Arcadia #2 in County for families

Arcadia is the second best city in all of Los Angeles County for raising a family and #1 in San Gabriel Valley, according to lifestyle rating service Niche.com. The recognition in the 2015 Niche Best Places Rankings comes five years after Business Week magazine declared Arcadia the best city in the entire state of California to raise kids for two years in a row in 2009 and 2010.

The new Niche list ranks cities in California, where Arcadia is ranked 17th, with Santa Monica the only city in Los Angeles County to rank higher than Arcadia at #10. The next-highest ranked city in L.A. County is Monterey Park way further down at #43. Nearby Orange County cities Fountain Valley and Tustin bookend Arcadia with rankings of 15th and 18th. Newport Beach, where many Arcadians have second homes, ranks 26th.

Niche graded more than 4,200 cities nationwide and ranked more than 1,500 of them, with the most weight being given to schools (an overall A- with every school getting an A or A+) and safety (crime) – 20% weight each; followed by 10% each to access to libraries; percentage of residents age nine or under; residents age 35-44; and ratings of how good an area is to purchase a home, and community involvement and participation. Proximity to day care services and grocery stores get 5% each.

Topping the list overall are four cities in Santa Clara County, San Ramon, Cupertino, Palo Alto, and Mountain View.

— By Scott Hettrick