Affordability and Kid-Friendly Amenities Earn Bragging Rights

Photo Courtesy: City of Eastvale Facebook page

By Monique Valadez

EASTVALE – With high-quality schools, pristine parks, and affordable neighborhoods, Eastvale is the No. 2 in the top California cities for families. It was the only Southern California city that ranked in the top five.

Eastvale earned a final score of 77.76 compared to Folsom’s 77.91 score for the No. 1 best California city for families.

Councilmember Clint Lorimore said that the recognition is honorable and a good indicator of Eastvale’s progress.

“We are constantly striving to improve upon the foundation of a family-friendly environment already established here in Eastvale,” Lorimore said. “Whether talking about our great schools, award-winning parks or our strong sense of community, we feel Eastvale sells itself in terms of being attractive to young families.”

The report of 2015’s Best & Worst Cities for California Families was done by the personal finance website WalletHub.com. The site compared 240 cities in California across four key dimensions: family life & fun, education, health & safety, affordability and socioeconomic environment. Number of fun attractions, divorce rate and unemployment rate were also considered.

According to WalletHub, Eastvale was rated highly in having the most playgrounds per capita, most affordable housing lowest divorce rate and having the most families with kids.

City officials note that the key to their success is actively engaging residents in planning the city’s future and implementing policies that create a family-focused community.

The top five cities for families are Folsom, east of Sacramento; Eastvale, in northwestern Riverside County; and three cities in the East Bay Area — San Ramon, Dublin and Pleasanton, cited the WalletHub report.

Eastvale struck out in having the fewest amount of attractions such as museums, zoos and theaters.

City officials remarked that new developments such as the Leal Property will help bring more entertainment, shopping and dining options to the city.

“Remaining focused on improving traffic flow, public safety and attracting the amenities that residents desire are top priorities as we move forward,” Lorimore added.

The rankings of other neighboring cities included Chino Hills (35), Rancho Cucamonga (53 tied with Brea), Corona (72), Chino (103), Riverside (153) and Ontario (185).

The worst cities are San Bernardino in the 238 spot, Oakland in 239 and Huntington Park in 240.

You can find the full report here: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-for-families-in-california/15993/