Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,583, settled in 1818.
Buena Vista’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in Buena Vista, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 1 of Georgia’s 367 towns do worse. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Buena Vista's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. Buena Vista has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Pasaquan and Marion County Courthouse. Buena Vista has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Buena Vista beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,173 counted in 2010 and 1,585 in 2020; an estimated 1,583 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Buena Vista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 530 in 1850, a peak of 2,173 in 2010, 1,585 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1950 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Buena Vista, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Buena Vista.
32% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Buena Vista, where Georgia’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 19%. 21% of Buena Vista adults have diabetes. Buena Vista beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20.
| Buena Vista | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 29% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Buena Vista | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 77.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 34.5% | 17.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Buena Vista home is worth about $161,000, up 7% in a year, 51% below the Georgia typical home. 40% of households own their home in Buena Vista. Among 260 Georgia towns, just 8 have a lower median rent than Buena Vista.
| Buena Vista | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $592 a month | $1,154 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Buena Vista has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Buena Vista’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household income in Buena Vista is $29,000. Since 2013, Buena Vista has lost 141 jobs, to 551 in 2023. The average trip to work in Buena Vista is 22 minutes.
| Buena Vista | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $29,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Buena Vista; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Buena Vista residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
3 places in Buena Vista on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Buena Vista.
City in Georgia, United States
Buena Vista ( BEW-nə VIST-ə) is a city in Marion County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area. The population was 1,585 at the 2020 census, down from 2,173 in 2010. Formerly known as "Pea Ridge", the city changed its name to Buena Vista in honor of Zachary Taylor's victory in the Mexican–American War. The city is the county seat of Marion County. It is the birthplace of baseball legend Josh Gibson and Medal of Honor recipient Luther H. Story.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
6 notable people were born here, including Josh Gibson and William Stanley West.
