Mountain View, Pleasanton Rank In Top 5 Among 'America's 50 Best Cities' Report
(CBS SF) -- Two Bay Area cities, Mountain View and Pleasanton, are among the top five best U.S. cities to live in as identified by financial news blog 24/7 Wall St.
The report titled 'America's 50 Best Cities to Live' ranked Mountain View at No. 3 and Pleasanton at No. 4 in its list. Only one other California city, Irvine, was ranked - at No. 6 on the list.
Newton, Massachusetts was ranked at the top of the list, with Bellevue, Washington at No. 2 and Evanston, Illinois at No. 5.
24/7 Wall St. said it identified 550 cities that the U.S. Census Bureau reported as having more than 65,000 residents in 2012.
The report then analyzed data in seven major categories: crime, economy, housing, environment, leisure and infrastructure, assigning a ranking from 0-100 based on statistics from various government agencies.
Mountain View scored high for its location in the heart of Silicon Valley, as well as low crime, high-performing schools and a wealth of leisure activities.
Pleasanton was also cited for its relative safety, its high median household income and low unemployment rate.
On the other hand, both cities' property values are among the highest in the nation, with a median home value of $749,000 for Mountain View and $694,000 for Pleasanton.