Living in Independence, CA
Independence is a tiny town of 730 people in Inyo County, California. It's about 71 miles from Visalia, CA and 88 miles from Fresno, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 102°F and winter highs 58°F, with about 149 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $296k and rent runs about $1k a month.
730people
$296kTypical home
$1,203/moRent
102° / 58°Summer / winter
149"Snow
316Sunny days
26Rain/snow days
Is Independence right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 730
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 150 people per sq mi
- 88 mi to Fresno, CA
- 71 mi to Visalia, CA
- 64 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $296k (≈$1,866/mo)
- Median rent $1,203/mo
- Median household income $74k
- Property tax about 0.7% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 102°F
- Winter highs around 58°F
- Dry summers (dew point 32°F)
- 316 sunny days a year (176 totally clear)
- 49 cloudy days a year
- 23 of 90 winter days are gray
- 26 days a year with rain or snow
- 149" of snow a year
- 25 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 49 days a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- Above-average violent crime (523 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (640 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 55
- 16% of households have kids
- 29% are 65 or older
- 28% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 8% walk or take transit to work
- 38 mi to BIH airport
- 84 mi to FAT (major hub)
- 87 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 77% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1956
- 88% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Mountain country
- Elevation 3,881 ft
- 178 mi to the ocean
- 78 mi to a big lake
- 5 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 59 mi to the nearest ski area
- 2 mi to the nearest campground
- 1 golf course 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
- 5 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 80 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 32% of California districts (reading)
- 24 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 18 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 86 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 39 mi to the nearest vet
- 39 mi to the nearest dog park
- 5 congregations per 10k people
- 28 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Inyo County: R+3 in 2024
- California: D+20 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk