Buying California Real Estate
If considering a move to California, you should take some time to review the following information on demographics, crime statistics, population, schools, and other important facts about California real estate.
California Population
California is the most populous state in the US. Its four largest cities are San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco. It has eight of the top 50 most populous cities in the US. In addition to the four mentioned above, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento (capitol of California), and Oakland round out the list. Other popular areas include Rancho Santa Margarita, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Pleasanton, Stockton and Pasadena.
The estimated 2006 population of California is 36,457,549, reflecting a jump of approximately 7.6% since the 2000 census. Clearly California has grown during this decade. This is reflected in the California real estate statistics as well. In 2005, there were 12,989,254 housing units, an increase of 6.34% from 2000.
California Economy
The economy of California is diverse and massive. Only seven other countries have a gross domestic product larger than California’s. The large sectors are Entertainment, Aerospace, Agriculture, Technology, Wine Production. Central California, home of the California Central Valley, is the agricultural center for the state. This region grows nearly one-third of the nation’s food.
California Tourism and Recreation
California is home to many popular tourist attractions, from the San Diego Zoo, to Anaheim’s Disneyland, to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, to the wine-tasting country in Napa Valley. Plus the Pacific coastline and all that it offers. If you are a sports fan, California has many professional sports clubs, including 3 national football league teams, five major league baseball teams, four national basketball association teams, and three national hockey league teams.
Whether it’s an active outdoor lifestyle, or a chic, urban experience you seek, then considering buying California real estate may be the right move for you.
Cities in California
|
| Population
| Population Change Since 2000
|
| Los Angeles |
3,913,928 |
6 % |
| San Diego |
1,270,850 |
4 % |
| San Jose |
910,592 |
2 % |
| San Francisco |
725,179 |
-7 % |
| Long Beach |
483,073 |
5 % |
| Fresno |
474,714 |
11 % |
| Sacramento |
462,886 |
14 % |
| Oakland |
399,582 |
0 % |
| Santa Ana |
350,422 |
4 % |
| Anaheim |
345,913 |
5 % |
| Riverside |
328,733 |
29 % |
| Stockton |
299,798 |
23 % |
| Bakersfield |
293,198 |
19 % |
| Chula Vista |
226,204 |
30 % |
| Modesto |
216,159 |
14 % |
| San Bernardino |
213,077 |
15 % |
| Glendale |
203,802 |
5 % |
| Fremont |
203,540 |
0 % |
| Huntington Beach |
196,194 |
3 % |
| Moreno Valley |
191,536 |
35 % |
| Ontario |
188,095 |
19 % |
| Oxnard |
186,770 |
10 % |
| Santa Clarita |
172,715 |
14 % |
| Garden Grove |
171,598 |
4 % |
| Irvine |
168,810 |
18 % |
| Oceanside |
165,894 |
3 % |
| Corona |
165,434 |
32 % |
| Pomona |
159,058 |
6 % |
| Salinas |
158,437 |
5 % |
| Rancho Cucamonga |
157,940 |
24 % |
| Fontana |
157,193 |
22 % |
| Santa Rosa |
149,008 |
1 % |
| Torrance |
145,013 |
5 % |
| Pasadena |
142,754 |
7 % |
| Hayward |
138,723 |
-1 % |
| Escondido |
138,335 |
4 % |
| Orange |
135,762 |
5 % |
| Sunnyvale |
