Former California meth capital ranked among the best places to raise a family in the US

The city once dubbed America’s meth capital is apparently becoming surprising wholesome.

Fresno was once called “The City Addicted to Crystal Meth” in a 2009 BBC documentary — but now, somehow, it’s apparently one of the better places to raise a family in the United States.

The much-maligned Central Valley metro — which also recently landed on a list of America’s best summer vacation destinations despite its reputation — ranked No. 138 overall in WalletHub’s 2026 “Best Places to Raise a Family” rankings.

California dominated the nationwide list overall, with 28 Golden State cities cracking the list, including two cities in the national Top 3.

The city was famously featured in British filmmaker Louis Theroux’s documentary which explored the devastating toll meth addiction had taken on parts of Fresno.

WalletHub compared more than 180 US cities across 45 metrics tied to family life, including affordability, education, health and safety, family fun and socioeconomic factors.

While Fresno finished well outside the Top 100 overall, it still managed to outrank several major American cities including Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and New Orleans.

Fresno’s rankings across the board were mixed.

The city ranked:

• No. 56 for family fun
• No. 120 for health and safety
• No. 125 for education and child care
• No. 145 for socioeconomic factors
• No. 147 for affordability

California’s strongest performer was Fremont, which ranked No. 1 in the nation overall.

WalletHub said Fremont’s top finish was driven largely by strong schools, high incomes and low poverty rates. Fremont previously topped the list as the happiest city in America.

Irvine also cracked the national Top 3, landing at No. 3 overalls thanks in part to its low violent crime rate and highly rated public schools.

Other California cities also posted strong finishes.

San Diego ranked No. 12, San Francisco landed at No. 18 and Huntington Beach came in at No. 20.

Los Angeles finished at No. 67 overall despite ranking at No. 2 nationally for family fun.

Still, California cities were hammered on affordability metric throughout the rankings.

Santa Ana ranked nearly dead last nationally for affordability at No. 180, while Anaheim, Oxnard and San Bernardino also struggled badly in the category.

“Finding the best place to raise a family is difficult, between balancing an affordable cost of living with good educational opportunities, safety and enough recreation to keep kids entertained,” WalletHub analyst Chris Lupo said in a statement.

The top overall city in the country was Fremont followed by Overland Park, Kansas, and Irvine.

The Top 10 California cities in the rankings:

• Fremont — No. 1
• Irvine — No. 3
• San Diego — No. 12
• San Jose — No. 15
• San Francisco — No. 18
• Huntington Beach — No. 20
• Santa Rose — No. 29
• Sacramento — No. 39
• Santa Clarita — No. 42
• Rancho Cucamonga — No. 43

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