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Small town

Living in Wise, VA

Wise is a small town of 2,916 people in Wise County, Virginia. It's about 32 miles from Kingsport, TN and 156 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 43°F, with about 47 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $145k and rent runs about $825 a month.

2,916people
$145kTypical home
$825/moRent
81° / 43°Summer / winter
47"Snow
218Sunny days
162Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 2,916
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 960 people per sq mi
  • 156 mi to Charlotte, NC
  • 32 mi to Kingsport, TN
  • 32 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $145k (≈$912/mo)
  • Median rent $825/mo
  • Median household income $54k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 43°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 218 sunny days a year (76 totally clear)
  • 147 cloudy days a year
  • 50 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 162 days a year with rain or snow
  • 47" of snow a year
  • 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 8 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (170 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,198 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 37
  • 25% of households have kids
  • 18% are 65 or older
  • 24% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 3% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 22 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 36 mi to TRI airport
  • 113 mi to TYS (major hub)
  • 100 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 59% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1982
  • 94% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 2,471 ft
  • 293 mi to the ocean
  • 156 mi to a big lake
  • 24 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 21 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 5 mi to the nearest campground
  • 6 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 51 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 10 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 26% of Virginia districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 14 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 30 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Wise County: R+63 in 2024
  • Virginia: D+6 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • High wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Wise

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