FAMILY BOOK FINDS VALENCIA FABULOUS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

Pink plum tree blossoms created a canopy for Kelly Irwin as she pushed a stroller Tuesday along Valencia's signature paseo system.

Six-month-old Max took it all in, quite oblivious to news that his family's new home town ranked in a new book listing the nation's 50 top places to raise a family. His mom though was pleased, certain now that she and her husband had chosen wisely when transferring late last year from the East Coast.

``My husband's company transferred him to Glendale,'' Irwin said. ``We were kind of shaky when we had to decide whether to move to L.A., but someone told us about Valencia and we came up here and fell in love.''

For the second time Valencia and the surrounding communities were included in Melissa Giovagnoli's ``50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family.'' Published by Career Press of New Jersey, the 358-page paperback is designed for people across the nation who want to move, or perhaps have to move, and are looking for ideas.

The author didn't necessarily visit the 50 top spots, but collected information from chambers of commerce, city governments, relocation experts, real estate agents and major employers, said Steve Capoccia, a publicist for Career.

``It's a fun book to read to learn about places you might never have heard of,'' Capoccia said.

Two other California cities were named in the top 50 - Sacramento and Vista, near San Diego.

Valencia's low crime rate, choice homes, good schools, great climate, reasonable commute to Los Angeles and recreational opportunities are strong attributes, according to the book. It also cited housing prices, employment, tax rates and information on medical and child care.

Of particular interest to the author was Valencia's master-planned concept, the paseos, the parks, trails and commerce center.

At some points, however, the author uses Valencia and Santa Clarita interchangeably, noting that Sand Canyon (Canyon Country) is one of the community's best neighborhoods and listing the local movie theaters as top spots for concerts and plays.

``You can argue about their methodology and even some of their facts, but if you're consistently coming out on top it's a good thing. It's good for business,'' said Mike Haviland, Santa Clarita's marketing and economic development director.

The designation, Haviland noted, will be used in the city's self-promotions to attract commerce.

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Photo: The winding paseos found in Valencia are mentioned in ``50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family.''

Tom Mendoza/Daily News