Best towns to live in northern california. Did you know that California is the most populous state in the United States? It’s true! California has a population of just over 40 million people, which means there are tons of options for places to live. If you’re looking for a place that offers more than just sunshine and beaches.
Best towns to live in northern california
Check out this list of some of California’s best small cities and towns:
Palo Alto
Palo Alto is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, about south of San Francisco, and is home to many high technology companies.
It was founded by Leland Stanford Sr., who named it after his son Leland Stanford Jr., who had just died from typhoid fever at age 15. The city’s nickname since then has been “The Birthplace of Silicon Valley”.
Roseville
Roseville is the largest city in Placer County, California and is located within the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of 2014, it had a population of 128,382. Roseville has seen growth since it was incorporated in 1972 at 1.5 square miles with a population of 5,000 people.
Today it’s over 11 times that size and has 101 parks to enjoy while living there! Some other fun facts: the median home cost is $310K (2015 figures), which makes Roseville one of the more affordable areas on this list. The average commute time for residents is 21 minutes (longer if you live outside city limits).
El Dorado Hills
El Dorado Hills is a city in Placer County, California, and part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. El Dorado Hills is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. El Dorado Hills’ population was 47,407 at the 2010 census, up from 37,931 at the 2000 census.
Dublin
Dublin is a suburb of San Ramon in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located in Alameda County, and it’s the fifth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dublin is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. In fact, it’s right next to Livermore right on its eastern border!
Clovis
Clovis is the largest city in Fresno County and has a population of over 103,000 people. It is also the county seat of Fresno County and has been since 1958 when it was officially incorporated as a city. Clovis was founded by William Reed Clovis II and his partner Frank Nye Winkle when they purchased some land to build a town from the railroad company that owned it.
The first train arrived on December 29th, 1911 at what would become Downtown Clovis which resulted in many more settlers moving into this newly formed town.
Today, many people come to live in Clovis because of its close proximity to all major cities (including San Francisco), beautiful weather conditions during most parts of the year, large industrial parks for jobs opportunities such as manufacturing plants or warehouses for shipping goods around California (and beyond), great schools for children from kindergarten through high school graduation years with AP classes available at each grade level so students can continue their education at prestigious universities throughout California if they want too after graduating high school if they don’t want attend nearby colleges like Fresno State University or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University just 15 minutes away from downtown Clovis!
Monterey
Monterey is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on California’s Central Coast. The 2014 population was 41,910.
The city borders Pacific Grove and the Monterey Peninsula to the north, Seaside to the east and Sand City to the south. In addition to its association with John Steinbeck’s classic novel Cannery Row (1944), it is also known for its beaches; its harbor seals; its aquarium and marine zoology museum; Fort Ord Dunes State Park; Garrapata State Park.
McNee Ranch State Park; Pebble Beach Golf Links the 18th hole of which has been rated by Golf Magazine as one of top five golf holes in America for more than 20 years running and scenic coastal drives along Highway 1 through Big Sur national forest lands all make this area unique among California towns
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a coastal city in the U.S. state of California. It is located on the west coast of the U.S. state of California, between Monterey and San Jose about 45 miles south of San Francisco (35 kilometers). Santa Cruz is known for its beaches and boardwalks, mountain views, redwood forests, alternative community, and its university
Rocklin
Rocklin is a suburb of Sacramento, located in Placer County. It has a population of 58,848 and is known for its excellent school district and safe environment.
The city’s school system has been ranked among the top 100 in the country by Niche for multiple years running. If you want your kids to get a great education, Rocklin is an excellent choice. There are also plenty of great parks where you can take them on weekends or during break times at school, making it easy to stay active as a family unit even after work hours have ended.
It’s also worth noting that Rocklin has one of the lowest crime rates in California which means peace of mind when it comes to keeping your loved ones safe!
Orinda
Orinda is a great place to live. Orinda is a great place to raise kids. Orinda is a great place to work. Orinda is a great place to visit, with numerous wineries and top-notch restaurants nearby (check out Chez Panisse in Berkeley).
And of course, it’s also an excellent community for retirees who want access to some of the best medical care available in California: Sutter Health operates two hospitals near this town, plus there are five additional medical facilities nearby (including three urgent care centers!)
Folsom
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Folsom is most commonly known for its infamous Folsom Prison. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,920. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Folsom was founded in 1856 by Joshua Melvin and George W. Perkins; they were attracted by the area’s rich gold deposits and growing population. By 1856 there were 20 registered voters in Folsom; this grew to over 400 by 1860! It became a city on March 7th 1893 with a population of 600 people.
Lafayette
Lafayette is a town with a population of about 11,000 located in Santa Cruz County. It’s approximately 30 miles from San Francisco and 45 miles from Monterey. Lafayette has a lot to offer residents, including good schools, great housing options at affordable prices and access to jobs in the surrounding larger cities such as San Jose and Silicon Valley.
