Want to Live a Longer Life, Move Away From RSM

Rancho Santa Margarita is one of the safest cities in the west, and it has been mentioned as the best place in Orange County to raise a family. So here’s some odd news. Live in RSM, and you’re likely to live at least 1-1/2 years less than your neighbors in Mission Viejo and Lake Forest.

In a finding by the Orange County Health Care Agency, residents of RSM live longer than the national average (77.8 years) but not as long as residents of most cities in Orange County (81.5).

Rancho Santa Margarita residents have, at birth, a life expectancy of 80.3 years.

Only residents in Buena Park (79.3), Garden Grove (79.5), Costa Mesa (79.7), Anaheim (80.0) and Westminster (80.1) should expect to live less than those in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Yet some of the highest life expectancy rates are in South Orange County. Leading the way is San Juan Capistrano (85.2), followed by Laguna Beach (84.9), Irvine (84.8), Newport Beach (84.6), Laguna Hills (83.7) and Laguna Niguel (83.6).

Those cities represented the highest of four tiers in which the OCHCA divided the county’s cities. Santa Margarita was in the bottom tier ranging from 79.3 years to 80.5.

RSM neighbors Mission Viejo (81.8) and Lake Forest (82.2) are in the second tier, as are Dana Point (82.8) and San Clemente (82.0) in South Orange County, and Tustin (82.8), Seal Beach (82.5), Los Alamitos (82.7), La Habra (81.9), Fullerton (81.9) to the north.

Also in the fourth tier, seemingly out of place, is Aliso Viejo (80.4).

The study concluded, “Cities whose residents have lower educational attainment, earn less and have higher rates of poverty have notably lower life expectancies. Those living in less affluent cities tend to have limited access to health care, fewer opportunities to engage in healthy behaviors and fewer resources.”

That doesn’t seem to fit RSM either, where its residents are among the most educated and affluent.

The study also showed that women are likely to outlive men countywide, 83.2 to 79.6. Statewide, women outlive men 83.2 to 78.6, and also nationally, 80.4 to 75.4.