What’s one of the best metropolis to stay within the Bay Space? The reply is totally different for everybody. For some folks leisure choices are paramount, whereas others care extra about range.
In 2022, The Chronicle ranked 25 largest Bay Space cities by high quality of life primarily based on 11 metrics, and the town of Alameda got here out on prime. For our 2023 rating, we determined to up our recreation to incorporate 16 metrics and let readers create their very own rating primarily based on their priorities. These metrics do not embrace all the pieces a resident may care about, however they hit on most of the elements that contribute to a pleasing metropolis life.
The instrument beneath means that you can select the significance of 5 quality-of-life classes that we have grouped our 16 metrics into: leisure alternatives, artwork and neighborhood areas, walkability, range and environmental elements. Primarily based on what you enter into the instrument, it outputs a personalized rating that upweights elements you say are most vital and ignores classes you do not care about.
What if all of the classes are weighed equally?
San Francisco tops the record, with a mean rating throughout classes of 6.7. San Francisco’s excessive rating is pushed by its unusually excessive marks on leisure, arts and tradition and walkability. Berkeley is available in second at 8.1, adopted by San Mateo (9.1), the town of Alameda (9.4) and Oakland (9.5).
On the backside of the record are San Ramon (18.6 common rating), Fremont (17.4) and Antioch (16.5). All of those cities rank significantly poorly on walkability and variety.
Under are the rankings for every of the 5 main classes and particular person metrics inside them.
Leisure
Happiness is commonly tied to leisure actions, like consuming out at eating places, going to see a film at a theater or attending a live performance. For our leisure class, we included knowledge on the variety of bars, eating places, film theaters and music venues per 100,000 folks.
San Francisco topped the record for practically the entire measures, apart from music venues the place it fell simply wanting Berkeley’s practically 14 music venues per 100,000 residents. Napa was fourth on the record, as a result of variety of theaters, eating places and venues.
arts and tradition
Museums and libraries act as locations for neighborhood gathering and enrichment, and individuals who go to these areas usually really feel a way of belonging. Libraries, as an example, present assets past simply books, like shelter and different neighborhood providers.
The Chronicle used knowledge on museums and libraries for the “arts and tradition” class, utilizing knowledge from Google Maps and the California State Library department knowledge. There are different issues we needed to measure, just like the prevalence of public artwork or variety of neighborhood occasions, however knowledge on these metrics was not broadly accessible for the cities we analysed.
Berkeley scores the very best on this class with probably the most museums per capita and third most libraries per capita among the many 25 cities.
Strolling and site visitors
Residing in a walkable neighborhood can enhance one’s bodily well being and emotional well-being. The Chronicle used knowledge from Stroll Rating, a knowledge instrument from actual property dealer Redfin, to quantify the walkability and bikeability of a metropolis. We additionally included knowledge on transit stops and supermarkets per capita to measure the comfort of dwelling in a metropolis.
In keeping with our evaluation, Berkeley is probably the most walkable, rating within the prime two for every of the 4 metrics. San Francisco is available in second place general, scoring extremely in walkability and transit entry.
Variety
The Chronicle measured range throughout racial, age, and nation of beginning to search out probably the most various communities within the Bay Space. Racial range was calculated utilizing the US Census’ system which measures the percentages that two folks chosen randomly from a metropolis’s inhabitants will belong to a unique race or ethnic group. Age range was equally calculated, utilizing age brackets of kids below 17, folks between the ages of 18 to 34, folks between the ages of 35 and 59 and folks ages 60 and over. The Chronicle additionally thought of range of nationwide origin by calculating the proportion of a metropolis’s residents who have been born in a rustic exterior of america.
Vallejo ranks the very best on range, with excessive racial and age range inside its neighborhood. Hayward is available in second, adopted by Fairfield and Richmond.
Setting
The atmosphere may be an vital issue when contemplating dwelling in a particular metropolis, for each bodily and psychological well being causes. The Chronicle due to this fact analyzed environment-related metrics of every Bay Space metropolis, together with air high quality, use of inexperienced power and park entry.
Vacaville ranks because the greenest metropolis, primarily as a result of it ranks highest in its share of households that use photo voltaic power for heating. The town in Solano County additionally ranks sixth in air high quality and seventh in park entry.
San Francisco has one of the best park entry — 100% of residents stay inside a ten-minute stroll from a park — however ranks low on photo voltaic power use, leading to an Eleventh-place rating within the general atmosphere class.
Leila Darwiche is a San Francisco Chronicle employees author, and Nami Sumida is a San Francisco Chronicle knowledge visualization developer. E-mail: nami.sumida@sfchronicle.com Twitter:
@datawithleila