The town also offers residents access to parks and recreation opportunities such as hiking trails through redwood forests or surfing on their beautiful coastline. Residents can also enjoy shopping at local businesses downtown or eating out at one of their many restaurants.
Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located 16 miles (26 km) east of the city of Oakland and within the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 71,135 as of 2010 Census Day, Walnut Creek is the second largest city in Contra Costa County and fifth largest in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It is located on the southern shore of Suisun Bay at 15 miles from San Francisco where it has its own ferry terminal with BART trains connecting to San Francisco via Oakland’s Jack London Square station.
Coronado
The tiny city of Coronado is known for its natural beauty, but it also boasts one of the most educated and affluent populations in the state. The median home price is $2.5 million and the average income is $198,000 per year.
The typical resident has a bachelor’s degree, so if you’re looking to move somewhere where everyone understands what you’re talking about when you mention your favorite obscure French painter or obscure French poet, this might be your new town.
If you love nature but want something more urban than rural life offers, Coronado could be just right for you there are plenty of parks and beaches close by if you want to get away from city life now and then. The average commute time here is 25 minutes which means that residents will likely never feel stuck in traffic jams (or at least not all that often).
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and the largest city in the Central Coast region of California. A designated “Tree City USA” and recognized as a Bronze Level Bicycle-Friendly Community, San Luis Obispo offers residents and visitors a variety of outdoor activities.
Many of these include biking along Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1), which runs through town. The city’s bike paths have been ranked among the best in California by Bicycling magazine, who also named it one of America’s Best Bike Cities in 2008.
In addition to being an excellent place to bike, San Luis Obispo has a thriving performing arts scene that includes live music venues such as The Catalyst Club and concerts by world-renowned artists like Sting at Carnegie Hall just across town from Cal Poly’s campus!
Moraga
Moraga is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of Mount Diablo just outside the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. Moraga is situated in between Oakland and Walnut Creek.
Tiburon
Tiburon is a small town on the San Francisco Bay. It is known for its shops and restaurants, as well as being home to many celebrities.
Tiburon is also a great place to live! You can walk or bike through town, enjoying the quaint shops and restaurants. The beautiful views of Angel Island are right in front of you, so you’ll be able to enjoy nature every day.
There are plenty of things for kids here too: parks with playgrounds and slides, beaches where they can splash around in the water all summer long (or play volleyball if it’s cold out), baseball diamonds to practice their pitching skills at the list goes on.
Menlo Park
Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Stanford University, and Palo Alto on the west; Atherton, North Fair Oaks (a small neighborhood), and Los Trancos Woods on the south; and Woodside to its southeast. As of 2010 Menlo Park had a population of 28,305.
Menlo Park was one of two mid-peninsula towns (Stanford being the other) founded by William Alexander Leidesdorff who purchased Rancho Rincon de Musalacon Mexican grant lands in 1853. The name derives from “mendocino” or “mendoza”, a reference to Rancho Rincon de Musalacon’s former owner Julián Castro’s wife Margarita Mendoza de Salinas y Lugo who was also known as Dona Marina (“Donna Marina”). The town that bears her name is about 20 miles northwest from San Jose where she lived with her husband Juan Bautista Alvarado y Castro who would become governor one year later when California became part of Mexico before becoming part of United States after 1846 .
Davis
Davis is the center of California’s 12th district, so there’s a lot of politics going on. It’s also home to the University of California, Davis—which means there are plenty of young people getting their degrees and living in town. This adds up to lots of things going on during the week, but it also means that people don’t want to be out late at night since they’ll need their sleep for class the next day.
The city has a population of 65,000 people with an average age around 23 years old (according to Census data). There are tons of things to do here if you love nature and being outside: hiking trails abound; there are parks like Hutchison Park where kids can play; or if you’d rather stay indoors then head over to Aggie Theatre which shows films regularly! The arts scene is robust here too with concerts happening almost every weekend at free venues like Grange Hall where you can enjoy live music from local bands as well as national acts such as Blind Pilot!
Aspen
Aspen is a mountain town in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It’s a popular destination during ski season and for its art galleries and music festivals. The population is about 8,000 people; if you’re looking for more space, try the surrounding towns (like Basalt) instead. Aspen has excellent schools, but it’s hard to find places where families can afford to live for long periods of time because housing costs are so high—the median home price was $1.75 million in 2018 according to Zillow!
Pleasanton
Pleasanton is a town in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about 25 miles east of Oakland, and 20 miles southeast of San Francisco. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 70,285.
Pleasanton has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. Pleasanton’s weather is influenced by its proximity to San Francisco Bay; fog and low overcast are common during the summer months while warmer temperatures are typical during wintertime.
Conclusion
So there you have it, our picks for the best towns to live in Northern California. We hope these recommendations help you find your ideal place to live!
