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Big small town

Living in Alta Sierra, CA

Alta Sierra is a big small town of 7,361 people in Nevada County, California. It's about 32 miles from Yuba City, CA and 45 miles from Sacramento, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 91°F and winter highs 55°F, with about 9 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $564k and rent runs about $2k a month.

7,361people
$564kTypical home
$2,254/moRent
91° / 55°Summer / winter
9"Snow
289Sunny days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,361
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 885 people per sq mi
  • 45 mi to Sacramento, CA
  • 32 mi to Yuba City, CA
  • 7 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $564k (≈$3,555/mo)
  • Median rent $2,254/mo
  • Median household income $106k
  • Property tax about 0.8% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 91°F
  • Winter highs around 55°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 44°F)
  • 289 sunny days a year (188 totally clear)
  • 76 cloudy days a year
  • 37 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 9" of snow a year
  • 3 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • 4 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Low violent crime (295 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (667 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 55
  • 20% of households have kids
  • 29% are 65 or older
  • 39% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 30 min
  • 0% walk or take transit to work
  • 42 mi to SMF airport
  • 42 mi to SMF (major hub)
  • 6 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 97% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1983
  • 96% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 2,070 ft
  • 76 mi to the ocean
  • 33 mi to a big lake
  • 6 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 38 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 17 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 210 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 23 bars within 25 mi
  • 74 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 18 museums within 25 mi
  • 11 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 14 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 44% of California districts (reading)
  • 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 15 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 5 mi to the nearest vet
  • 6 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • 8 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Nevada County: D+12 in 2024
  • California: D+20 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • High wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • High drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Alta Sierra

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