Located about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles is the city of Santa Clarita.
Santa Clarita is your perfect image of a Hollywood town. It is excellent for ex-pats planning to work and live in California.
But the question remains.
Is it a great place?
Living in Santa Clarita exposes you to a lot of diversity. Because of the facilities for cycling and walking, it is also among the healthiest cities in the US.
There are also excellent schools in the city. It is safe and comes with a solid sense of community. It is also a conducive city for raising a family.
Santa Clarita is ideal if you love the outdoors and are planning to move with your family to California.
The city ranked as one of the Best Places to live in the United States years ago.
Here, you will see rolling green hills under blue skies. And this is why the city residents love the outdoors so much.
The weather is also fine all the time. Such weather spoils those who love the outdoors.
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Is Santa Clarita, CA, a good place to live in? A City in California with a Small-Town Vibe
The charm of Santa Clarita is in its small-town vibe.
However, despite the small-town vibe, it has city amenities, too.
The city has several other advantages like good weather, outdoor activities, access to quality education, and low crime rates.
It is not a perfect city.
The cost of living is high. Plus, there might be earthquakes once in a while.
But is it a comfortable place to live?
Absolutely!
The Good Side
Think about it.
There are many good reasons why Santa Clarita is the perfect city for you.
It is a small city that brings with it several great qualities. And these qualities are magnets that draw people to move here.
When you live in Santa Clarita, you can expect the following.
Beautiful and Friendly Neighborhoods
If there is something to say about the neighborhoods here, they are all friendly and nice.
Some of California’s most luxurious and beautiful homes are here. But you can still find homes here if you want a decent neighborhood with fewer luxuries. Because in Santa Clarita, there will always be something for everyone.
If you are wondering which neighborhoods are the best, I have a few in mind.
You can check out Beverly Hills, South Pasadena, Santa Monica, Calabasas, and San Marino neighborhoods. The neighborhoods in Stevenson, Stevenson Ranch, and Westridge are great options.
I based my choices on income, safety, and quality of life.
If you are planning to move here, you might want to avoid Newhall, Simi Valley, and Palmdale. Based on the criteria I mentioned above, these are the least favorites.
The Low Crime Rates
Santa Clarita has a crime index of 37.49%.
A number like this is low compared to any other city in the country. The annual crime rate here is 16 crimes for every 1000 residents. And this is about half of the average crime rate in California.
The possibility of you being a victim of a crime in Santa Clarita is about 1 in 61. Concerning violent crimes, it is 2 for every 1000 residents.
The chances of you being a victim of a property crime are about 15 for every 1000 residents.
The numbers for property and violent crimes are way below the national average. And that makes the city of Santa Clarita safer than most cities in the country.
School is Cool
Another significant advantage to moving to Santa Clarita is the public school system.
Santa Clarita has five school districts.
The Castaic Union School District handles elementary and secondary education. The district also runs grades pre-K up until the eighth grade.
Saugus Union School District handles schools for students in grades K until 6. There are about 14 schools in this district, most of them pre-school. On the other hand, the Newhall School District has about ten elementary schools.
Another district is the Sulphur Springs School District, which has nine elementary schools. And finally, William S. Hart Union High School District accommodates grades 7 to 12 and has about 16 schools and 20,000 students.
It is the largest school district in Santa Clarita.
You can also check out the California Institute of the Arts for higher learning. There is also the Master’s College and Charter College.
A Highly-Developed Infrastructure
Three major highways serve the city of Santa Clarita. These are Interstate 5, California State Highway 14, and California State Highway 126.
Also, I should say that MV Transportation provides the city with a decent bus service. If you want to go from one point to another within Santa Clarita, this bus service is the most reliable that you can find.
It runs every 15 to 30 minutes and is very efficient.
Also, there are three train stations in the city run by Metrolink. Boarding a Metrolink train, you can do so via Princessa Station, Newhall Station, and Santa Clarita Station.
The train stations come with spacious parking lots. You have all the opportunities to park your car and ride the train.
And oh, I forgot to tell you.
The city also has bike roads and walking paths.
And while we are discussing bike trails and walking paths, let me tell you that the outdoor social scene here is healthy.
There are several parks and recreation programs within the city. As of this writing, there are about 34 parks in Santa Clarita.
There are also many sports facilities within the city.
You can find golf courses, skating rinks, and a mall here.
All of these are social spaces in the city.
Amazing Weather
Well, this is California.
And because this is California, the weather is always great.
People have been moving to Santa Clarita for many years to enjoy its perfect weather.
There are about 280 days of sunshine every year. And this alone makes Santa Clarita one of the sunniest cities in the country.
Also, the temperatures here are always warm. And the temperatures never go extreme.
For example, temperatures can reach as much as 95 degrees during summer. During winter, you can expect at least 60 degrees maximum.
Rain rarely shows up during summer. That means you can always enjoy the time of your life outdoors during summer.
Conducive to Raise a Family
As you already know, Santa Clarita has schools of good quality. Your kids will indeed have the best education you can give them.
Also, the crime rates here are low. Regarding your safety, you can rest easy when you and your family move to Santa Clarita.
