Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 98,274, settled in 1882.
The typical home is worth about $870K, 8.2 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. Overall it grades C, ranked 331st of 841 in California. It is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Only 82 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Vista’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, above both the California town median (1.0) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Vista's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 89% of U.S. towns.
Where Vista beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Vista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Rancho Guajome Adobe is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,705 in 1950, 98,381 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2023 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Vista. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
6 mi Theme parkLegoland California
34 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
32 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
29 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a year
15 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo Safari ParkSnapdragon Stadium: Terrible Tim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legoland California: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdigger/, CC BY 2.0 · Petco Park: Mds08011, CC BY 4.0 · San Diego Zoo: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0 · San Diego Zoo Safari Park: Flickr user: Olivier Bruchez https://www.flickr.com/photos/bruchez/, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vista, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Vista.
Vista carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
In the comparison, Vista comes above both California’s towns (4.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). 25 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Dawson-Los Monos Canyon Reserve, 125 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buena Vista Park Pond and Open Space | 3.4 mi | 120 |
| 2. Dawson-Los Monos Canyon Reserve | 1.7 mi | 125 |
| 3. Brengle Terrace Park | 1.5 mi | 74 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Vista Unified school district. Three of its 33 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Magnet Middle School of Technology Science and MathLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 836 | – |
| Rancho Buena Vista HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,949 | A− |
| Dual Language Immersion North CountyTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 276 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Vista beats the California average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 71% of Vista adults had a checkup this year.
| Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Vista | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.1% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5% | 5.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.8% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 45.6°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 81°.
Vista has warm winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. Vista’s January low is 46°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Vista for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Vista grew to 32,133 in 2023, 2,974 more than in 2013. 16% of workers work from home in Vista.
| Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 16% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median rent in Vista is $2,249 a month. The typical Vista home is worth about $870,000, up 1.3% in a year, 14% above the California typical home.
| Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,249 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.9 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 22% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1 point. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.1, men 35.0.
| Vista | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.8% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.2% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.6% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Reported crimes fell from 1,534 to 741 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 75% of towns.
| Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 91% of California towns, with expected losses of about $206 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vista.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Vista
About 6 of every 100 Vista residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
2 places in Vista on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Vista.
City in California, United States
Vista (; Spanish for "view") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is a medium-sized city within the San Diego-Carlsbad metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, Vista had a population of 98,381. Current data estimates a 2023 population of 99,835. Vista's sphere of influence also includes portions of unincorporated San Diego County to the north and east, with a county island in the central west. Located just 7 mi (11 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean, it has a Mediterranean climate. Much of Vista's current territory was once part of the Mexican land grants of Rancho Buena Vista and Rancho Guajome. A post office was established on October 9, 1882, and Vista…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Vista.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vista | #331 | C | D− | B− | B | B+ |
| Oceanside | #404 | C | D− | C− | B | A− |
| San Marcos | #100 | B+ | D− | B | A− | A− |
| Carlsbad | #94 | B+ | D− | C+ | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Vista grades C overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #331 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 75% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
7 notable people were born here, including Tony Wolters and Heather Youmans.
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