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What's Good

•At $67, the average doctor's office visit here is the 5th lowest in our survey, compared to a national average of $82.

•Just 2 percent of pregnant women here receive late or inadequate prenatal care, the 6th best score in our survey. In the average city in our survey, 5 percent receive late or inadequate care.

•Air quality here is better here than most cities in our survey. Air quality has been linked to childhood asthma and fertility rates, among other things.

•Once Virginia Beach mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 13 percent more likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 10th highest level of follow-through of any city in our report.

•According to our survey of park departments, for every 10,000 residents, Virginia Beach has 136 miles of public trails and pathways for hiking and stroller use, the 3rd highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 79 trail miles for every 10,000 residents.

•Expecting and new moms have plenty of parks: Virginia Beach's ratio of parks to residents is 1 : 1,800. The average in our survey is 1 : 3,790.

•Virginia stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.

•In a comparison of inspection schedules for day-care centers, Virginia requires more frequent visits than average.

•Virginia devotes more money relative to population than most states to child car-seat-check stations.

•Virginia Beach's violent crime rate is 60 percent lower than average, the 3rd lowest in our survey, in fact.

•Virginia Beach has a 53 percent lower property crime rate than average, the 3rd lowest in our survey.

•Pedestrians have a 64 percent lower than average risk of being killed by a motor vehicle here-among the safest in our survey.

Needs Improvement

•31 percent of babies in Virginia are born via Cesarean section, among the highest in our survey. The average is 27 percent.

•Virginia Beach has 6 midwives for every 1,000 births, the 8th lowest in our survey. The national average is 37 midwives for every 1,000 births.

•State laws do not require health insurance companies to provide or offer any fertility-related services.

•Virginia Beach has a limited number of high-risk pediatricians, 66 percent less than average per capita and the 9th lowest in our survey.

•Virginia Beach has fewer OB-GYNs than average, the 10th lowest in our survey.

•Virginia Beach has only 4 licensed home day cares for every 1,000 children under 4 years, the 5th lowest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 13.

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