Irvine 2025

What does success look like for a modern American city? In 2025, Irvine once again showed the way. With top spots in national rankings for health and livability, continued excellence in public schools, thriving local innovation and expanded health care facilities as well as the celebration of major anniversaries for beloved institutions, the city had bragging rights galore.

INNOVATION
Becoming a national hub
Irvine continued its progress toward becoming a national innovation hub with blockbuster gaming firms – Blizzard Entertainment, Sega of America and Dreamhaven – and cutting-edge, lifesaving devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Allergan and more. Earlier this year, local leaders vowed to take that success to the next level. In a comprehensive report, the city of Irvine and Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce outlined ways to take advantage of the city’s strengths, suggesting paths to create more than 21,000 jobs and more than $125 million in new municipal revenue by 2030. “We’re ready to write the next chapter in Irvine’s business story,” says Dave Coffaro, president and CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce.

HEALTH CARE
World-class facilities make their debut
Irvine residents already benefit from one of the nation’s most advanced health care systems, but about $4 billion in recent investments in facilities promise further improvements. In December, UCI Health will open its new, all-electric, 144-bed hospital with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking San Joaquin Marsh. Also in December, City of Hope Orange County will open its first specialty cancer hospital – a six-story, 73-bed facility giving patients access to more than 600 specialized physicians and more than 700 focused clinical trials each year.

And Hoag’s Sun Family Campus will complete and open its expanded campus in 2026, which will more than double the number of patient beds, with six new buildings, 11 operating rooms, 120,000 square feet of ambulatory facilities and the county’s first 24-hour cancer urgent care.

OPEN SPACE
A national model for parks
In May, the Trust for Public Land ranked Irvine second nationally and first in California in the 2025 ParkScore Index. This marks the 10th consecutive year Irvine has placed in TPL’s national top 10. The city scores high on acreage, access, investment, amenities and equity. More than 9 out of 10 residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, and the city maintains robust per capita investment in parks and recreation. Financial investments were key, and Irvine’s were higher than ever, due, in part, to continued progress on Great Park. The city’s per capita annual investment in parks is now up to $681, among the highest outlay in the nation.

EDUCATION
Schools and teachers awarded for excellence
In August, U.S. News & World Report ranked Irvine’s public high schools within the top 5% of high schools in the state. For the 14th consecutive year, the NAMM Foundation counted Irvine among the best communities for music education.

Exceptional praise came for teachers, too. Kristie Donavan, a math teacher at Woodbridge High, won a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching – one of the top honors nationwide for STEM teachers. “This award inspires me to continue to advocate for high-quality mathematics education for all students and validates my beliefs in productive struggle, mathematical discourse and student-centered learning,” Donavan says.

At the collegiate level, UC Irvine ranked 32nd overall in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, its highest mark ever on the list. It is ninth among public universities in the 2025-26 list, among the top 10 for the 11th year in a row. The university was also ranked among the top 5 best-value public universities by Princeton Review and a top 10 public university by Forbes. All the acclaim made it easy to see how the Brilliant Future fundraising campaign surpassed its $2 billion goal and raised $2.4 billion.

LIVABILITY
Lifestyle kudos from all around
Readers of the Orange County Register voted Irvine the “Best City to Live In” for the 10th consecutive year. WalletHub named Irvine America’s fourth-best city for raising a family, citing its strong schools, safety and abundance of parks. In WalletHub’s “Happiest Cities” ranking, Irvine reached No. 3 and the top spot in Southern California. More than 88% of residents reported “good or better” health, among the highest nationwide.

For renters, Irvine ranked No. 1 in the area for livability and overall satisfaction – proof that thoughtful planning makes a difference.

DINING
Steaks, stew, shakes and service lure many
Mastro’s Ocean Club brings its swoon-worthy seafood and steaks and renowned service to Irvine Spectrum Center. Start with a seafood tower, end with the warm butter cake. Live music in the bar is fabulous, too.

Praised by The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, So Gong Dong Tofu, aka SGD, debuted at Los Olivos Marketplace. The menu stars the Korean silky tofu stew soondubu jjigae and barbecue-style beef short ribs.

The city now boasts two Shake Shacks, the newest at The Market Place. Fans flock for the global brand’s Angus beef burgers, crinkle-cut fries, hand-spun shakes and house-made lemonades.

GREEN ENERGY
Rivian takes off in EV industry
The EV industry at large is facing headwinds, but Irvine’s Rivian seems like an exception. Last year, the company secured a $5.8 billion investment through a joint venture with Volkswagen. This year, Rivian opened a showroom at Irvine Spectrum Center where visitors can check out models and merchandise as well as reserve the long-awaited R2, a midsized, more affordable SUV to be delivered in 2026. “We’ve been through a lot of twists and turns since I founded the company in 2009, but I’m happy to say we’re really starting to gain some traction,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says.

SPORTS
High school champions abound this year
Boys tennis teams did well this year, with University High School’s team earning its second straight state championship and fourth CIF Open Division title in a row, and Woodbridge High’s team capturing the CIF Division 1 championship. The Trojans finished the season with a 29-1 record behind strong play from Rishvanth Krishna, whose victory in the finals secured the state title. The Warriors finished 21-7 and were led by Brady Tallakson, who was undefeated in postseason play.

Woodbridge boys golfers were also CIF winners, taking the Division 4 title with a score of 373 in the tournament, even with no seniors on the team.

Excellence at Woodbridge continued in the fall as the boys cross country team won the OC Championships for the first time in school history. Junior Aidan Antonio broke a course record to become the third fastest runner of the 3-mile course in OC history and the fastest 3-miler in the state this season.