The beach at the foot of First Street, which has been listed a place to visit in Benicia on TripAdvisor. Benicia was ranked as the 34th most livable mid-sized beach community by the site WalletHub. (Photo by Nick Sestanovich)

A new list by the personal finance website WalletHub ranked Benicia as the 34th most livable “beach town” in America with a population between 10,000 and 150,000 inhabitants based on a series of metrics and opinions of experts.

According to WalletHub, much of the determination was based on the quality of life in beach towns. The following questions were asked of 14 experts, most of whom were professors or directors of environmental institutes:

* What should people look for in choosing a beach property?

* Is it better to live in a beach town with a large year-round population compared to those with a more seasonal population?

* What affects the value of beach properties over time? How can someone determine if a given property is a good investment for the long term?

*How might beachfront real estate be affected by rising ocean levels due to climate change? Are some areas more vulnerable than others? What can homeowners and/or local authorities do to mitigate potential problems due to climate change?

Additionally, WalletHub used six categories to determine its rankings: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education/health and quality of life. The dimensions were evaluated using 49 metrics which were graded on a 100-point scale, 100 representing the most favorable conditions for living in beach towns. The towns selected were limited to just municipalities with populations between 10,000 and 150,000 and at least one beach listed on TripAdvisor. The rankings were then calculated on each weighted average.

Based on the metrics, Benicia ended up clocking in at 34 out of 277 cities. It ranked fourth out of cities in California, being beaten out only by Mill Valley, Folsom and Newport Beach. Additionally, Benicia ranked second out of cities in the Bay Area and second overall in terms of affordability, being edged out only by Westport, Conn. Factors determining affordability consisted of housing costs, median household incomes, median annual property taxes, share of for-sale waterfront homes, share of for-sale homes with RV or boat parking, and share of for-sale homes with swimming pools.

Benicia has a variety of public and private beaches. The most notable are the public pier and beach at the foot of First Street where people are often seen sending their dogs loose in the water and the beach at the foot of Ninth Street Park where boating and swimming are popular. Also, while it is not the most ideal place to set down a blanket, Benicia does have a unique coastal area known as Glass Beach featuring decades of weathered sea glass that have washed ashore.

The highest ranking cities on the list were Naples, Fla.; Key West Fla.; and Eden Prairie, Minn. For the full list and further description of the methodology ranking, visit wallethub.com/edu/best-beach-towns-to-live-in/36567/.

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