Families searching for the perfect place to settle down face a difficult task. Finding the city with the best school system, low crime rates, quality health care and community support can leave prospective homebuyers feeling flustered.
In a new report by Fortune, researchers scoured the nation to find the 25 Best Places to Live for Families, with one San Diego County city making the winner’s list — San Marcos.
Located in San Diego’s North County, San Marcos sports a top-ranked school district, a diverse population, an efficient public transportation and quality medical care, placing it 20th on the list, according to the study. The city’s parks, trails, shops and weather were also highlighted as major positives to offer for families
Tustin, California was the only other city in the Golden State to make the list. The Orange County city offers residents an excellent range of job, school and entertainment opportunities while offering world-class shopping and dining options, Fortune said. The town has a balanced offering of both historic architecture and modern development, according to the study.
With easy access to Los Angeles, the coastline and the San Gabriel Mountains, Tustin ranked 12th among the Top 25 best cities for families to live.
The study analyzed around 2,000 cities and towns across the U.S. and more than 215,000 data points across five categories:
- Education
- Aging resources
- General wellness
- Financial health
- Livability
Researchers specifically focused on the needs of the “Sandwich Generation,” those who are saddled with “simultaneous responsibilities of raising their children while regularly caring for their own parents.”
Fortune estimates around 45% of Americans are a part of this generation today.
To ensure the winning places were cities where residents could afford to buy homes, Fortune eliminated locations with home sale prices that “were more than twice as high as the state median and/or more than 2.75 times higher than the national median.”
Diversity was also prioritized. The study eliminated any town where “more than 90% of the population is white, non-Hispanic.”
No more than two cities per state and no more than one city per county/metro area were also chosen.
The Top 25 Best Cities to Live in according to Fortune are:
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Wylie, Texas
- Olathe, Kansas
- Mason, Ohio
- Morrisville, North Carolina
- Clearfield, Utah
- Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Leesburg, Virginia
- West Chicago, Illinois
- Novi, Michigan
- West Windsor, New Jersey
- Tustin, California
- South Portland, Maine
- Woodbury, Minnesota
- Parsippany–Troy Hills, New Jersey
- Brookline, Massachusetts
- Sugar Land, Texas
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Maryland Heights, Missouri
- San Marcos, California
- Walla Walla, Washington
- Sarasota, Florida
- Fountain, Colorado
- Statesville, North Carolina
- Mauldin South Carolina
Check out Fortune’s full study on the best cities for families to live in the U.S.