California’s best small cities are in the Bay Area: study

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Americans who desire less crowded spaces, a greater sense of community and sometimes, a lower cost of living, may choose to live in a small city that’s a comfortable distance away from the constant buzz of major metros. In California, the San Francisco Bay Area holds several small cities that are a rank above the rest.

Nine cities within the Bay Area are ranked within the 90th percentile of best small cities in America, according to the study by WalletHub. On the other hand, only one California city outside of the Bay Area, Yorba Linda in Orange County, also made an appearance in the 90th percentile.

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U.S. cities with population sizes between 25,000 and 100,000 were examined in the study. The small cities were ranked based on 45 key indicators of livability, which were sorted into five overall categories including affordability, economic health, safety, quality of life and education and health. The dozens of key indicators ranged from cost of living to crime rates to school system quality to the number of restaurants per capita.

The best small city in California is Los Altos, according to the study. Compared to small cities nationwide, it ranked 66 in education and health, 84 in economic health, 100 in safety, 403 in quality of life and 737 in affordability. Overall, the South Bay city in the heart of Silicon Valley is in the 97th percentile of best small cities in America based on the study’s criteria.

Eight other small cities of the Bay Area also made it into the 90th percentile. Below is the list of California's top ranking small cities:

Los Altos, Santa Clara County, Calif.
97th percentile
Total score: 66.86
Affordability rank: 737
Economic health rank: 84
Education and health rank: 66
Quality of life rank: 403
Safety rank: 100

Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, Calif.
96th percentile
Total score: 66.62
Affordability rank: 1023
Economic health rank: 24
Education and health rank: 85
Quality of life rank: 80
Safety rank: 440

Livermore, Alameda County, Calif.
95th percentile
Total score: 66.06
Affordability rank: 599
Economic health rank: 246
Education and health rank: 248
Quality of life rank: 101
Safety rank: 313

Saratoga, Santa Clara County, Calif.
94th percentile
Total score: 65.67
Affordability rank: 948
Economic health rank: 43
Education and health rank: 75
Quality of life rank: 734
Safety rank: 63

Yorba Linda, Orange County, Calif.
93th percentile
Total score: 65.63
Affordability rank: 764
Economic health rank: 392
Education and health rank: 168
Quality of life rank: 129
Safety rank: 159

Dublin, Alameda County, Calif.
93th percentile
Total score: 65.51
Affordability rank: 728
Economic health rank: 8
Education and health rank: 220
Quality of life rank: 540
Safety rank: 184

Menlo Park, San Mateo County, Calif.
92th percentile
Total score: 65.2
Affordability rank: 1033
Economic health rank: 89
Education and health rank: 94
Quality of life rank: 305
Safety rank: 322

Mountain View, Santa Clara County, Calif.
91th percentile
Total score: 65.14
Affordability rank: 1182
Economic health rank: 40
Education and health rank: 97
Quality of life rank: 97
Safety rank: 485

Cupertino, Santa Clara County, Calif.
90th percentile
Total score: 64.93
Affordability rank: 977
Economic health rank: 79
Education and health rank: 81
Quality of life rank: 333
Safety rank: 154

Several more small cities in the Bay Area also ranked highly, including San Ramon (88th percentile), Los Gatos (88), Pleasanton (86), Milpitas (86), Walnut Creek (85), Danville (84), San Carlos (82), Napa (81) and Lafayette (81).

So what are California's small cities up against? According to the study, the best small city across all of America is Carmel, Indiana, which falls into the 99th percentile. It ranked 4 in safety, 26 in affordability, 44 is education and health, 169 in economic health and 280 in quality of life.

The study’s full list of best small cities across the United States and its methodology behind the rankings can be found on the WalletHub website.