Life is pretty good in Hermosa Beach, at least according to an "On Numbers" quality-of-life study released by The Business Journals.
The report used U.S. Census Bureau data to rate the quality-of-life in 889 cities, towns, villages and other municipalities across the Western portion of the country.
Hermosa Beach ranked No. 85, and overall California towns topped the charts regionally.
"The top-rated communities have strong economic bases, impressive housing stocks and effective educational systems," The Business Journals reported Wednesday. "The only non-California community in the Western top five is No. 2 Paradise Valley, Ariz., which is northeast of Phoenix."
Hillsborough ranked No. 1, San Marino came in No. 3, Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara (east of Oakland) No. 4 and Coto de Caza No. 5.
When analyzing national data, "On Numbers" revealed that West University Place in Texas ranked the highest in quality-of-life. Nationwide a total of 3,764 U.S. cities, towns, villages and other municipalities were analyzed.
Here is a synopsis of Hermosa Beach's standing in the Western region:
Place Hermosa Beach Type city State California West Quality-of-Life rank 85 West Quality-of-Life percentile 90.54% Population (2009 estimate) 19,213 In 25-44 age group 46.00% Living in same house for more than 1 year 74.12% Moved in from other state or abroad in past year 5.03% Workers who walk to work or work at home 9.21% Commuting time of 29 minutes or less 53.14% Median household income $99,446 Poverty rate for families 2.64% Workers with management and professional jobs 59.53% Workers who are self-employed 17.79% Unemployment rate for 25-64 age group 4.42% Houses built since 1990 12.21% Houses with 9 or more rooms 5.32% Housing vacancy rate 4.66% Homeowner rate 45.91% Median house value $1,000,001 Mortgage affordability (house value per $1,000 of household income) $10,056 Rent affordability (annual median rent per $1,000 of household income) $201 Adults (25 or older) with high school diplomas 98.61% Adults (25 or older) with bachelor's degrees 68.99% Adults (25 or older) with advanced degrees 24.37%(Source: American City Business Journals, Inc.)
