The Best Cities for Families in Orange County
- http://parentingoc.com/2015/05/best-cities-for-fam
- Dec 28, 2016
- 8 min read
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StartFragmentSoka University and the surrounding community of Aliso Viejo, with Saddleback Peak in the distance. Family-friendly Aliso Viejo combines lower-than-average home prices with top schools and an idyllic setting. Photo by Elena NorthroupEndFragment
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We think Orange County is a terrific place to raise children, but let’s face it: some of Orange County’s 33 cities are more terrific than others. We’ve chosen the 16 very best cities for families, and ranked those cities. All 16 cities on our list have good schools, low crime rates, and pleasing amenities. Our research sources include the California Department of Education’s Academic Performance Index (API) for 2011-13, the FBI Report “Crime in the United States 2013,” and median current residential real estate sales prices compiled by corelogic.com. We made separate lists for the top eight more affordable cities, in which median residential sales prices are less than 600,000 dollars, and the top eight higher priced cities.
Of course, it’s hard to go wrong anywhere in Orange County. We have great weather, miles of beaches and nature preserves, modern high rise buildings, many theaters and museums, huge water parks, and world-famous amusement parks. Our housing prices are among the highest in the country, but, as the adage goes, you get what you pay for. Here are the Orange County cities we found to be the very best:
Best affordable cities for families
1. ALISO VIEJO. The 50,000 people who live here enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in Orange County, good schools, and median housing prices of $444,000, well below the $592,000 Orange County median. Aliso Viejo is the newest city in the county, incorporated in 2001, and one of the few that operates on a surplus budget. Its Town Center boasts a multiplex theater, bookstore, and numerous shops and restaurants. Families go to Grand Park in the summer for free concerts and movies, see shows at the new performing arts center at beautiful Soka University, or hike or bike at the 4,200-acre Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park. The city boasts a new public pool, golf course, and conference center. A recreation center is in the planning stages.
www.cityofalisoviejo.com
2. SEAL BEACH. One of the few affordable beach communities in the county, Seal Beach has low crime rates and good schools. Teens here attend Los Alamitos High School, which has an outstanding 884 API score averaged over the most recent three years. This city of 24,000 people was incorporated 100 years ago and has plenty of character and charm. Seal Beach is home to the second largest wooden pier in the United States and a 965-acre wildlife refuge open for tours. Families can learn about history from the little Red Car Museum located in a restored railway car, see a movie at the 68-year-old Bay Theater, hike in Gum Grove Park, or visit Heron Pointe Cultural Center.
www.sealbeachca.gov
3. RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA. Families sleep easy here, as the 48,000 residents enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in the county. Incorporated in 2001, Rancho Santa Margarita is the second newest city in Orange County. It has relatively low home prices of $508,000, high API scores, and lovely rolling hills and canyon views. The 4,000-acre O’Neil Regional Park offers plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, and even RV or tent camping. The Lago Santa Margarita Beach Club consists of a 12.6-acre man-made lake surrounded by 16.8 acres of parks, trails, and a lakeside beach. The city also operates a community center, dog park, and skate park. Restaurant critics often name Rancho Santa Margarita’s Pizza e Vino as one of the best pizza restaurants in Orange County.
www.cityofrsm.org
4. CYPRESS. This city of 49,000 is racially diverse, with a very sizeable Asian population and a solid representation of Latinos, African-Americans, and Caucasians. Cypress High School had commendable three-year median API scores of 900. Cypress’s Oxford Academy, which admits top students from Cypress and several other cities, scored a whopping 992 and is considered one of the top ten public high schools in the country. Cerritos is home to a large skate park, tennis club, and Los Alamitos Race Track. It is only five miles to Knott’s Berry Farm, Knott’s Soak City, and the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts.
www.ci.cypress.ca.us
5. MISSION VIEJO. This large city of 93,000 has plenty to offer. Families can take a three-mile walk around pretty Lake Mission Viejo or engage in an abundance of beach and water activities there. They can shop at the large, upscale indoor mall, play tennis at the Marguerite Tennis Center, swim at the Montanoso Recreation Center or Marguerite Aquatics Complex, or take a class or see a show at the Norman P. Murray Community Center or Saddleback College. The city even organizes family campouts at the Oso Creek Trail. Consistently low crime rates and good schools make the city a great place for families to live, learn, and play.
cityofmissionviejo.org
6. LA HABRA. The population of 60,000 is racially diverse, with high test scores and low crime rates. La Habra is one of the most affordable cities in Orange County, with most recent median home prices of $436,000. Families are enriched by the community center, children’s museum, and many nonprofit groups in the city.
www.lahabracity.com
7. TUSTIN. This racially diverse city of 76,000 people has good schools and low crime. Geographically, Tustin is in the middle of Orange County, but there is no need to leave the city to find plenty to do. The District, opened in 2007, is home to a multiplex theater and many stores and restaurants. The Tustin Sports Park has 13 sports fields. The city sponsors a weekly farmer’s market. Families enjoy outings to the Encore Dinner Theater and the Marconi Automotive Museum. Coming soon is a new skateboard park.