134,876 |
2 % |
| Lancaster |
133,228 |
12 % |
| Palmdale |
132,744 |
14 % |
| Fullerton |
132,574 |
5 % |
| Concord |
131,417 |
8 % |
| East Los Angeles |
130,300 |
5 % |
| Thousand Oaks |
124,203 |
6 % |
| El Monte |
122,321 |
5 % |
| Vallejo |
122,263 |
5 % |
| Roseville |
120,170 |
50 % |
| Simi Valley |
119,858 |
8 % |
| Inglewood |
117,946 |
5 % |
| Downey |
111,915 |
4 % |
| Costa Mesa |
111,531 |
3 % |
| Burbank |
111,020 |
5 % |
| West Covina |
110,393 |
5 % |
| Visalia |
108,289 |
18 % |
| Norwalk |
108,201 |
5 % |
| Rialto |
107,481 |
17 % |
| San Buenaventura (Ventura) |
106,885 |
6 % |
| Richmond |
106,405 |
7 % |
| Santa Clara |
104,173 |
2 % |
| Fairfield |
102,974 |
7 % |
| Mission Viejo |
102,790 |
10 % |
| Berkeley |
102,591 |
0 % |
| Antioch |
102,587 |
13 % |
| Daly City |
101,679 |
-2 % |
| South Gate |
101,243 |
5 % |
| Arden-Arcade |
99,209 |
3 % |
| Compton |
98,363 |
5 % |
| El Cajon |
96,094 |
1 % |
| Carson |
96,064 |
7 % |
| Westminster |
94,059 |
7 % |
| Vacaville |
93,484 |
5 % |
| Vista |
92,770 |
3 % |
| Redding |
92,472 |
14 % |
| San Mateo |
92,283 |
0 % |
| Santa Barbara |
90,704 |
-2 % |
| Temecula |
89,833 |
56 % |
| Alhambra |
89,788 |
5 % |
| Santa Monica |
89,437 |
6 % |
| Citrus Heights |
89,227 |
5 % |
| Carlsbad |
88,736 |
13 % |
| Hawthorne |
88,075 |
5 % |
| Whittier |
87,300 |
4 % |
| Chino Hills |
86,183 |
29 % |
| Victorville |
84,087 |
31 % |
| Clovis |
82,951 |
21 % |
| Lakewood |
82,135 |
4 % |
| Buena Park |
81,025 |
4 % |
| Chino |
80,794 |
20 % |
| Tracy |
80,133 |
41 % |
| Baldwin Park |
79,538 |
5 % |
| Hesperia |
79,346 |
27 % |
| San Leandro |
79,341 |
0 % |
| Upland |
79,017 |
16 % |
| Napa |
77,741 |
7 % |
| Santa Maria |
77,199 |
0 % |
| Newport Beach |
76,895 |
10 % |
| Livermore |
76,540 |
4 % |
| Hemet |
76,337 |
30 % |
| Bellflower |
76,109 |
4 % |
| Merced |
75,469 |
18 % |
| Tustin |
74,995 |
11 % |
| Mountain View |
74,905 |
8 % |
| Redlands |
73,866 |
16 % |
| Redwood City |
73,425 |
-3 % |
| Elk Grove |
72,766 |
21 % |
| Lynwood |
72,499 |
4 % |
| Alameda |
71,307 |
-1 % |
| Folsom |
70,666 |
36 % |
| Murrieta |
70,186 |
58 % |
| Apple Valley |
69,384 |
28 % |
| Walnut Creek |
68,837 |
7 % |
| Davis |
68,805 |
14 % |
| Turlock |
68,191 |
22 % |
| Indio |
68,122 |
39 % |
| Union City |
67,912 |
2 % |
| Laguna Niguel |
67,179 |
9 % |
| Redondo Beach |
66,043 |
4 % |
| Chico |
66,035 |
10 % |
| Montebello |
65,891 |
6 % |
| Pico Rivera |
65,841 |
4 % |
| Pleasanton |
65,659 |
3 % |
| Lodi |
65,561 |
15 % |
| Huntington Park |
65,155 |
6 % |
| Pittsburg |
63,740 |
12 % |
| Florence-Graham |
63,708 |
6 % |
| Monterey Park |
63,588 |
6 % |
| Lake Forest |
63,102 |
7 % |
| Yorba Linda |
62,867 |
7 % |
| Camarillo |
62,765 |
10 % |
| Manteca |
62,158 |
26 % |
| Gardena |
61,739 |
7 % |
| Milpitas |
61,650 |
-2 % |
| San Marcos |
60,982 |
11 % |
| Encinitas |
60,362 |
4 % |
| South San Francisco |
60,251 |
0 % |
| La Habra |
60,185 |
2 % |
| Rancho Cordova |
59,996 |
9 % |
| Cathedral City |
59,685 |
40 % |
| Diamond Bar |
59,550 |
6 % |
| Palo Alto |
58,656 |
0 % |
| Paramount |
58,101 |
5 % |
| Fountain Valley |
57,971 |
5 % |
| South Whittier |
57,880 |
5 % |
| Petaluma |
56,712 |
4 % |
| Castro Valley |
56,610 |
-1 % |
| Arcadia |
56,394 |
6 % |
| Rosemead |
56,210 |
5 % |
| Colton |
56,014 |
18 % |
| San Rafael |
55,621 |
-1 % |
| Goleta |
55,246 |
0 % |