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Big small town

Living in Grass Valley, CA

Grass Valley is a big small town of 14,113 people in Nevada County, California. It's about 32 miles from Yuba City, CA and 50 miles from Sacramento, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 88°F and winter highs 53°F, with about 9 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $482k and rent runs about $1k a month.

14,113people
$482kTypical home
$1,458/moRent
88° / 53°Summer / winter
9"Snow
289Sunny days
82Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 14,113
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 2,354 people per sq mi
  • 50 mi to Sacramento, CA
  • 32 mi to Yuba City, CA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $482k (≈$3,041/mo)
  • Median rent $1,458/mo
  • Median household income $52k
  • Property tax about 0.7% of value
  • 7.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 88°F
  • Winter highs around 53°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
  • 82 days a year with rain or snow
  • 9" of snow a year
  • 3 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • 1 day a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • About average violent crime (385 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,444 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 50
  • 22% of households have kids
  • 32% are 65 or older
  • 33% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 18 min
  • 5% walk or take transit to work
  • 46 mi to SMF airport
  • 46 mi to SMF (major hub)
  • 10 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 54% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1978
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 2,451 ft
  • 82 mi to the ocean
  • 27 mi to a big lake
  • 10 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 36 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 12 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 168 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 19 bars within 25 mi
  • 59 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 14 museums within 25 mi
  • 8 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 20 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 42% of California districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 4 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 21 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • Dog park in town
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

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 Grass Valley

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