The Military Times has named Alexandria as the top mid-size community for veterans in its first Best for Vets: Places to Live feature article.

More than 500 cities were considered for the June 17 article with only 75 named as top communities for veterans in large, medium and small city categories.

“This is a real distinction for our home,” said Lt. Gen. Bob Wood (ret.). “Thanks go to all who served, call Alexandria home and support our community.”

With a median income for veterans estimated at $95,000 per year, Alexandria has a low 0.4 percent veteran unemployment rate. Other factors such as military and veteran services and livability were cited in the article.

"The scale [of Alexandria] is very approachable. You know where the main street is," said Stephanie Landrum, president and CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, in the article. "It's not overwhelming like some of the larger jurisdictions."

Coming in second in medium sized cities was nearby Arlington, with a median income for veterans at nearly $96,000 with a 1.3 percent unemployment rate.

Rounding out the top five medium size cities were Centennial, Colo., Mission Viejo, Calif., and Arvada, Colo. For large cities, the top five were Virginia Beach, Colorado Springs, Colo., San Antonio, San Diego and Oklahoma City.