Best place to buy a forever home? Falls Church ranks fifth in the U.S.

The City of Falls Church is apparently the best place to put your roots down in Virginia, according to a study by money.co.uk.

Falls Church, an independent city, has a population of just under 15,000, according to the 2020 census. It is located in the Washington metropolitan area in Northern Virginia.

According to the study authors, a forever home is a property that you see yourself living in for a long time and has all the features you want in a home including the exterior and interior.

Falls Church was the only Virginia locality to make the list for “Top 10 Places in the U.S. to Buy a Forever Home.”

The study looked at several factors including the rate of violent crime, average house prices, school ratings, electricity costs, annual earnings and life expectancy.

Falls Church received an A+ in school ratings; $810,900 average house price; $0.1236 average electricity cost per kWh; 80.6 years life expectancy; $88,971 in average annual earnings; and 6.73/10 forever home score.

‘Top 10 Places in the U.S. to Buy a Forever Home’ study results

1. 1. Teton, Wyoming
   2. Los Alamos, New Mexico
   3. Douglas, Colorado
   4. Williamson, Tennessee
   5. Falls Church, Virginia
   6. Valley, Idaho
   7. St. Johns, Florida
   8. Collins, Texas
   9. Marin, California
   10. San Juan, Washington

Other findings

• The area with the least violent crimes is South Dakota with only five violent crimes reported in 2022.
• The area with the highest life expectancy is Teton, Wyoming, with 86.7.
• The area with the highest average annual income in the U.S. is Marin with $145,575.

View full results from the study online.