These California Cities Are the “Most Enjoyable” According to a Research

Although it is impossible to quantify fun scientifically, WalletHub researchers haven’t given up.

Three Californian cities—San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles—made the top 20 on the personal finance website’s list of the “Most Fun Cities in America.”

More than 180 cities were ranked by WalletHub based on 65 criteria, such as the quantity of attractions, the variety of restaurants, the number of bars per resident, the number of amusement parks and sports venues, and the cost. Next, cities received a score on a 100-point system.

At 71.38, Las Vegas was first, followed by Miami (55.91), Orlando (62.42), and Atlanta (55.73). San Francisco scored 53.35 points to come in fifth place.

“Whether that’s a plus or not will depend on your personality, but Sin City is known for partying and is one of the only cities in our study where public drinking is allowed in most or all places,” WalletHub wrote in its report. It should come as no surprise that Vegas has the most casinos in the nation when it comes to activities. However, it’s also well known for its entertainers, particularly in the music industry. Compared to other cities, the city boasts a fairly high number of music festivals and venues.

Los Angeles (47.01) was in 20th place, and San Diego (48.33) was in 16th.

In terms of restaurants per capita and attractions per capita, Los Angeles led the country, although it trailed behind in terms of playgrounds, average beer price, and festivals per capita.

Los Angeles’s overall ranking is 20th.

• 20th – Festivals per Capita
• 37th – Playgrounds per Capita
• 80th – Avg. Beer Price
• 1st – Restaurants per Capita
• 25th – Parkland Acres per Capita
• 6th – Dance Clubs per Capita
• 1st – Number of Attractions

One city in Southern California was among the lowest on the list. Oxnard received a score of only 20.20, placing him 180th out of 182. Beautiful coasts don’t seem to have been given much weight, as Pearl City, Hawaii (18.51) came in dead last at 182 on WalletHub.

Most Fun Cities in America (WalletHub)