Santa Clarita, officially the
City of Santa Clarita, is the third largest city in
Los Angeles County, California, and the eighteenth largest in the state of California. The city has annexed a number of unincorporated areas, contributing to the large population increase. It is located about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies most of the
Santa Clarita Valley. It is a notable example of a U.S.
edge city or
boomburb. Santa Clarita was ranked by
Money magazine in 2006 as 18th of the top 100 places to live.