2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Lake Forest, CA vs Altoona, PA

#2 Most Comfortable Summer Cities

#2 Top 10 Cities to Beat the Heat

#43 Best Cities for Board Gamers

#47 Gloomiest Places in America

#50 America's Top Hygge Cities

#11 Most Secure Places to Live 2011 (Small Towns)

#22 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Smallest Metro Areas)

#70 America's Most (and Least) Stressful Cities (117 Smallest Metro Areas)

#112 2005 Best Places to Live

#158 Best Green Cities

I've lived in Lake Forest for over a decade, before that elsewhere in OC and also up in LA. Lake Forest isn't perfect but it's really improved over the past decade,  More

As a retired senior who has lived in Lake Forest (formerly El Toro) since 1977 I think LF is a great place if you can afford it. When we moved here in June '77 homes  More

I’ve lived here for 2 years. Ok, it’s more like a 4 but there are so many idiots downplaying what it’s like here and giving Lake Forest ones and twos. There are a lot of  More

Sun rises and sets over 2000+ ft. mountains, which does seem to shorten your summer days. It gets hot and humid in the summer, with not a lot of wind or airflow,  More

Though the climate in Altoona is cold in the Winter, it does often get less snow than Western Pennsylvania because of the Allegheny Front mountain range just to the west  More

I grew up in Hollidaysburg near Altoona. The city has had its ups and downs throughout the years but all in all I think that central PA has the most beautiful scenery  More