From regional recognition to national rankings, organizations across Northern Virginia and the United States are always publishing annual lists and studies. Here’s how NOVA ranked in 2025.
Real Estate
- Arlington’s Colonial Village neighborhood ranked No. 1 for best places to live in the US.
- The DC region ranked No. 2 in the nation for most amount of mansions, with approximately 65,300 homes making the cut.
- Warrenton ranked No. 38 among the 50 hottest US ZIP codes.
- Leesburg ranked No. 11 among the best small cities in the country.
Culture
- Virginia ranked No. 10 for the most pampered pooches.
- Fairfax County took the No. 1 spot for best places for new families.
City
- Fairfax County ranked No. 2 for best technology practices among US counties in the 2025 Digital County Survey.
- Alexandria ranked No. 3 according to Condé Nast’s best cities in the US, according to the publication’s readers.
- Alexandria ranked No. 5 for Travel + Leisure’s readers’ 15 favorite cities in the US.
Don’t miss our guide on bikeability in NOVA. | Photo by NOVAtoday
Travel
- Arlington ranked in the top 10 cities for eco-friendly, car-free transit in America.
- Virginia ranked No. 2 for the best roads in the United States.
- Arlington ranked No. 158, Fairfax ranked No. 286, and Alexandria ranked No. 482 for bikeability.
Food + Drink
- A red blend from Barboursville Vineyards ranked in Decanter’s Top 50 US Wines of the Year.
- 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church ranked No. 1 in Northern Virginia Magazine’s top 50 in Northern Virginia for the year.