores math (% above/below average)
25.8%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)
86.0/14.0
Quality of life
Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)
80.5%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
12
Median commute time (in minutes)
26.1
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer
17.3%
% population walk or bike to work
7.2%
Leisure and culture
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)
0.5
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches)
41.8
% clear days in the area
54%
High temp in July ° F
89.1°
Low temp in Jan ° F
23.9°
Meet the neighbors
Median age
40.5
Completed at least some college (% of residents)
75.1%
Married %
53.8%
Divorced %
5.9%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
124.1
From the September 2013 issue

Source: Onboard Informatics. Details


(II) Sales tax notes:
California (1%) and Virginia (1%) levy mandatory, statewide add-on sales taxes at the local level; these are included in their state sales tax rates.
Is Vienna a great town, or what?
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Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town # of Likes
1. Sharon, MA 11,968
2. Apex, NC 10,738
3. Westford, MA 6,023
4. Peachtree City, GA 5,632
5. Hillsborough, NJ 5,329
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Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics and other sources, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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