Pragmatism, not politics deliver quality of life
Roseville, Calif. – There are many factors that determine those tangible and intangible things that make for "best places to live" lists. Be it geography, weather, education, or other amenities on your checklist, those marketing and PR compilations citing "best places" often make for a great read. However, while they gladly share the "what", they seem to miss the "why."
Exploring many of the amazing places to live throughout California and America and looking at way too much statistical data, we often stumble upon unexpected common threads that run counter to the non-stop political propaganda, social media, and cable news narratives. Case in point, the Northern California counties of Marin and Placer always bubble to the top across countless metrics despite being on opposite sides of the political fence. For starters, those metrics include education, health, vaccination rates, quality of life, and low crime rates.
Voter registration
Another vital component is voter registration and engagement. Guess which two counties have the highest percentage of registered voters for counties with a population over 1,500? yep, Marin County and Placer County. Here's a look across the Golden State of which counties have the highest to lowest voter registrations.
California Unregistered Voters by county
| County | Not Registered | % Unregistered Voters |
| Alpine | 52 | 5.24% |
| Marin | 11,262 | 6.22% |
| Placer | 21,044 | 6.95% |
| El Dorado | 12,431 | 8.67% |
| Nevada | 7,361 | 9.03% |
| Plumas | 1,407 | 9.18% |
| Amador | 2,969 | 10.31% |
| Contra Costa | 85,697 | 10.77% |
| Ventura | 66,674 | 11.56% |
| Calaveras | 4,248 | 11.67% |
| Santa Cruz | 23,041 | 12.01% |
| Napa | 12,000 | 12.55% |
| Los Angeles | 901,852 | 13.76% |
| Sonoma | 49,798 | 14.13% |
| San Mateo | 75,192 | 14.72% |
| Monterey | 37,210 | 15.03% |
| Solano | 50,909 | 16.20% |
| Mariposa | 2,217 | 16.20% |
| Orange | 357,921 | 16.45% |
| Alameda | 187,199 | 16.61% |
| Tuolumne | 7,043 | 16.83% |
| San Benito | 7,442 | 17.09% |
| San Diego | 402,198 | 17.24% |
| Shasta | 24,132 | 17.62% |
| Santa Clara | 229,814 | 18.32% |
| Sierra | 481 | 18.34% |
| Mono | 1,690 | 18.35% |
| San Luis Obispo | 41,615 | 19.03% |
| Riverside | 314,954 | 19.18% |
| Sutter | 12,769 | 19.54% |
| Tehama | 8,990 | 19.55% |
| Mendocino | 13,141 | 19.81% |
| Siskiyou | 6,889 | 19.84% |
| Santa Barbara | 59,540 | 19.97% |
| Modoc | 1,337 | 20.44% |
| Stanislaus | 73,906 | 20.54% |
| Imperial | 22,702 | 20.56% |
| San Bernardino | 302,836 | 20.61% |
| Madera | 19,808 | 20.95% |
| Fresno | 136,518 | 21.23% |
| Kern | 119,872 | 21.37% |
| Humboldt | 22,900 | 21.64% |
| Colusa | 2,848 | 21.66% |
| Sacramento | 241,203 | 21.72% |
| Del Norte | 4,153 | 22.01% |
| San Francisco | 147,744 | 22.76% |
| Yolo | 38,841 | 25.39% |
| Tulare | 74,134 | 25.74% |
| Kings | 22,112 | 25.97% |
| Yuba | 15,020 | 26.34% |
| Merced | 45,797 | 26.49% |
| Inyo | 3,894 | 26.79% |
| Lassen | 5,567 | 27.25% |
| Lake | 13,716 | 27.26% |
| San Joaquin | 144,348 | 28.17% |
| Glenn | 5,359 | 28.66% |
| Butte | 48,991 | 28.97% |
| Trinity | 5,897 | 45.07% |
Pragmatism over Politics
There are surprisingly many commonalities among these and other politically divergent counties around America. One of the most vital is engaged voters. It lays a groundwork for accountability and pragmatic community governance. Choosing pragmatism over blind political subservience always seems to deliver the best results almost wherever you look.
Placer County and Marin County remind us that there is much more that unites us than divides us. That's something worth celebrating and a reminder to stay engaged in your community, wherever you live.
Welcome to the brighter side!
