Great Rural Towns in California to Retire or Buy a Home.

Want to find a rural California town to get a mortgage? Who doesn’t right? Today we are looking at great rural towns in California.

A couple of things about rural California towns, they rarely have jobs so you have to bring one or do not need one, and solar panels for your house are always a good idea in California. All utilities are high in the golden state: natural gas, water, and especially electricity.
With the towns in this video, we are looking for that sweet spot. A decent place to live that isn’t too close to any major cities, easy on the crime rate, not 5 hours away from a hospital or so far out they have horrible internet. Those things knocked a lot of small towns off this list.
In the last video, I explained that not all states have 10 good rural towns and I don’t want to waste your time with some places that are a reach and shouldn’t be on the list. Got it? Get it? Good.

Best Small towns in California

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Mailing Address: World According to Briggs
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Aloha, Oregon 97003

[jnahnet]

One thing to be aware of in rural California, especially in the foothills and mountains, getting homeowners insurance is next to impossible if you are in a high wildfire area. Entire counties have had their homeowners insurance either cancelled or non-renewed. The California Fair Plan which is an option of last resort, averages $4000.00 a year and only covers fire, an additional liability wrap around policy will set one back $800.00 to $1500.00. For many retirees this is a deal breaker.

[craig]

I relocated from San Diego to Portola in Plumas County. The house was cheap BUT food and utilities are expensive. Im “close” to Quincy, Truckee and Reno. We have a full service hospital with trauma center. They fly you to Truckee or Reno for definitive care so that’s important. We have fiber interwebs from Plumas Sierra Telecommunications that costs $99/mo. The scenery is gorgeous. It’s silent. It’s a dark night sky. Occasionally there will be 3 feet of snow dumped in a single night that you have to dig out of. It’s a lovely community and I hope to stay here until I die.

[susankwasny]

I live in Cambria and yes, water is our number 1 concern. Being as rain is scarce (approx 15 inches per year). And yes, we do have a water desal plant, for emergency use only. But that's being highly debated for need of building more homes. Which is also a sore spot with many of us locals. We are a small town and unincorporated, which means a lot of amenities are not here. We have Main street and Hwy. One, no franchised fast food joints, although there's plenty of restaurants. Big Sur is 35 miles north, lots of hiking and spectacular scenery, but closed when there are rain storms, which we're experiencing now. I've lived here over 30 years and have seen a lot of changes but still beautiful, still expensive and still small and rural.

[jc]

The climate in Humboldt is amazing. 100% Ferndale was a good pick.

[thegreatzman]

I spent 12 years in San Diego and 10 in Santa Cruz, California will always be my favorite place.

[sunniraefaulkner]

I was born in Redding and grew up in Weaverville and currently live in Crescent City and Smith River. Northern California is a great place to live.

[luingalls]

I wanted to "move away" without "moving away". Bought a log cabin near a lake in the woods in San Diego county. Love it - and I kept my job! Bought it for 475K a year ago - now worth almost 700K (got acres). Got that solar too.

[themingler]

I'm a born and raised 3rd generation Californian originally from Orange County (grew up in Yorba Linda, then moved to Anaheim, then to Seal Beach). SoCal has SO much to offer and a ton to do, but it comes with so many cons, particularly housing costs, traffic, and a ton of competition for jobs. When my wife and I finally decided to buy a home it was nearly impossible on our salary (I'm a teacher and she works at the front office of a school in my District). Average home prices over 800, 000 mean that you need a ton of money to put down. With rents sky high, it's hard to save - and even if you do find a home you have to be prepared to go way over asking to actually get it.

With that in mind, both of us decided to make the move together up to the Northern Central Valley. We ended up in Lodi, and then moved to Stockton. Houses range from high 200s - 500s I would say. My rent was $1000 less than SoCal and we were able to purchase a home within a year of being here. Yes there's crime, yes the summers are grueling, but we own property, I'm making more than my District in OC and overall we are happy.