www.tustinca.org
8. PLACENTIA. This racially diverse city of 51,000 also has high test scores and low crime rates. It boasts several community centers and a senior center as well as free children’s after-school recreation programs at four locations. Families can tour several homes built over 100 years ago and attend free outdoor summer concerts, the Heritage Festival and parade, and an Easter egg hunt and pancake breakfast.
www.placentia.org
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The hillside community of Quail Hill in Irvine. Irvine neighborhoods have the lowest crime rates in the nation, and most are surrounded by miles of scenic trails for nature-loving families. © SWA, Denise Retallack
Best higher-priced cities for families
1. IRVINE. Irvine is famous for being one of the safest cities in the country, and its students score very high on API tests. Though median housing prices exceed $800,000, Irvine’s residents believe living there is worth the money. The third largest city in Orange County, with 212,000 residents, Irvine is also home to UC Irvine, Irvine Community College, the 668-acre Great Park, and the newly expanded Irvine Spectrum mall. Irvine’s many cultural venues include the Irvine Historical Museum, the Irvine Museum for art, Pretend City children’s museum, Barclay’s Theater, Musical Theater Village, and Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
www.cityofirvine.org
2. NEWPORT BEACH. Newport Beach’s student test scores are outstanding and its crime rate is low. But median residential real estate prices are among the highest in the county—most recently $1.6 million. Though 85,000 lucky people call Newport Beach home, the city manages to have a small town feel. It rightly calls itself “A Community of Villages,” which includes Corona Del Mar, Newport Coast, and eight Islands of Newport Harbor. There’s something for everyone in Newport Beach. Water lovers relish its ten miles of coastline, boaters enjoy one of the largest harbors in the country, with over 9,000 craft docked, nature lovers can explore 1,000 acres of open space at the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve, and city folk appreciate Newport Beach’s high rise buildings. There are plenty of fun family attractions, including the Balboa Island Ferry, Balboa Pier and Fun Zone, Environmental Nature Center, and Orange County Museum of Art. Families can shop at upscale Fashion Island, surf at The Wedge, and hike and bike at Crystal Cove State Park. The Newport Beach Central Library recently completed a major expansion which, among other improvements, enlarged the children’s section.
www.newportbeachca.gov
3. YORBA LINDA. This city of 64,000 has high API test scores and one of the lowest crime rates in Orange County. The city honors its past, featuring a veteran’s memorial and the Richard Nixon Library and Museum and boyhood home. The city also looks to the future. Yorba Linda High was built in 2009. An 11-acre town center, which will have a movie theater, shops, restaurants, and open space, is scheduled to open next year. Yorba Linda has been ranked as one of the best places in the nation to live by both CNN and Money Magazine. It is also one of the wealthiest cities, with household income exceeding $120,000 per year.
www.ci.yorba-linda.ca.us
4. LAGUNA NIGUEL. Residents of this city of 63,000 enjoy beautiful canyon and ocean views, moderate coastal weather, a low crime rate, and good schools. Adventurers can ride skateboards or BMX bikes at Laguna Niguel’s 20,000-square-foot skateboard park. Everyone can explore the 18-acre botanical garden, swim in the outdoor community pool, which is open year round, or take classes at the YMCA. The Laguna Niguel library recently underwent a major renovation. Improvements are currently being made to the Laguna Niguel entry of the 4,500-acre Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park.
www.cityoflagunaniguel.org
5. SAN CLEMENTE. 64,000 residents of this city in the most southern part of Orange County enjoy a low crime rate and good schools. San Clemente has 14 miles of hiking trails, two miles of public beaches, and 21 parks. The parks have something for everyone: There’s a dog park, parks with beach access, sports parks, and parks with ocean views. Residents here enjoy the San Clemente pier, Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, and Pizza Port, a casual, kid-friendly place that restaurant critics love. Changes are underway to make San Clemente even better. Construction to expand the public library should be completed this summer. The I-5 freeway and Pico off-ramp also are being expanded; completion is expected at the end of 2017.
san-clemente.org
6. LA PALMA. This racially diverse city of 16,000 is in northern Orange County between Cypress and Buena Park. La Palma boasts great test scores and low crime. The city sponsors an annual Fitness Run for Fun, children’s summer activities at the community center and other city locales, a teen Battle of the Bands, skate nights, and dances. Adults have fun too, at monthly, city-sponsored Karaoke nights. At about $600,000, the median housing cost is high but not astronomical.
www.cityoflapalma.org
7. LAKE FOREST. This is another city with good student test scores and low crime. The current population is about 77,000 and growing. With seven new master planned neighborhoods coming in the next few years, soon there will be 4,000 new homes and a new sports park and community/civic center. Families who enjoy the outdoors will love the city’s 29 public parks, the skatepark, and the 2,500-acre Whiting Ranch Regional Wilderness Park. Median home prices here are about $600,000.
www.lakeforestca.gov
8. LOS ALAMITOS. This is the smallest city on our list, with a population of 11,000. But Los Alamitos has much to offer all year round, including a “Race to the Base” utilizing the Joint Forces Training Base, a spring carnival, summer outdoor movie nights, a winter holiday bazaar, and a swimming pool at the USA Water Polo National Training Center open all year for lessons or playtime. Children and teens not only have fun in Los Alamitos, they also get high scores on their API tests.
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