What are the Best Cities in Southern California for Job Seekers?
While parts of the nation are climbing out of the recession, the state of California is still considered to have one of the highest unemployment rates. But a closer look reveals that this isn’t necessarily true to the whole state, with specific pockets of thriving job growth, which generally surround the state’s major metro areas. So where can California job seekers find their future? Here are the top picks:
San Ramon
Situated just 34 miles east from central San Francisco, San Ramon boasts low
crime rates, an educated workforce, and the state’s second-lowest unemployment
rate, coming in at just 3%. The majority of adults who live in San Ramon have
bachelor’s degrees, and the median household income is just shy for $125,000.
Clearly, the city is a great place to live, and as the boundaries have expanded
in recent years the city has also become home to the corporate offices of
AT&T, Chevron, and the University of California Berkeley.
Palo Alto
There are a lot of things to love about the city of Palo Alto. Known as
California’s most educated city, with more than 78% of residents holding at
least a bachelor’s degree, the city is also home to the 10th lowest
unemployment rate in the state. In addition to the hundreds of startups that
call Palo Alto home, the city is also home to Stanford University, Hewlett
Packard, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.
Folsom
Situated 25 miles east of Sacramento. The city of Folsom boasts a low
unemployment rate of only 4% and has one of the lowest homeowner costs in the
country. Between the years of 2009 and 2012, the city has seen a population
growth of 6.9%. The city is home to a number of company headquarters and
research labs, including Intel, Kikkoman Foods, Verizon and Jadoo Power.
Elk Grove
Elk Grove is a suburb of Sacramento that has had an influx of workers –
approximately 12.5% in recent years. This influx has come hand in hand with the
development of major company offices and employment opportunities, including
Kaiser Permanente, and Apple. The city has an unemployment rate of 7.2% but
also offers the lowest monthly homeowner expenses in the area with an average
of $2,293.Lake Forest
Situated roughly 10 miles from Laguna Beach, Lake Forest is a high-end
neighborhood that has a median household of $94,632 and an average monthly
homeowner cost of $2,584. The city is considered to be the 15th-safest city in
the state. The city is home to a number of large company offices, including
Oakley, the high-end sunglass company which employs close to 2,500 people,
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, and Panasonic Avonics.