Virginia has some of the South's best cities

Move over, North Carolina . Virginia is home to three of the top 10 cities to move to in the South — more than any other southern state, according to a new analysis from USA Today Homefront.

Why it matters: The state's overall population has been basically flat for more than a decade, driven in part by transplants choosing to move to other southern states over Virginia , but this study suggests parts of the Old Dominion deserve another look.

The big picture: Roanoke, Lynchburg and, of course, Richmond, all ranked in the top 10 in the Homefront team's analysis of 209 cities across the South.

• USA Today used 16 metrics, including cost of living, crime rates, severe weather resilience, walkability, unemployment rates, things to do, and average rent to come up with the best of the best.

Zoom in: Roanoke and Lynchburg landed the No. 2 and No. 4 spots, respectively, due to their resiliency to natural disasters and severe weather, plus an overall mild climate and lower-than-average homeowners insurance premiums, per the report.

• Both Southwest Virginia cities also scored well on affordability — rent, home prices and the overall cost of goods are lower there than the national average.
• Richmond was No. 10, also boosted by a mild climate, average homeowners insurance pricing and overall lower than the national average cost of living.
• The River City also score high for walkability, overall things to do and the number of activities per 1,000 residents.

Yes, but: More than half of renters in all three cities are considered rent burdened, meaning those residents spend more than 30% of their income on rent, according to detailed data shared with Axios.

• And Richmond's "ideal home value ratio" — how much homes are worth compared to median income — was 3.57, one of the highest in Virginia and significantly higher than the ideal 2.5 ratio and national average of 2.39.
• Roanoke's was 2.84 and Lynchburg's 2.66.

Stunning stat: Richmond has 1,391 restaurants — more than twice as many as the (607) national average and far more than any of the other 13 Virginia cities reviewed by USA Today.

• That breaks down to six restaurants per 1,000 Richmonders.
• Only Virginia Beach with its 1,254 restaurants came close, but since Virginia Beach has nearly twice Richmond's population, their ratio is 2.75 eateries per 1,000 people.

The bottom line: If you know someone looking to move to the South, you can tell them Virginia cities have a lot to offer transplants.

• And Richmonders will readily agree that anyone looking to move should definitely consider Roanoke or Lynchburg.