Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Altavista gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $206K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Lynchburg metro’s $69K median household income. It grades C− overall, 216th among Virginia's 249 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 7 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 85% of U.S. towns, and residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it has 6 miles of trail. Altavista’s property crime rate is 31.3 per 1,000 residents, against 14.5 in Virginia’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Altavista has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Avoca and Oak Grove.
Where Altavista beats most towns.
Where Altavista’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Altavista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,206 in 1920, 3,378 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Altavista, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Altavista.
Altavista draws workers from Lynchburg and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
3,066 jobs are based in Altavista, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Altavista for work: only 19% work in town. The median household income in Altavista is $51,000. The top destinations are Lynchburg (19%), Rustburg (5%) and Forest (3%).
| Altavista | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Campbell County Public Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Altavista High, with 606 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altavista ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 497 | B− |
| Altavista HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 606 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
Altavista’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is English Park, at 69 acres.
| Altavista | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. English Park | 0.7 mi | 69 |
| 2. Shreve Park | 0.1 mi | 15 |
| 3. Avoca Museum | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 3 years of the Lynchburg metro’s $69K median household income, the typical home (about $206K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Virginia towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $813, against $2,790 across Virginia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
55% of households own their home in Altavista. The typical Altavista home is worth about $206,000, up 0.9% in a year, 50% below the Virginia typical home.
| Altavista | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $910 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Property crime runs at 31.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Virginia rate, most of it theft.
Altavista reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 85% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The nearest emergency room, Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital, is 20.3 miles away in a straight line. Against the 6,263 U.S. towns with household incomes like Altavista’s, it is less healthy than 66%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Altavista adults have diabetes. Altavista beats the Virginia average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 43% of Altavista adults have high blood pressure.
| Altavista | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Altavista | VA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.7% | 76.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.4% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Altavista has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Altavista.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Altavista; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Altavista residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
2 places in Altavista on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Altavista.
Town in Virginia, United States
Altavista is an incorporated town in Campbell County, Virginia, United States. The town is in the Lynchburg Metropolitan Area, with a population of 3,378 in the 2020 census. It was founded in 1907 by John Edward Lane and Henry L. Lane of the Lane Company, and was chartered in September 1912.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Altavista.
Hurt has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hurt reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Altavista with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Altavista grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #216 of 249 in Virginia. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Guy Gardner and Juan Thornhill.
