Community Corner

Quality-of-Life Study: Hermosa Ranks No. 85 in West

Among communities in America's western region, Hermosa Beach ranks No. 85 in quality of life, according to a study by The Business Journals.

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.

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"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.

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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.)


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