Let’s hear it for Fountain Valley!
The city was ranked 55th out of more than 250 cities in the state in WalletHub’s 2017 “Best and Worst Places to Retire in California” rankings.
To determine the most retirement-friendly cities in the state, analysts compared 252 cities in quality of life, health and activities, according to WalletHub’s website.
On its website, WalletHub provides this explanation for how it came up with the rankings: “We evaluated those dimensions using 28 relevant metrics, which are listed … with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for retirement. For metrics marked with an asterisk, the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.”
Got that? We didn’t either.
Anyway, Fountain Valley scored particularly high in the “health care” category – 37th among the 252 cities, and it’s no wonder. The city boasts two major hospitals in Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center and Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center & Hospital. There’s also a medical hub near the corner of Euclid Street and Warner Avenue, myriad retirement centers and what seems like an urgent care on every major corner.
The city ranked 90th for activities available to retirees, which seems odd considering the popularity of the Center at Founders Village Community and Senior Center, Mile Square Park, the Fountain Valley Sports Park, three golf courses and a vibrant bowling center.
The activities for retirees in this town are endless. City-offered classes for those 55 and older range from yoga, tai chi, Pilates and strength training to line dancing, longevity stick and brain fitness.
The city’s Recreation and Community Services Department offers senior softball leagues and the newest senior rage, pickleball.
And let’s not forget the biggest event of the year, Summerfest, which is enjoyed by young and old alike, and includes the Fountain Valley Classic Car & Truck Show, a showcase for more than 200 restored vehicles.
The city also actively recruits retirees for its Retired Senior Volunteer Program. RSVP officers are valuable volunteers who have the city’s safety as their highest priority.
And just in case you were wondering, the top-ranked city for retirees is Torrance.
Incidentally, WalletHub released its “Best Places to Raise a Family in 2016,” and Fountain Valley was ranked a respectable 73rd out of 240 California cities — higher than Huntington Beach, Dana Point, Tustin and San Juan Capistrano, among others.
WalletHub is a Washington, D.C.-based personal finance website that is owned by Evolution Finance Inc. – parent company of the credit card website CardHub.com.
It also offers other totally random rankings such as “2018’s Happiest Cities in America,” “Top Cities for College Basketball Fans,” “2018’s Most Sinful States in America” and “2018’s Best and Least Educated States in America.”
I’m waiting for its “2018 Top Pickleball Cities