Chatham, VA Noise Levels
Is Chatham, VA noisy?
Chatham, VA reads 47.5 dB(A) on BTS's 24-hour average, inside HUD's "Acceptable" noise zone, 65 dB(A) day-night average or below under 24 CFR 51.104, the federal government's own line for building housing with no extra sound attenuation required. Rail traffic drives that number here, not the other two sources. That's the reading at Chatham's Census-defined center point, not any one street, BTS's map is a live raster, not a per-address service.
Chatham's noise, by source
Each of the three transportation modes gets its own model from BTS; the combined figure above is what they add up to.
What this means for a house here
The same window and door upgrades that work on road noise also cut broadband rail noise, though very low-frequency freight rumble travels through walls, not just glass.
Where Chatham ranks
Among the 3,622 US places in this dataset with any measurable transportation noise, Chatham ranks 3,287, loudest first. By population, it ranks 9,608 of the 12,137 places in this dataset, home to about 1,195 people.
Your street may differ from Chatham's reading
This page describes Chatham as a whole. If one specific address is what matters, BTS publishes the same underlying map for free.
Behind Chatham's reading
The methodology guide shows exactly how Chatham's reading was built from BTS's tile data. Since rail traffic is what's driving this reading, the guide to what actually cuts each kind of noise covers the fix that fits.