8 Best California Counties To Live, Work, Retire: Where Will You Call Home?

CALIFORNIA — The number one reason people are drawn to the Golden State is for the lifestyle, experts say. When it comes to figuring out the best counties to call home, Patch consulted experts in real estate, travel, and entertainment to help find the ideal spot to hang your hat, no matter if you are single, raising your family, or planning out your golden years.

While many reports focus on the best California cities to live in, as locals know, one town tends to flow into the next. Therefore, Patch broadened our view to explore the best counties to call home, based upon home availability, proximity to shopping, restaurants, wineries, and nightlife.

In these areas, you can find homes from the upper $500,000 range to the lower $2 million range.

Sorted alphabetically by county, here are the places where real estate agents say deals can still be found and career opportunities exist. Take a virtual stroll through these virtual neighborhoods in these counties:

1. Los Angeles County:

When it comes to life in Los Angeles County, there are several locales that could be ideal for the lifestyle you are looking for. Here, one neighborhood blends into another and whether you enjoy the city, the country or the beach, there truly is a place for everyone.

Redondo Beach

According to Travel + Leisure, Redondo Beach is an ideal locale to call home. It's close to the Getty Center, Hollywood, aquariums, and of course, the beach. The breezy weather makes it ideal for those who wish to live where the stars walk on the ground. Redondo Beach, according to Real Estate Broker Jamie Waryck, of the JW Group, told Travel + Leisure, is a" beach town that knows how to blend small-town charm with big-time culture." This small town will bustle in the summer and fall months, and likely be foggy much of the spring.

Life in Redondo Beach gets an A+. According to Niche, Redondo Beach was recently voted among the #3 Best Suburbs to call home in California. There are beach concerts, boutiques, pedestrian-friendly restaurants, and quality seafood, Waryck says. Niche also approves of life in Redondo, though it is pricey. The median home value in this area is $1.2 million, with monthly rents averaging $2,562.

2. Riverside County:

The landscape of Riverside County extends from balmy wine country in the southwest to the deserts of the eastern Coachella Valley. Both were given nods by Travel + Leisure for the beauty, affordability, and lifestyle offered here.

—La Quinta:

Close to Indio, concerts and festivals, Indio is ideal for those seeking outdoor life in the winter and poolside living during the summer.

Love to travel? The Palm Springs International Airport is close by, making it a breeze for desert dwellers to fly away from the 100+ degree heat of summer. La Quinta has a median home value of $612,800 according to Niche, with a median rent of $1,741.

—Temecula:

Just north of San Diego County along the I-15 corridor lies the award-winning wine country of Temecula. This city is blooming with shops, restaurants, wineries and hotels, including the famed Pechanga Resort Casino. In Temecula, there is always something to do for residents of all ages.

Niche has given Temecula a B+ rating for schools, diversity, and nightlife, while housing remains hit or miss. “Temecula is a beautifully designed community with a lovely rural feeling,” realtor Nancy Hughes told Travel + Leisure. “The Kaiser Development Master Plan had a goal of creating large areas of very low density, which is why we have several communities with larger acreages.”

The median home value hovers around $640,400 with a median rent of $2,297.

3. Sacramento County:

—Sacramento:

"The City of Trees," and California's state capital, Sacramento, should not be overlooked if you are looking for a convenient, central location to live. Considered "balanced and diverse" by realtor Alice Tomkins, this town offers affordable homes and all kinds of neighborhoods.

In the town of Sacramento, median home prices are less than $500,000 and median rent is about $1,694 per month. Niche gives Sacramento a B+ rating, considering it a diverse area to live. Many families and young professionals live in the urban suburban city.

4. San Bernardino County:

Tucked along the San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino County is known for being the largest county in the continental United States. Here, you'll find mountains, forests, deserts as well as new and upcoming theater and concert venues. This is a hub of travel, with nearby airports and trains to take you anywhere you want to be.

In the winter, mountain resorts offer skiing and hiking in the summer. Many new neighborhoods are popping up across the county, with some of the best housing prices you'll find in California.

—Big Bear Lake:

With summer temperatures in the 80s, and snow every winter, Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains is an ideal location for those who embrace the great outdoors, from boating, fishing, hiking, golfing, and camping to stargazing at night in this Dark Sky city.

Here, you can enjoy four seasons in southern California, along with the thousands who vacation here, while still being just a few hours from the coastline. "It's a small town community that shows up for each other," local real estate agent Joel Cheek told Travel + Leisure.

The median home price in Big Bear Lake is $517,900 and rental costs are around $1,278 per month, according to Niche, which rates this mountain town with a B grade. Here, there are lots of bars, restaurants and coffee shops, and this is a favored residence for retirees though the schools are highly rated.

