Veterans tend to live near military bases after leaving active duty, but some communities are better suited for vets than others. A study conducted by personal finance company NerdWallet rated Vacaville the 9th best city for veterans to live in the country. It's the only California city in the top 10 of the list.
"It is growing leaps and bounds and a lot of family oriented come to stay, to live," said Terrence Thompson, a maintenance worker at the Nut Tree Plaza.
Children spin around on the merry go round, try to touch the sky on the see-saw and run at the sound of the Engine #5 as they choo-choo around the plaza.
"We have a lot of kids and a lot of parents ride the train and the carousel," Train Conductor Joe Pointer said. "I think the crime rate is less up here, the temperature is better and there is so much to see in Vacaville."
A city of just under 100,000 people, Vacaville is between the Capital City and the City on the Bay. It has one of the highest veteran populations in the state. For every seven people you meet, one is a veteran, like Nut Tree's train conductor, Joe Pointer.
"Well, Travis is nearby so that might be part of it,'' he said about the ranking.
Travis AFB is in nearby Fairfield, but it did not make the list.
Military wife Rachel Bullock was impressed to find out where Vacaville ranks.
"Wow, that is amazing. I can see why though," she said.
Bullock is raising her 2-year-old daughter Madeline in Vacaville. Her husband is on active duty and stationed at Travis. Though she is from Southern California, she is happy to raise her family in Vacaville.
"We've been here for seven years now, and we are not looking to move," she said. .
Ed Rapisarda of Fox Real Estate Group served in the Marine Corps from 1995-2008. After seeing the world, he decided to set up roots and his business in Vacaville.
"You know what, I said I would never come back here, but it was the down home community feel we have here, the creek walks and the stuff in town square," he said.
Rapisarda says 30 to 40 percent of his clients are military and veterans, and he hopes to grow that number even further.
The community feel helps Vacaville with its ranking, but that only covers 30 percent of the criteria. The rest came down to economics. Vacaville's veteran unemployment rate is 5.7 percent; 3.7 percent of veterans that call Vacaville home live below the poverty line, and the median income is just under $54,000.
Vets have a higher median income in the number one city, Beaver Creek, Ohio, at $68,989. However, the economic opportunities and earning power of veterans in Vacaville is considered the best in California.
The next highest ranked California city is Poway at 21. Santee and Suisun City also made the top 50.
