IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Ridgecrest, CA
Ridgecrest is a small city of 28,225 people in Kern County, California. It's about 80 miles from Bakersfield, CA and 118 miles from Riverside, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 104°F and winter highs 60°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $254k and rent runs about $1k a month.
28,225people
$254kTypical home
$1,186/moRent
104° / 60°Summer / winter
1"Snow
336Sunny days
22Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small city of 28,225
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 1,353 people per sq mi
- 118 mi to Riverside, CA
- 80 mi to Bakersfield, CA
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $254k (≈$1,601/mo)
- Median rent $1,186/mo
- Median household income $89k
- Property tax about 1.0% of value
- 8.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 104°F
- Winter highs around 60°F
- Dry summers (dew point 36°F)
- 336 sunny days a year (234 totally clear)
- 29 cloudy days a year
- 16 of 90 winter days are gray
- 22 days a year with rain or snow
- Basically no snow
- Snow days are rare
- 78 days a year over 100°F
- Rarely drops below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Above-average violent crime (564 per 100k)
- Low property crime (903 per 100k)
People
- Median age 33
- 32% of households have kids
- 12% are 65 or older
- 31% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 6% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 79 mi to BFL airport
- 106 mi to BUR (major hub)
- 78 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 73% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1981
- 93% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 2,297 ft
- 121 mi to the ocean
- 145 mi to a big lake
- 27 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 51 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 2 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 18 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 9 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 7 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- Farmers market in town
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 43% of California districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 3 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 105 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- Dog park in town
- 3 congregations per 10k people
- 72 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Kern 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
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk