Study: Best Cities to Raise a Family in California

California has the winning combo of excellent schools, beautiful weather, and safe communities for young families. Read on to find the 10 best cities to raise a family in California.

Northern California is famous for the Napa Valley and the towering beauty of the redwoods, while the southern part of the state is associated with sandy beaches and Hollywood glitz. Whether you choose to settle down in the north, south or somewhere in between, location is everything, especially when you have kids.

Study Methodology

There are close to 500 cities in California so we decided to narrow our focus to those locations with a population over 100,000. From there, we chose the 10 best cities based on the following:

1. Education
   
2. Commute Time
   
3. Household Type
   
4. Residency
   
5. Housing Costs

California is home to some of the nation's most prestigious universities, including Stanford. If your kids still have a few years before they head off to college, you want to make sure they're getting the best education possible. How educated a city's residents are typically correlates with how good the local school system is, so we looked at the percentage of people in each city who earned a high school diploma or higher.

San Francisco is known for encouraging residents to bike or walk to work but it's not always possible in other parts of California. Getting to work each day can eat up a lot of your time so included the average commute in the ranking for each city.

If you're looking for a close-knit community with lots of other kids around, it helps to know roughly how many other families are already living there. We considered what percentage of family households include children under 18 for each city.

The U.S. Census Bureau keeps tabs on how often people move in and out of residential areas, and we think it's a good way to gauge how stable a particular city is. If you don't want to move someplace where there's a high turnover rate among residents, take a look at how each city ranks based on the percentage of people who are still living in the same house they were a year ago.

Home prices can tell you a lot about a city's general affordability but you also have to consider the median income to get a more complete picture. Overall, California is one of the country's more expensive states so we've picked out those cities that, on average, require you to spend the least percentage of income on housing.

10 Best Cities to Raise a Family in California

10. San Jose

• High School Graduate or Higher: 82.4%
  
• Commute Time: 25.6 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 37%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 85.9%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 26.6%

With nearly a million residents, San Jose distinguishes itself as the most populous city in our study and the largest in Northern California. Once a small farming community, the city has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few decades, largely thanks to the booming tech industry. We think it's a good match for families because it's relatively safe for a city of its size and there are plenty of great schools to choose from. There is also a multitude of fun things to do and see locally, plus you're within driving distance of Yosemite.

Did You Know: Founded in 1777, San Jose was California's first civilian settlement and the original state capital.

9. Irvine

• High School Graduate or Higher: 96.6%
  
• Commute Time: 23.1 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 32.8%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 78.7%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 26.6%

Although the Irvine area flourished as an agricultural center in the 1800s, it didn't actually take shape as a city until the 1960s. As one of the country's largest planned communities, Irvine is home to nearly 230,000 people and more new residents stream in each year. All of the schools in the city's Unified School District are considered upper tier, and, of course, there's also the University of California-Irvine if your kiddos are already scouting out colleges. One of the best things about living here is that you're so close to favorite family attractions like Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.

Did You Know: Various locations around the city have been used in feature films such as "Iron Man" and "Transformers."

8. Roseville

• High School Graduate or Higher: 93.9%
  
• Commute Time: 25.9 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 33.8%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 82.1%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 25.8%

Roseville began as a gold rush town but today it's one of Sacramento's largest suburbs. There are many top-shelf employers headquartered here if you're in the market for a job, and the median income is a respectable $92,000. Home prices are a steal compared to some of Northern California's other cities and on average, you can expect to spend just over a quarter of your salary on housing. Several of the local schools have received "California Distinguished School Awards" and the city's various neighborhoods all rate well in terms of safety.

Did You Know: In 2013, a severe drought caused the waters of nearby Lake Folsom to recede, revealing a town that had been submerged for nearly 60 years.

7. Huntington Beach

• High School Graduate or Higher: 93.1%
  
• Commute Time: 26.5 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 25.9%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 86.8%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 25.2%

We head back to SoCal for the seventh city on our list. If you enjoy waterfront views, you'll love Huntington Beach. Nicknamed "Surf City USA," this city of 194,000 people is certainly an ideal spot for catching some waves, but it's just one of the things that makes it so livable. Aside from the beach itself, there's also the low violent crime rate, excellent school system and desirable neighborhoods. Homes tend to sell at the higher end of the scale but prices drop the further you are from the beachfront.

