Living in Bear Valley, CA
Bear Valley is a tiny town of 214 people in Mariposa County, California. It's about 26 miles from Merced, CA and 58 miles from Fresno, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 91°F and winter highs 56°F, with about 2 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $486k and rent runs about $1k a month.
214people
$486kTypical home
$1,305/moRent
91° / 56°Summer / winter
2"Snow
304Sunny days
58Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 214
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 88 people per sq mi
- 58 mi to Fresno, CA
- 26 mi to Merced, CA
- 26 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $486k (≈$3,067/mo)
- Median rent $1,305/mo
- Median household income $68k
- Property tax about 0.5% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 91°F
- Winter highs around 56°F
- Dry summers (dew point 40°F)
- 304 sunny days a year (201 totally clear)
- 61 cloudy days a year
- 32 of 90 winter days are gray
- 58 days a year with rain or snow
- 2" of snow a year
- Snow days are rare
- 2 days a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Very low violent crime (145 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (570 per 100k)
People
- Median age 54
- 27% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 25% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 28 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 29 mi to MCE airport
- 60 mi to FAT (major hub)
- 26 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 81% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1975
- 92% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 2,356 ft
- 77 mi to the ocean
- 46 mi to a big lake
- 18 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 26 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 3 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 61 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 8 bars within 25 mi
- 24 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 8 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 19 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 50% of California districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 10 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 53 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 19 mi to the nearest vet
- 20 mi to the nearest dog park
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 21 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Mariposa County: R+21 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
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate 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.