While tens of millions of Americans enjoy life in the big cities with their endless options for entertainment, dining and shopping, many others prefer the slower pace of smaller towns.
The search for more affordable housing, better public schools and easier commutes are among the main reasons people often leave the nation’s major metropolitan areas, especially those along the coasts.
Now, experts at WalletHub have crunched the numbers to determine the best and worst small cities in America based on cost of living, population growth, schools, public safety and other factors.
The personal finance website ranked 1,318 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000. California did not fare especially well — and one Central Coast city came in last.
Picturesque but pricey Isla Vista, California, home to UC Santa Barbara, had the lowest overall score. Its poorest rankings were for affordability (1,318th) and economic health (also 1,318th), which included population, job and income growth, among other factors.
Isla Vista did, however, rank relatively high for quality of life (195th).
Wasco, in California’s Central Valley, ranked third worst in WalletHub’s study. The agricultural hub received especially low marks for economic health (1,316th), education and health (1,254th), safety (1,310th) and quality of life (1,296th). The same was true for neighboring Delano.
The best small city in California, according to WalletHub, is Los Altos in Silicon Valley. It received strong marks for education and health (66th), economic health (84th) and safety (100th), as did Palo Alto.
Those looking to live in the nation’s best small cities should pack up and head for the Midwest.
Carmel, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis, had the highest overall score, followed by Brookfield, Wisconsin. Lexington, Massachusetts; Fishers, Indiana; and Appleton, Wisconsin, also ranked in the top five.