5. San Diego County:

The southernmost California County, San Diego County, is a favored vacation spot for the masses. But to live here? That's a vacation every day. With over 70 miles of coastline, people who call this area home can enjoy the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld, Balboa Park, the Hotel Del Coronado, and Sea Port Village if you want to play tourist.

—Coronado

Coronado Island, just over the sweeping arc of the bridge from downtown San Diego, offers a small, tight-knit community in the off-season, and you'll find the streets and the shores packed with visitors in the summer.

Parks, beaches, restaurants, and concerts are all within easy walking distance or short bike rides here, and a water taxi can whisk you across to a San Diego Padres baseball game or to the downtown San Diego Gas Lamp area. The Hotel Del Coronado is a landmark that is not to be missed.

About 18,500 people call Coronado home, according to Niche. Here, there are many restaurants, shopping centers, coffee shops, and parks. According to Niche, Coronado gets an A+ grade, thanks to public schools, nightlife, and diversity. It's a great place for families, with slightly lower grades for crime and safety and housing costs.

To live here, where about half the residents own as opposed to rent, the median home value is just under $2 million. The median rental costs is about $3,250, according to Niche.

6. San Joaquin County:

The Central Valley county of San Joaquin is one of the nation's most desireable housing markets for those looking for affordable housing in California. Here, you can find good schools, close-knit communities, and a high quality of life, according to the county website.

"Our communities appeal to a range of budgets and lifestyles. From urban and upscale living to serene settings to family-centric neighborhoods and master-planned communities, house hunters have options for a fraction of the cost of neighboring markets. And it's all within commuting distance from the Bay Area and Silicon Valley."

—Lodi

This little Central Valley town is situated in San Joaquin County. It's home to about 67,000 people.

The town, a suburb of Stockton, is full of small-town charm, according to realtor Ryan Sherman of Sherman & Associates Real Estate Co. For families, Lodi is commutable distance to Sacramento, and has a vibrant downtown.

"It is celebrated for its award-winning wineries, and the eclectic dining, boutique shopping, and farmers markets," Sherman told T+E. "There are 85 wineries in Lodi, along with tasting rooms to enjoy them.

Lodi was rated by Niche as a B-, with the top marks for diversity. It is full of parks and offers a dense suburban feel, as the website shows. Most residents own their homes, according to Niche, and the median home value is about $468,800. A rental house in Lodi would cost approximately $1,500 per month.

7. San Luis Obispo County

Welcome to the Central Coast of California. Nicknamed "SLO County," this is a place where agriculture reigns, with grapes at the top of that food chain. Here, you can explore the historic San Simeon, Hearst Castle, or visit beaches, national wildlife refuges, and vineyards.

—Paso Robles

Paso Robles is about 200 miles from Los Angeles and another 200 miles from San Francisco. It's packed with restaurants, vineyards and scenic landscapes.

Real estate expert Mark McConnell and Liz Lee of Heart to Heart real estate shared their thoughts on what makes Paso Robles a great place to call home, telling Travel + Leisure: "One can choose from a downtown bungalow, a sprawling estate home or rolling hills or vineyards." The town itself is historic, with shopping and culinary stores.

According ot Niche, Paso Robles has an overall grade of B-, as there are lots of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Many of the 31,400 people who call Paso Robles home are families and young professionals. Here, the median home value is around $648,400 and the median rent price is $1,947.

8. Santa Clara County

If you want to live in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County is where it's at. With universities, thriving arts and easy access to outdoor activities, this Bay Area locale blends history and high tech. It's a big draw for working families in the tech industry.

—Sunnyvale

According to Travel + Leisure, Sunnyvale is filled with parks, excellent schools, and is close to numerous Silicon Valley businesses, including Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and Amazon.

What's more, the Mediterranean climate is top-notch. Realtor Shirley Frantz, of Keller Williams Luxury Silicon Valley, told Travel + Leisure that the community rallies in the year-long sunshine. "It's a community that goes to the farmers market on Murphy Avenue, watches their kids play sports on the same fields that they did growing up, and spends time getting to know one another."

Here, there are coffee shops, restaurants, parks and great schools. Niche ranks Sunnyvale as the #11 best city to raise a family in America, according to a recent survey. It gets an A+ for public schools, good for families, diversity, nightlife, with crime and safety and housing coming in last on the report card. About 150,000 people call Sunnyvale home. Buying a home here will cost about $1.8 million, and the median rent is $3,065 per month. About 56% of Sunnyvale residents are in the rental market.

A few final notes about life in California:

California may have the third-highest home prices in the nation, according to recent reports on Niche and Travel + Leisure magazine, but rentals remain on average about $3,000 per month across the board.

It isn't cheap to live here, but there are benefits to making a life in the Golden State, experts say. One of the biggies for retirees is that California State social security benefits are untaxed, and as for vacations? Residents who choose to staycation instead can save upwards of $7,250 per person per year on a trip in the United States, and over $9,900 on an international trip, according to the Motley Fool.

So where would you live in California?