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Big small town

Living in Big Bear Lake, CA

Big Bear Lake is a big small town of 5,041 people in San Bernardino County, California. It's about 35 miles from Riverside, CA. Summer highs average 79°F and winter highs 46°F, with about 58 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $577k and rent runs about $1k a month.

5,041people
$577kTypical home
$1,454/moRent
79° / 46°Summer / winter
58"Snow
337Sunny days
43Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 5,041
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 806 people per sq mi
  • 35 mi to Riverside, CA
  • 35 mi to Riverside, CA
  • 6 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $577k (≈$3,637/mo)
  • Median rent $1,454/mo
  • Median household income $76k
  • Property tax about 0.7% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 79°F
  • Winter highs around 46°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 42°F)
  • 337 sunny days a year (238 totally clear)
  • 28 cloudy days a year
  • 15 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 43 days a year with rain or snow
  • 58" of snow a year
  • 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 5 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Above-average violent crime (449 per 100k), county-wide
  • About average property crime (1,519 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 47
  • 19% of households have kids
  • 21% are 65 or older
  • 33% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 6% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 26 min
  • 5% walk or take transit to work
  • 22 mi to SBD airport
  • 22 mi to SBD (major hub)
  • 31 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 88% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1976
  • 96% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Mountain country
  • Elevation 6,890 ft
  • 70 mi to the ocean
  • 70 mi to a big lake
  • 6 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • Ski area in town
  • Campground in town
  • 15 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 374 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 9 bars within 25 mi
  • 146 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 5 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 22 museums within 25 mi
  • 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 49% of California districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 3 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 24 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 2 mi to the nearest vet
  • Dog park in town
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 20 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • San Bernardino County: Purple — split almost evenly
  • 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
  • Very low winter storm risk
  • High heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Big Bear Lake

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