City: Virginia Beach
State: Virginia
Best Cities Overall Rank: 14
About Virginia Beach: First Landing State Park, the first place where members of the Virginia Company landed, is in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach has above average NAEP Grade 8 State Proficiency in both math and reading as well as an 84% high school graduation rate in 2008.
County: Virginia Beach City
Population: 433,746
Official website for city visitors' bureau/city: Visitor's bureau website
Newspaper with the largest circulation: Virginian Pilot
Virginia Beach blogs:
Virginia Beach's Facebook page: Follow Virginia Beach on Facebook
Virginia Beach's Twitter page: Follow Virginia Beach on Twitter
Education rank: 63
High School graduation rate 2008: 84.2%
Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003-2009: 2
Blue Ribbon Schools per 100,000 people: 0.46
NEAYC-accredited preschools: 6
NAEYC schools per 100,000 people: 1.38
NAEP State proficiency reading, grade 8: 266
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: 17.89
Total Expenditures Per Student: $11,544
Health rank: 89
Quality children's hospitals: 0
Hospitals per 100,000 people: 0
Quality Pediatricians: 1
Quality Pediatricians per 100,000: 0.23
Average number of Unhealthy Air Quality days between 2006-2008, by county: 1
Safety rank: 12
Violent Crimes, 2008: 1,043
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000: 240.46
Sex Offenders: 626
Sex Offenders per 100,000: 144.32
Economy rank: 8
Travel time to work, 2006-2008, in minutes: 22.6
Percent of labor force unemployed, January 2010: 8
Best Performing Cities Job Index: 913.53
Median Home Sale Price: $231,200
5-Year Home Value Index: 2.25%
Percent of homes sold for a loss: 12.81%
Recreation Rank: 54
Parkland acreage, 2008 (includes pools and playgrounds): 5,135
Parkland per 100,000: 1,183.87
