Living in Bear Valley, CA
Bear Valley is a tiny town of 120 people in Alpine County, California. It's about 50 miles from Carson City, NV and 77 miles from Sacramento, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 73°F and winter highs 35°F, with about 73 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $530k.
120people
$530kTypical home
73° / 35°Summer / winter
73"Snow
288Sunny days
95Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 120
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 23 people per sq mi
- 77 mi to Sacramento, CA
- 50 mi to Carson City, NV
- 32 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $530k (≈$3,343/mo)
- Median household income $106k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 7.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 73°F
- Winter highs around 35°F
- Dry summers (dew point 34°F)
- 288 sunny days a year (179 totally clear)
- 77 cloudy days a year
- 35 of 90 winter days are gray
- 95 days a year with rain or snow
- 73" of snow a year
- 16 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 6 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Above-average violent crime (433 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (619 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 52
- 26% of households have kids
- 21% are 65 or older
- 49% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 8% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 29 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 59 mi to TKF airport
- 73 mi to RNO (major hub)
- 60 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 75% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1976
- 92% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Mountain country
- Elevation 7,451 ft
- 82 mi to the ocean
- 32 mi to a big lake
- Trailhead in town
- Ski area in town
- 2 mi to the nearest campground
- 2 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 7 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 3 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 45 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 31% of California districts (reading)
- 20 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 28 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 40 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 31 mi to the nearest vet
- 37 mi to the nearest dog park
- 36 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Alpine County: D+32 in 2024
- California: D+20 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- High wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.