Report finds rare balance – one job for each Irvine resident

When Andrew Pellegrini moved to Irvine from Chicago four years ago, the main draw was a new high-level job at Edwards Lifesciences, a leader in Pellegrini’s chosen field of medtech.

Yet Pellegrini – who now lives in Westpark with his wife, Libby, and their three young children – soon became just as excited about other attractions of his new home.

“Being in Irvine was a huge, added bonus,” says Pellegrini, who is director of global health economics and reimbursement at Edwards. “Everything we looked into and heard about Irvine was incredible: the schools, the parks, the proximity to the ocean, the safety. It really checked all the boxes for us as a young family.”

A new report by the Orange County Business Council (OCBC) more broadly backs up these accolades, describing Irvine as the county’s “jobs hotspot,” with more than 311,000 jobs as of 2024. The report says Irvine “has attracted a lion’s share of families and workers due to its strong economy, quality of life and famously safe environment.”

The power of a plan

Irvine’s magnetic pull for jobs and world-class talent stems from its unique Master Plan, prepared by Irvine Company in the late 1960s and refined and expanded ever since, says Wallace Walrod, economic adviser for the OCBC and the main author of the new report.

The intentional design, including abundant parks and villages that offer a small-town feel within the large city, provides a quality of life that has won increasing national admiration.

In 2024, WalletHub ranked Irvine third out of 180 cities in the nation on its annual list of “Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family.” It also continually ranks Irvine high for its schools, health and public safety, noting low crime rates per capita. “This, combined with a low traffic-fatality rate, can help children stay safe,” according to WalletHub.

Irvine’s Master Plan is also geared to make the city’s high quality of life sustainable by ensuring a steady flow of tax revenue from healthy businesses to city services, such as police, libraries and parks.

Walrod says a good example of that thoughtful planning is UCI Research Park (UCIRP), a joint venture between UC Irvine and Irvine Company.

“The thinking was, we have this land available around the university, and we know that UCI is going to create intellectual property and new ideas for new companies,” he says. “So it was planned that the land would be an innovation hub. And that’s what it’s turned out to be. Just look at the companies located in UCIRP today: It’s an example of planning something very long term that has come to reality because the thought was there and the investment was there.”

UC Irvine is Orange County’s second-largest employer, with 26,072 jobs, behind Disney at 34,000.

Life in a botanical garden

Pellegrini initially chose Westpark for its proximity to Edwards – just a short drive along palm-tree-lined streets. He says he learned about Irvine’s Master Plan while researching the city before the family moved, and he appreciates the lifestyle it provides.

“When people visit us from all parts of the country, they’re like, ‘Wow, this is a unique place!’ ” he says. “As in, it’s obviously very thought-out and deliberate and very manicured and beautiful.

“The access to parks is second to none,” he adds. “Not only do we not have to stuff the kids into boots, jackets and gloves, we just walk outside our door and it’s so beautiful. It’s like living in a botanical garden.”