Sunny city with low crime, plentiful parks and booming job market now boasts America's hottest housing market

A California city boasting plentiful parks, low crime and a booming job market has become the hottest housing market in the US.

Irvine has seen its population soar in recent years, thanks to what many of its residents say is its superior standard of living.

Despite the city adding 35,000 new builds over the last 14 years, demand for housing continues to outpace supply. 

As a result, house prices have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent in the last year to a median of $1.56 million, the LA Times reports.

By comparison, the median house price for the US is significantly lower at $361,481. 

The city of Irvine boasts the hottest housing market in the US thanks to its plentiful parks, low crime and a booming job market

Irvine resident Kim Pohas revealed how made a $178,000 profit on her condo within a year of buying it. 

'It's like I flipped a house but I didn't do anything to it,' Pohas, 40, told the LA Times. 'It's brand new construction. I just lived there.' 

Since 2010, more than a third of the new homes built in California have shot up in Irvine.

A new residential development in Great Park, the site of a former Marine air base

However, its location as an employment hub for many companies means that even this is not enough to keep up with demand. 

The city has always been popular and began life as a series of villages developed around a new University of California campus in the 1960s.

Locals were drawn to the master-planned community in their droves, attracted by the plethora of recreational facilities and conveniently placed schools and stores.

Today Irvine is America's 63rd most populous city, attracting 13,000 new residents over the last three years.

Despite the city adding 35,000 new builds over the last 14 years, demand for housing continues to outpace supply

Despite the rapid population surge, it remains a relatively safe place to live.

Last year, FBI data revealed that Irvine was the safest city for violent crime in America for the 18th year in a row, according to officials.

However, Irvine is also the third least affordable city in the US according to a study by RealtyHop.

Families earning the average income in the Orange County city would need to spend 85 per cent on home costs.

As well as the mortgage, there are high property taxes and insurance.

This has led to some buyers being squeezed out of the market, particularly those looking to upgrade their homes and who find that the money they can get from their sales is not enough to cover a significant step up the property ladder.

Among them is Jonathan Sun, 37, who is hoping to upsize along with his wife and their two children but is finding their  $2.7-million budget can't get them much more than the 2,200 square feet they're in now..

'We could probably sell and move north or south in Orange County and get exactly what we want, but it's our choice to stay,' Sun said.

House prices have skyrocketed by more than 20 percent in the last year to a median of $1.56 million

Irvine's proximity to the beach and the addition of a shiny, new $2 billion mall still make it an attractive destination. 

The city was also determined to be the third best place to raise a family in the US in a study by Wallethub.

The research cited its low crime rate and highly-rated schools. 

'It's such a clean, safe city that still has room to add more housing and jobs,' said John Burns, chief executive of Irvine-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

 'Nothing else in Southern California is like that.'