We don't plan to stay forever though, our next move is actually to the Humboldt County area where housing is still cheap, nature is abundant, and the ocean is a few blocks away. Many are leaving CA, but there are still some beautiful gems out there if you are willing to look.

[Will]

My dad had a beach house in Cambria and I’ve visited the town so many times. It is GORGEOUS. It’s known as Pines by the Sea and the area, especially the drive up PCH is one of the most beautiful areas in the US. And it’s by Hearst Castle.

[tylersanti]

I’d strongly argue that Mount Shasta is easily a top 8 rural town in California. I grew up there and I’m so grateful that I did. If there’s a part 2… I’d include it 👌🏼

[melbaker]

One issue in Cambria is a constant water shortage. They only have one small river/creek to draw from, which has pretty much prevented the construction of new homes.

[dianajohnson]

Weaverville warning. California fires have been closing in on this town in recent years. There are few ways out of town so evacuations are not uncommon. Last one that got major attention was the Helena Fire. Most are not tended to by CalFire, but by local agencies.

[karencorbett]

Please continue making the series Briggs I love your videos and your sense of humor.

[keithvincenttucker]

This is the series I have been waiting for. Not really California, but rural towns, for sure, in all states.

[Kasd]

I’d suggest looking into Three Rivers, CA, a usual stop before going to Sequoia National Park. It’s very small and quaint, but absolutely gorgeous. The lake, scenery, and overall history of the town makes it an amazing place that I hope to settle down when I’m older as my fiancé and his family are originally from there. Yes, the home prices are very typical of CA prices, but plots of land are for sale for very reasonable prices and I’ve never had trouble with WiFi when I am there. There are medical centers nearby and it’s situated between Fresno and Bakersfield. A lot to do there, and aesthetically gorgeous!

[johnaltman]

I was raised on a farm in Chico, when it was a small town & have much experience in Ferndale, Fortuna, Weaverville, Arcata, Oroville, and Quincy. I could easily live in any of them and be very happy.
A hidden gem, where I now reside, is Paradise Ca. Despite the fire, it is absolutely beautiful here.
The population is around 4, 000 and growing, but there are few services-
There are; 2 bars, 3 grocery stores, 2 gas stations, 1 gym and lots of churches. Home prices are low.
Insurance isnt too bad and the weather is terrific at 1500 to 2500 ft. elevation.
For all but the basics, Chico and Oroville are a short drive away. Both have hospitals.
My view of the Feather River Canyon is spectacular.
I could never live in a city over 25, 000.

[Honeybadger_]

I’ve visited almost all of these small towns and can agree they’re all absolutely beautiful places to visit and vacation! As for living there, rural living is often over romanticized by folks living in big cities, which I totally understand. Speaking from personal experience, while rural living has certain benefits, there are often certain trade offs you have to be ok with. Unless you work remotely good paying jobs can be hard to find. Also better get used to planning long drives into town to pickup basic essentials groceries. Can’t just run down to the mall on a whim. If you want land, you have to maintain it or risk being another victim of the next wildfire.

[robertmitchell]

Murphys, Sonora, Sutter Creek are very nice Foothill towns. Should be on this list.

[seangawne]

This video is a great public service. I was seriously looking to move out of CA because of the high prices, but so many have moved to AZ that it's almost as expensive and if you haven't noticed it's too damn hot there. Then I watched this and realized some of the places I love to vacation could be my home - and after more research I'm now selling my OC house and moving to one of these towns. Never realized these beautiful places were so inexpensive. Yeah, there's a risk of fire, but we have that risk here, too.

[barryf]

Note that Truckee is one of the coldest towns in the state of California. The weird thing is it's one of the coldest towns in the U.S. between June and October. Winters are also cold because it's in a valley and the cold air flows downward from the surrounding mountains to the Truckee area. It's at Donner pass and has an elevation of about 5, 800 ft. It's essentially a bedroom community for North Lake Tahoe snow skiers.