12 Northern California Towns Perfect For A Fresh Start

In Alturas, the typical home is worth about $170,000, less than a quarter of the California median. Statewide, that figure tops $730,000, according to the Census Bureau, a price that puts a fresh start out of reach for many. Northern California's mountains and farm valleys hold plenty of towns like Alturas. Homes there sell well under the state median, and hospitals and steady jobs are close by. Each pairs that affordability with volcanic peaks, clear lakes, or redwood forests.

Mount Shasta

The town of Mount Shasta sits at the foot of its namesake volcano, Mount Shasta, a snowcapped giant that rises more than 14,000 feet above the surrounding forests. Homes here have a median value of about $330,000, less than half the state figure. Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta provides hospital care, and College of the Siskiyous in nearby Weed offers classes and job training. In the town's City Park, the Sacramento River bubbles up from a cold, clear spring, and Lake Siskiyou, just outside town, is a favorite spot for swimming, paddling, and camping with the mountain towering above.

Alturas

Alturas, in the far northeastern corner of the state, has the lowest median home value on this list, at about $170,000, less than a quarter of the California median. As the seat of Modoc County, it is home to government offices and Modoc Medical Center, the area's hospital. Life here moves at the pace of ranch country, with wide valleys and the Warner Mountains rising to the east. The Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, at the edge of town, draws migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes, and the surrounding high desert offers some of the darkest night skies in California.

Burney

Burney, an old timber town in the forests of eastern Shasta County, sits near one of the most famous waterfalls in California. At McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, a curtain of water at Burney Falls pours over a 129-foot cliff, fed by springs that keep it flowing year-round. Homes in Burney have a median value of about $234,000. Mayers Memorial Hospital, in nearby Fall River Mills, provides healthcare, and the Pacific Crest Trail passes right through the area. The surrounding Hat Creek and Fall River country is known for world-class trout fishing.

Shasta Lake

The city of Shasta Lake grew up around the construction of Shasta Dam in the 1930s and 1940s, and today it sits just below Shasta Lake, California's largest reservoir. Its median home value of about $294,000 is well under half the state median. The city is a short drive from Redding, the region's largest city, with its major hospitals and job centers. On weekends, residents head to the lake for houseboating, fishing, and swimming, or tour the massive dam itself.

Quincy

Quincy, the seat of Plumas County, sits in a forested valley in the northern Sierra Nevada. Homes have a median value of about $300,000, and the town has strong roots for a community of its size. Plumas District Hospital provides care, and Feather River College offers degrees and job training. Each July, the town hosts the High Sierra Music Festival at the county fairgrounds, and nearby Bucks Lake is a peaceful spot for boating and fishing in the summer.

Chester

Chester sits on the north shore of Lake Almanor, a large mountain reservoir with views of Lassen Peak rising beyond the water. The median home value is about $305,000. Seneca Healthcare District provides hospital care in town, and Lassen Volcanic National Park, with its boiling mud pots and volcanic peaks, is a short drive away. In summer, the lake fills with boats and kayaks, while winter brings cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the surrounding forests.

Portola

Portola is a small railroad town along the Middle Fork of the Feather River, with a median home value of about $231,000, among the lowest on this list. Eastern Plumas Health Care provides hospital care. The town's best-known attraction is the Western Pacific Railroad Museum, where visitors can climb aboard historic locomotives and even sign up to run one. Lake Davis, just north of town, is a quiet mountain lake for fishing and camping, and the Lakes Basin area to the south offers dozens of small alpine lakes and trails.

Clearlake

Clearlake, on the southeastern shore of Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake entirely within California, has a median home value of about $214,000, less than a third of the state figure. Adventist Health Clear Lake provides hospital care in town. The lake is known for its bass fishing, and Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, at the edge of town, protects wetlands, oak woodlands, and sites of the Pomo people, who have lived around the lake for thousands of years. Lake County's growing wine industry adds jobs and weekend tasting rooms nearby.

Willits

Willits, in the heart of Mendocino County, calls itself the "Gateway to the Redwoods," and it has a small-town main street lined with shops and a classic movie theater. Homes have a median value of about $371,000. Adventist Health Howard Memorial provides hospital care, and the town's Frontier Days and Rodeo, held each summer, is one of the longest-running rodeos in California. The historic Skunk Train runs through the redwood forest from Willits toward the coast, making a scenic day trip right from town.

Fortuna

Fortuna sits along the Eel River in Humboldt County, in a green valley of dairy farms and redwood forest. The median home value is about $380,000, roughly half the state level. Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital provides care in town, and the larger job market of the Eureka area is a short drive north. The famous Avenue of the Giants, a scenic road through towering old-growth redwoods, begins a short drive south, and it passes through some of the state parks with redwoods. The town's long-running rodeo brings the community together each summer.

Grass Valley

Grass Valley, a Gold Rush town in the Sierra Nevada foothills, has the highest median home value on this list at about $482,000, but that is still well below the California median. Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital provides care, and the town has a lively historic downtown with theaters, shops, and restaurants. Empire Mine State Historic Park, one of the richest gold mines in California's history, sits at the edge of town, and the clear swimming holes of the South Yuba River are a short drive away. The Nevada County Fair brings the whole community together each August.

Sonora

Sonora, the seat of Tuolumne County, is a historic Gold Rush town with a lively main street of Victorian buildings, antique shops, and restaurants. Homes have a median value of about $422,000. Adventist Health Sonora is the area's main hospital and a major employer, and Columbia College, just north of town, offers classes and job training. Yosemite National Park is about an hour's drive away, and nearby Columbia State Historic Park preserves an entire Gold Rush town where stagecoaches still roll down car-free streets.

Starting Over In Northern California

These 12 towns prove that a new chapter in California does not have to come with a big-city price tag. Each one pairs homes well below the state median with a hospital nearby, real jobs or training, and the kind of scenery that makes it easy to stay. Before you move, visit in winter as well as summer, check internet options and job openings, and look into homeowners and wildfire insurance, which can vary widely in rural Northern California.