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Best Place
Selected as one of the Best Places to Live by CNN Money Magazine, The accolades continue, such as: One of the 100 Best Places to Raise a Family, One of the Best Economies in Los Angeles County (Union Bank of California), One of the Top 25 Places to Live in the US (CNN Money Magazine), The Best Place in Southern California to Retire (onlyinyourstate.com) and finally, Best Place to Live in California (CNN Money Magazine).


Location
Santa Clarita is nestled in a quiet little valley just 35 miles northwest of the City of Los Angeles. It is bordered on the south by the San Gabriel and Santa Susanna mountain ranges and on the north by the Pelona mountain range.
MAP IT!


Climate
Our summers are dry and daytime temperatures may reach 100 degrees, but don't sweat it! The low humidity makes it bearable for most people. Evenings bring relief, with the temperatures beginning to drop around 4:00 p.m. to an evening low of almost 40 degrees below daytime temperatures. (So bring a jacket). Winters are mild, ranging between 40 to 65 degrees. We receive most of our annual rainfall (15-18 inches) between November and March. (Put away the umbrella in the summer months; you won't be needing it in the SCV.)

On rare occasions, it snows here in Santa Clarita, as you can see in this video posted on YouTube in February 2007.

The seasons of Santa Clarita follow:
Spring: April, May, June
Summer: July, August, September
Autumn: October, November, December
Winter: January, February, March

Don't believe us? Check out the City of Santa Clarita's Seasons brochure found at santa-clarita.com.

To those of you who have lived in So. California forever, you won't understand the reason for this listing. But for those of us who come from cold climates, the months in the seasons are different. Don't believe us? Check here.


Air Quality
Worried about the smog of LA? Check the air quality at the AirNow website. The award was given for the SCV's innovative and aggressive efforts toward improving air quality.


Schools
Residents are drawn to the Santa Clarita Valley by its outstanding public schools. Many of the local schools rank among the top 10 percent in California based on the California Assessment Program and have received Distinguished School awards from the California Dept. of Education or National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence awards. Learn more here.

Students in grades K through 6 attend schools in the Newhall, Saugus, Sulphur Springs and Castaic school districts. Students across the valley in grades 7 through 12 are served by the William S. Hart Union High School District, except those in Castaic, which operates its own middle school through eighth grade. Information on the valley's secondary schools is available here.


Advanced Education
Earn an AA, BS, MS, or PhD in Santa Clarita at College of the Canyons. Additionally, career courses, extension classes, and an opportunity for high school students to attend college (while still in high school) are all offered at COC. COC has campuses in both Valencia and Canyon Country.

California Institute of the Arts, also recognized simply as CalArts, is internationally renowned as one of the leading and most innovative centers for undergraduate and graduate study in the performing and visual arts and in the critical study of these arts. CalArts is located in Valencia.

The Master's University, located in Newhall, is a Biblically-based liberal arts university.


Medical Care
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital provides emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week--and is certified for pediatric emergency care. Henry Mayo has received The Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, consistently receives the The Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations, operates a health center in Valencia.


Economic Stability
Santa Clarita, a Los Angeles bedroom community, is the third largest city in LA County behind Los Angeles, and the eighteenth largest city in the State of California. Our valley boasts a population of over 230,000. Santa Clarita is a more affluent city compared to Los Angeles County as a whole and also compared to the entire State of California. The median family income in 2015 in Santa Clarita was $92,363. The City is also economically stable with an unemployment rate of 4.8% (Sept 2016).


Housing
The Santa Clarita Valley is experiencing a steady increase in home values once again. Selecting a home without Homeowners' Association (HOA) fees or school bond taxes can save homeowners thousands of dollars annually. Learn more by reading Home Buying Basics in the Santa Clarita Valley.


Families Warmly Welcomed
In 2014, the median age of a Santa Clarita resident was 37. Once dubbed "a baby factory" by our mayor, the city caters to families with stores, restaurants, salons, parks, playgrounds and open spaces designed for children. Miles of rural trails are available for hiking, biking or equestrian use and paved paseos wind through the valley. Unique annual activities, such as the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, encourage families to kick up their heels together.


What's Nearby
Disneyland, California Adventure and LEGOland are about an hour and half drive. Beaches, Universal Studios, Beverly Hills, and all that the City of Los Angeles has to offer are within one hour. Go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the afternoon--all possible when you live in the central location of the Santa Clarita Valley.

Towering sequoias, ocean bluffs, Yosemite National Park, Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon are all within driving distance for a family vacation.


Santa Clarita Demographics--learn more about the City of Santa Clarita's demographics at the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp and CityData.com


Links
Where did we get our facts? Obtain current data at the sites below:

Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp The City of Santa Clarita's Film Office

City Data





Updated June 27, 2017