Santa Clarita, CA 55+ Active Adult Retirement Communities

Overview

Santa Clarita is a city in Southern California. It’s the third largest city in the state and a suburb of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Retirees are attracted to this city because of the beautiful scenery, warm weather, and plenty of opportunities for recreation and entertainment. Santa Clarita is a perfect combination of nature and medium-sized city life. 

Climate & Geography

The climate in Santa Clarita is a hot-summer Mediterranean type, meaning summers are hot and dry, while winters are cool with moderate precipitation. Residents can expect much less rainfall than the national average, no snowfall, and approximately 280 sunny days throughout each year.

The city lies within the Santa Clarita Valley and is bordered on all sides by mountain ranges, and is also near the San Fernando fault zone. The Santa Clara River passes through the city, and although it is dry through most of the year, periods of rainfall create seasonal surface flow in the rainy months. The tributaries of this river have carved steep canyons throughout the typically hilly terrain of the area over the course of many years. 

Recreation, Culture, & Entertainment 

As one of the largest cities in California, Santa Clarita provides residents with numerous recreation and entertainment opportunities to choose from. Outdoor lovers can take advantage of the year-round pleasant weather by visiting one of the 35 parks located within the city. The largest, Central Park, has several amenities including sports courts and fields, a community garden, and a dog park among others. The surrounding mountain ranges are also popular sites for hiking and camping. 

While there is plenty of local shopping and dining to be found, there are also several large shopping and commercial centers within the city that contain big name and luxury store. The city is also host to plenty of community events including a marathon, a summer concert series, seasonal parades and festivals, and much, much more.

While this only scratches the surface of what Santa Clarita has to offer, residents who are looking for a change of pace can reach downtown Los Angeles in about an hour or any of its other surrounding cities within two hours. They could also take a weekend getaway to San Diego, which can be reached in about four hours.

Cost of Living & Taxes 

The overall cost of living in Santa Clarita is higher than the national average, and only slightly lower than the state average. Like most of California, the primary factor is the extremely high cost of homes and housing, although grocery, utility, and transportation costs are all above average as well. Health care costs are the only index that is below average.

California is typically not considered tax friendly for retirees. Though the state does not tax Social Security benefits, all other forms of retirement income are taxed at ordinary rates with a special exemption available for residents who are 65+ that allows them to double that standard exemption to a maximum of $516 depending on filing status. Property tax rates are relatively low in the state, but due to the high cost of homes this can be a very significant expense. This is offset slightly by a homeowners' exemption that reduces the taxable value of a home for qualifying residents. 

Health Care

The Los Angeles metro area scores well on Gallup’s Well-Being Index, ranking in the top 45 communities.

There are two medical centers and hospitals within 10 miles of Santa Clarita that are rated high performing according to U.S. News. They are Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, the latter of which is also regionally ranked.