Finally, Santa Clarita is home to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Hurricane Harbor is also here.
With these two attractions present, there is no time for you and your kids to be bored. There will reverbe something new for you and your family members.
Santa Clarita is a city conducive for you to raising your family. The town has good schools.
It is safe.
And it has attractions for you and your family.
The Bad Side
Santa Clarita is far from perfect. And here is one of the significant reasons.
Natural Disasters
A consideration before moving to Santa Clarita is the threat of natural disasters.
These are threats you have to prepare for.
The potential threat can be earthquakes. This threat is the most common catastrophe to hit the city.
Aside from earthquakes, there is the occasional wildfire. Mudslides also show up once in a while. Also, there may be droughts.
These threats are not in Santa Clarita alone. The whole of Southern California goes through these catastrophes once in a while. Thousands of earthquakes happen in this region annually, most of them unnoticed.
What is the cost of living in Santa Clarita, CA? A City with Affordable Healthcare Options
Santa Clarita is a city in California. And consistent with all the other cities here, Santa Clarita is more expensive than the national average. The overall cost of living is higher by 47.1%.
The Good Side
If there is one good thing about living in Santa Clarita, budget-wise, it is the cost of healthcare.
Healthcare costs are 10.6% more affordable than in most American cities. And not only that, but healthcare in Santa Clarita is also decent.
You get good healthcare services for lower prices.
These days, this is important.
The world went through events that shifted priorities. More and more people are now emphasizing their health.
Moving to Santa Clarita is an advantage if you are one of them.
The Bad Side
One of the most glaring numbers when it comes to budgeting is the cost of housing.
Well, this is California.
And like all cities in California, housing costs are always higher.
In Santa Clarita, it is cheaper than LA or other bigger cities in California. That said, I still feel that the housing expense in this area is higher than the national average.
Santa Clarita’s housing costs are 135.8% more expensive than those nationwide. And to give you a clearer perspective of how expensive this is, read on.
The median home cost in Santa Clarita is US$684,100. Compare that with the national average of US$291,700, and you will see a big difference.
The cost of transportation is also more expensive here.
Transportation costs are 24.7% higher than the national average.
We also see the same trend regarding the cost of food and groceries and the cost of utilities.
Food and groceries are 1.9% more expensive in Santa Clarita than the national average. Although it is higher, I must say this is something you can adjust.
With less food consumption, you can tweak these numbers and come up with lower costs than most American cities spend.
Regarding utilities, Santa Clarita is more expensive than the national average by 5.5%.
And similar to food and groceries, utility costs can vary depending on your usage.
Why work in Santa Clarita, CA? A Sunny Place to Live, Work and Play
The job market in Santa Clarita is growing. That is enough reason why you should work here. Also, California is always a sunny destination. And if you are looking for a sunny place where you can live, work, and play, Santa Clarita is perfect.
The Good Side
Unconvinced yet?
Here are the significant reasons why Santa Clarita is better than other cities in California.
Cheaper than Los Angeles
Santa Clarita is not the most affordable city in the country. Its overall cost of living is even higher than the national average.
However, compared to neighboring Los Angeles, Santa Clarita is more affordable.
Santa Clarita has a lower overall cost of living than Los Angeles.
Also, housing is more expensive in Los Angeles than in Santa Catalina.
Do you desire a job in sunny California but are concerned about the skyrocketing living expense?
Try Santa Clarita.
It is cheaper here.
A Growing Job Market
The job market in Santa Clarita grew by about 0.7% last year.
It is also forecasted that the job market will grow by about 33.9% in the next decade. This forecast is higher than the forecast for the US average, which is only 33.5%.
The largest industries here are healthcare and social assistance. The retail sector is also growing, and so is the film industry.
In the education sector, you also have several job options.
However, the highest-paying sectors in Santa Clarita are public administration, utilities, and finance.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a key employer here. Princess Cruises is also on the list and Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.
The other large employers are The Masters’ University, Quest Diagnostics, Aerospace Dynamics International, and California Institute of the Arts.
A Higher Income
Santa Clarita residents receive an income higher than the national average.
The US average is about US$28,555 per year. A resident working in Santa Clarita receives an average annual salary of about US$3,879.
This amount is also consistent with the median household income.
The median household income in Santa Clarita is about US$83,178 per year. This figure is way higher than the national average of US$53,482 per year.
The Bad Side
Of course, there will always be something bad here.
You cannot have all the good things in a city. And Santa Clarita is no perfect city.
Here is one primary reason why.
The Heavy Traffic
At certain times of the day, you will see heavy traffic in some parts of Santa Clarita.
Only one major highway goes directly from Santa Clarita to LA. And this major highway causes congestion.
The rush hour traffic is also getting worse every year. If you plan to commute, know that the average commute time here is 34.3 minutes. This number is higher than the national average of 27.6 minutes commute time.
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No city is perfect. But Santa Clarita is something you would consider as getting close to perfect.
It has several unique qualities. The bad sides of Santa Clarita are mostly manageable.
So, if you plan to move to Santa Clarita, I support you.
Are you moving to Santa Clarita?
Let me know.