10 California's Sierra Nevada Towns Perfect For A Fresh Start
In Lake Isabella, beside a big reservoir in the southern Sierra, the typical home is worth about $133,000. That is a fraction of what homes cost across most of California, according to the Census Bureau. Small foothill and mountain towns like it still offer homes well below the state median. A hospital nearby, steady work, and traditions that welcome newcomers come with them. So do granite peaks, clear lakes, and Gold Rush history.
Loyalton
Sandhill cranes and pelicans arrive each spring in the Sierra Valley, a wide, grassy basin that ranks among the largest high mountain valleys in the range. Loyalton, Sierra County's only incorporated city, sits on its edge, surrounded by cattle ranches and snowcapped peaks. Homes here have a median value of about $192,000, roughly a quarter of the state figure. Eastern Plumas Health Care keeps a campus in town, while bigger job markets lie over the mountains. For a closer look at the birdlife, the Sierra Valley Preserve protects some of the best wetland habitat in the region.
Colfax
The Amtrak California Zephyr still stops at the historic depot in Colfax, a reminder that this Placer County foothill town was built by the railroad. Just outside town, the North Fork of the American River cuts a deep canyon through the hills. Nearby Rollins Lake draws boaters, anglers, and campers to its pine-lined shore. With a median home value of about $434,000, Colfax sits well below the state median. Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital is about a 15-minute drive away, and the larger job market of the foothill communities is close by.
Placerville
At Gold Bug Park, visitors can walk straight into a real hard-rock gold mine, a fitting introduction to Placerville, one of the best-known Gold Rush towns in the foothills. The El Dorado County seat has a lively Main Street gathered around its historic Bell Tower. Each fall, the orchards of Apple Hill, just east of town, fill with visitors hunting for fresh cider and apple pie. Marshall Medical Center, the county's main hospital, is right in town, and county government offices are major employers. Homes here are the priciest on this list, with a median value of about $473,000, but that is still well under the state median.
Jackson
Old Route 49 runs straight through downtown Jackson, past balconied buildings from the town's mining days. The Kennedy Gold Mine, one of the deepest gold mines in the world, offers guided tours, and Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park preserves the giant wooden wheels that once carried mine waste over the hills. As the seat of Amador County, Jackson has a steady base of jobs in county offices and healthcare, plus a large casino resort nearby. Sutter Amador Hospital is in town, and the median home value is about $443,000. On weekends, the wineries of the Shenandoah Valley are a short drive north.
San Andreas
The stagecoach robber Black Bart was held in a jail cell in San Andreas before his trial, and that cell is still on display at the Calaveras County Museum inside the old courthouse. Today the small Gold Rush town is the seat of Calaveras County, and government offices supply many of its steady jobs. Mark Twain Medical Center, the county's hospital, is in town as well. A home here has a median value of about $420,000. A few miles west, New Hogan Lake offers fishing, boating, and camping.
Columbia
Stagecoaches still roll down the car-free streets of Columbia, one of the best-preserved Gold Rush towns in California and now protected as Columbia State Historic Park. Gold panning and live performances at the Fallon House Theatre give newcomers plenty of ways to meet the community. Columbia College offers degrees and job training right in town, and Adventist Health Sonora is about 10 minutes away. The median home value in this Tuolumne County community is about $376,000.
Mariposa
On the road to Yosemite National Park, Mariposa is the last Gold Rush town before the mountains take over. Its courthouse, built in 1854, is still in use, and the Mariposa Museum and History Center tells the story of the area's miners and Native people. Tourism and park-related work keep many residents employed, and John C. Fremont Healthcare District runs a small hospital in town. At about $271,000, the median home value is less than half the state median. The Mariposa Creek Parkway offers an easy walk through the heart of town.
Lake Isabella
No town on this list is cheaper than Lake Isabella, where the median home value is about $133,000, less than a fifth of the state figure. The community sits beside its namesake reservoir in the Kern River Valley, a large lake popular for boating and fishing. The Kern River, which flows through nearby Kernville, is famous for whitewater rafting. Kern Valley Healthcare District runs a hospital in town, and the surrounding Sequoia National Forest offers hiking, camping, and giant sequoia groves.
Lone Pine
The boulder-strewn Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine have starred in hundreds of Western films, a history celebrated at the Museum of Western Film History and the Lone Pine Film Festival each fall. Above it all rises Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States, and hikers can follow Whitney Portal Road from town into the mountains. Southern Inyo Hospital provides care in this Owens Valley town, where the median home value is about $217,000.
Bishop
Each Memorial Day weekend, Mule Days fills Bishop with parades and rodeo events, a fitting party for the largest town in the Eastern Sierra. Climbers from around the world come for the nearby Buttermilks, and the Laws Railroad Museum preserves a historic depot and railroad village just north of town. Local government, outdoor recreation, and water and power utilities provide many jobs, and Northern Inyo Hospital provides care. Homes have a median value of about $386,000, about half the state figure.
Starting Over In The Sierra
These 10 towns prove that a fresh start in California does not have to mean a big-city price tag. Each pairs homes well below the state median with healthcare nearby and real work. Mountains, lakes, and history sit right outside the door. Before you move, visit in winter as well as summer and check internet options and job openings. Homeowners and wildfire insurance can vary widely in the mountains, so look into both.
