Reston came in 20th in a new set of rankings on the livability of cities and towns across the United States.



Arlington is the best place to live in Virginia, according to the rankings released by Niche. Arlington, along with 57 other Virginia communities including Reston, received an A+ grade on Niche's rankings of best places to live for 2018. Reston residents are also highly educated, with 30 percent of residents having a master's degree or better, way higher than the national average of 12 percent. Schools around Reston are highly ranked, including A+ high schools like Langley, Oakton, and Madison.

The rankings of best places to live awarded grades from A+ to D- to communities across the state. The top 100 communities in Virginia received grades of between A+ and A- with 58 communities getting an A+ grade, and 42 communities receiving an A grade. To calculate the rankings and assign grades to communities, Niche looks at factors like the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics and access to amenities. Niche gets its data from government sources like the Department of Education, the FBI and the U.S. Census. You can read more about Niche's methodology and data sources.

One Patch reader disagreed with Arlington's rank at the top of the list. "I'm glad you said. Depending on who you talk to. Wouldn't live on that side of town. .. Too close to DC." (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)



According to Niche, these are the 100 best communities to live in Virginia:

Arlington A+

Vienna A+

Merrifield A+

Stone Ridge A+

Oakton A+

Broadlands A+

South Riding A+

Franklin Farm A+

Dunn Loring A+

Brambleton A+

Short Pump A+

Belmont A+

Ashburn A+

Cascades A+

Tysons A+

Lansdowne A+

Idylwood A+

Fair Oaks A+

McNair A+

Reston A+

Lowes Island A+

Wakefield A+

Mantua A+

Floris A+

Woodlake A+

Fair Lakes A+

Wolf Trap A+

Loudoun Valley Estates A+

Falls Church A+

McLean A+

Blacksburg A+

Fairfax A+

Dranesville A+

Centreville A+

Long Branch A+

Kingstowne A+

Greenbriar A+

Leesburg A+

Fairfax Station A+

Chantilly A+

Innsbrook A+

Pimmit Hills A+

Purcellville A+

Hayfield A+

Great Falls A+

Alexandria A+

Crosspointe A+

Belmont Estates A+

Laurel Hill A+

Wyndham A+

Bridgewater A+

Countryside A+

Williamsburg A+

Brandermill A+

Burke A+

Woodburn A+

Kings Park A+

Herndon A+

West Springfield A

University Center A

Gainesville A

Franconia A

Bon Air A

Crozet A

Huntington A

Haymarket A

Cave Spring A

Kings Park West A

Newington Forest A

Montclair A

Dulles Town Center A

Belle Haven A

Hollymead A

Charlottesville A

Linton Hall A

Fort Hunt A

Newington A

Independent Hill A

South Run A

Moorefield Station A

Sugarland Run A

Lake Barcroft A

Tuckahoe A

Pantops A

Lake Ridge A

Massanetta Springs A

Virginia Beach A

Oak Grove A

Rose Hill A

Lincolnia A

West Falls Church A

Mount Vernon A

Lorton A

Mason Neck A

Manchester A

Merrimac A

Neabsco A

Forest A

Piney Mountain A

Christiansburg A You can see how all of Virginia's communities scored on the Niche rankings here.