These CA Cities Are Among The Best Small Cities To Live In: Report

CALIFORNIA — Looking to avoid a crowded large city, but don't want to settle in a quiet small town? You might want to consider one of these small cities in California.

Dozens of small cities in the Golden State are considered some of the Best Small Cities in America, according to a new study by WalletHub.

In an effort to help people choose the perfect small city to put down roots, researchers at the personal finance website crunched the numbers and compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to the crime rate and the number of restaurants per capita.

Given the large sample of cities ranked in the study, WalletHub grouped results by percentile. The 99th percentile represents the top 1% of small cities in America.

A number of California cities made the list, with 55 ranking in the 70th percentile or higher.

Los Altos ranked as the best small city to live in California, according to WalletHub. The city in Silicon Valley, which landed in the 97th percentile, ranked 66th in education and health, 84th in economic health, 100th in safety, 403rd in quality of life, and 737th in affordability.

Carmel, Indiana, ranked as the best small city in the country, according to WalletHub, followed by Brookfield, Wisconsin, and Lexington, Massachusetts.

Isla Vista, California, ranked as the worst small city in the nation. The unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County scored in the 1st percentile.

"Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living. On top of that, the best small cities offer strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions and plenty of local flair to help you achieve a high quality of life," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas."

These are the small cities in California that ranked in the 70th percentile or higher. Their percentile is in parenthesis:

• Los Altos (97)
• Palo Alto (96)
• Livermore (95)
• Saratoga (94)
• Yorba Linda (93)
• Dublin (93)
• Menlo Park (92)
• Mountain View (91)
• Cupertino (90)
• Belmont (90)
• Newport Beach (89)
• San Ramon (88)
• Los Gatos (88)
• Pleasanton (86)
• Encinitas (86)
• Milpitas (86)
• Rocklin (86)
• Walnut Creek (85)
• Danville (84)
• Santa Barbara (84)
• San Carlos (82)
• Napa (81)
• Lake Forest (81)
• Mission Viejo (81)
• Monterey (81)
• Lafayette (81)
• Rancho Santa Margarita (80)
• Claremont (80)
• Dana Point (80)
• Brea (80)
• Morgan Hill (79)
• Folsom (78)
• Camarillo (77)
• Burlingame (77)
• Brentwood (77)
• Moorpark (77)
• Windsor (76)
• Redondo Beach (75)
• Aliso Viejo (75)
• Pacifica (74)
• Campbell (74)
• San Clemente (73)
• Newark (73)
• San Rafael (73)
• Laguna Hills (72)
• Foster City (72)
• Redwood City (72)
• Poway (72)
• Oakley (71)
• Santa Cruz (71)
• Petaluma (71)
• Gilroy (71)
• Fountain Valley (70)
• Cypress (70)
• San Juan Capistrano (70)

Read the full report here.