Best Cities For Veterans: 14 In California Make The Cut

LOS ANGELES, CA — As a part of their Best for Vets series, the Military Times released its latest study: Which cities are the best for veterans to live? Either way, it’s got to be better than the barracks.

The Times’ researchers evaluated 599 cities of different sizes around the country, measuring factors in three main categories: veteran and military culture and services, the strength of the local economy, and liveability factors like crime rates, school quality, traffic congestion and health rankings. Numerous California cities are on the list, but almost all of them are in the south. You can add soldiers to the vast list of professions that don’t support a living in the Bay Area. Orange County, on the other hand, has the most cities statewide that would be suitable for vet.

“Slightly more than half of the evaluation was based on metrics specific to veterans or the military, while the rest was based on metrics applicable to the population as a whole,” the Times said of the methodology used in compiling the list.

Veterans make up just under 10 percent of the U.S. adult population according to the Pew Research Center.
With four military bases nearby and a median veteran income of over $51,000, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the best large city for veterans to live, the study said.

Alexandria, Virginia is the best medium-sized city for vets. This is largely due to how many veterans work as highly-paid government contractors in the area. Portsmouth, Virginia, took the top spot for small cities.
Here are the cities in California that made the list:

• Lake Forest
• San Clemente
• Laguna Niguel
• Newport Beach
• San Marcos
• Huntington Beach
• Costa Mesa
• Vista
• Carlsbad
• Torrance
• San Buenaventura
• Orange
• Chula Vista
• Irvine

Killeen, Texas, has by far the highest percentage of veterans. It has a population of about 140,000 people, more than 30 percent of whom are veterans. This makes sense — Killeen is home to Fort Hood, a highly populated Army base.

Click to see the lists for small, medium and large cities.

(AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)