Vienna Ranks Among Time Magazine's Best Places to Live in 2015

Time Magazine recently released its list of the Best Places to Live in 2015 — a ranking of the best small cities in America in which to live based on a series of criteria.

And for the second time in a row, Vienna cracked the top 50, ranking No. 48 on this year’s list. The last time that Time ranked small cities (2013), Vienna ranked third in the country.

Population, median income, job growth, median home price and property tax were among the criteria by which each city was evaluated, but factors like historic value and community culture also played a role in the rankings.

Take a look at what Time had to say about Vienna in this year’s rankings:

It has a vibrant downtown, with mom-and-pop shops, locally owned restaurants, and historic buildings like the Freeman House, a country store built in 1859. Plus there’s plenty of outdoor recreation, including biking and walking paths along the 45-mile W&OD Railroad track, and low unemployment due to the town’s proximity to Tysons Corner (the two overlap), where Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One, and Hilton Worldwide are headquartered.

However, as Tysons undergoes a major transformation from being a mostly commercial area to one with a healthy mix of commercial and residential living—Fairfax County projects Tyson’s population could soar from 21,803 people today to more than 100,000 by 2050—Vienna is bracing for potential overcrowding, higher living expenses, and increased traffic in an area already known for brutal congestion. The shift could also raise housing costs, which are the town’s main drawback; the median sale price now exceeds $660,000.

Vienna was Virginia’s only representative in this year’s top 50. To check out the full list, click here.

Patch file photo