Did You Know: The first U.S. Surfing Championship was held in Huntington Beach in 1959.

6. Visalia

• High School Graduate or Higher: 81.8%
  
• Commute Time: 19.9 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 39%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 81.6%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 26.3%

Visalia is centrally located in the San Joaquin Valley, not far from Fresno and the Sequoia National Forest. The city has a moderate climate and the surrounding landscape is highlighted by the peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. If you're planning to buy a home, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable housing is, and there are several distinct neighborhoods to choose from. You can get to work in under 20 minutes on average and the median income is right around $53,000.

Did You Know: Visalia is the oldest city in the San Joaquin Valley area between Los Angeles and Stockton.

5. Sunnyvale

• High School Graduate or Higher: 90.7%
  
• Commute Time: 22.6 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 32.1%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 82.6%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 20.9%

Sunnyvale is situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, almost halfway between San Jose and Mountain View. The city is known for being a haven for tech-savvy job seekers, with companies like Google and Yahoo! headquartered close by, and residents earn a much higher median payday. Houses go for a bit more compared to San Jose but it's easy to justify the cost if you're interested in moving your family to one of the nation's safest cities.

Did You Know: The League of American Bicyclists recognizes Sunnyvale as a Bicycle Friendly City.

4. Torrance

• High School Graduate or Higher: 93.1%
  
• Commute Time: 25.8 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 30.1%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 87.9%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 24.9%

Torrance sits close to the Southern California coast, between Carson and Redondo Beach. Over 147,000 people live in the area and there's a sizable number of family households with minor children. The city's residents are well educated, which pays off when you're trying to snag a job with local employers like Honda and Exxon. Since Torrance is only about 20 miles from Los Angeles, you're also in a great position to visit some of the region's most popular venues like the Aquarium of the Pacific and Dodger Stadium.

Did You Know: Torrance has one of the largest concentrations of Japanese residents in the U.S.

3. Thousand Oaks

• High School Graduate or Higher: 93.4%
  
• Commute Time: 24.9 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 33.8%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 86.9%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 26.8%

If you prefer a mountain view but you want to stay close to the beach, Thousand Oaks offers the best of both worlds. The city's southern border hugs the Santa Monica range and the shores of Malibu are less than 20 miles away. Thousand Oaks has a thriving economy and the median income exceeds $100,000. If your kids are athletic, there are several youth sports programs offered in the community, including lacrosse, football, basketball, soccer and baseball.

Did You Know: Thousand Oaks is committed to environmental conservation and more than 15,000 square acres have been designated as open space.

2. Santa Clara

• High School Graduate or Higher: 91.3%
  
• Commute Time: 21.3 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 33.5%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 80.8%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 22.4%

Santa Clara sits adjacent to San Jose, not far from the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. Although it was founded as a mission by Franciscan padres, the city has evolved into a bustling urban center. Housing costs won't eat up a big chunk of your income and the average commute is one of the shortest on our list. If you feel the need for speed, California's Great America is the place to go to take the kids on a thrill ride.

Did You Know: Levi's Stadium, current home of the San Francisco 49ers, is actually located in Santa Clara.

1. Fremont

• High School Graduate or Higher: 90.5%
  
• Commute Time: 29.4 minutes
  
• Households With Children Under 18: 41.1%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 86.9%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 23.2%

Like other cities around the southern Bay area, Fremont is a magnet for tech companies and its pull is also irresistible to families. More than 40% of the city's family households include children under 18 and the local school system is known for providing students with a superior education. While home prices in the Silicon Valley area are higher in general, you may find that Fremont is a little more affordable compared to some of the neighboring communities.

Did You Know: Fremont is named after famed America explorer John C. Fremont, who is often called the "Pathfinder of the Rocky Mountains."

You'll notice that some of California's larger cities, like San Francisco and Sacramento, are conspicuously absent from our list. That doesn't mean that they aren't suitable for families; on the contrary, both areas feature first-rate schools and plenty of attractions that cater to kids. When it comes to how we determined our rankings, however, the 10 cities we've chosen stand out as the best.