These 11 California Cities Rank Among The Best For Book Lovers

PASADENA, CA — A new study has ranked several Southern California cities among the best in America for book lovers.

Lawn Love compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on access to public libraries, bookstores, Little Free Libraries, book clubs and events. Several cities in The Golden State topped the list.

Pasadena took first place in the company's overall nationwide ranking, thanks to the city’s high marks in books for sale (No. 2) and book swaps (No. 9).

With plenty of literary events, book lovers in Pasadena can take a break from perusing the city’s many independent and used bookstores and escape to annual events, such as LitFest and the Pasadena Loves YA teen book festival.

Pasadena wasn't the only California city to earn a spot in the top 10. Garden Grove was ranked No. 8 on the list, with high scores for book rentals and events. Oakland was ranked No. 9, with high scores books for sale and books swaps.

Here's a look at the top 10 best cities for book lovers from across the country:

2022’s Best Cities for Book Lovers
1. Pasadena, CA
2. Seattle, WA
3. Jersey City, NJ
4. Eugene, OR
5. New York, NY
6. Portland, OR
7. Alexandria, VA
8. Garden Grove, CA
9. Oakland, CA
10. Denver, CO

While they didn't make the top 10, several California cities still scored pretty well and are very much "book friendly," according to Lawn Love.

That includes San Francisco, which took the No. 19 spot, ranking high for community and book rentals.

Home to many hotspots of the Beat Generation, San Fran is also home to the Beat Museum, as well as the Beat writers’ frequented meeting spots, such as City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio Cafe.

Local tip: Make sure to visit Vroman’s Bookstore, the oldest independent bookstore in SoCal.

Here's how other California cities ranked:

15. Torrance, CA
20. Fulerton, CA
24. Orange, CA
25. San Diego, CA
27. Sacramento, CA
31. Sunnyvale, CA
49. Los Angeles, CA

So what cities are among the worst for book lovers? According to Lawn Love, those cities include Sunrise Manor, NV (No. 200), Joliet, IL (No. 199), Enterprise, NJ (No. 198), Olathe, KA (No. 197) and Corpus Christi, TX (No. 196).

To read more about the study and to view the full list of rankings, click here.