A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Anderson$2,000/mo

Typical home $339K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.77% · or rent about $962/mo · Housing →

Tehachapi$2,530/mo

Typical home $424K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $1,295/mo · Housing →

The difference: $530 a month, about $6,400 a year, between Tehachapi and Anderson.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Anderson places higher on 14 of 23 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

DAndersonSafer than 12% of U.S. towns C−TehachapiSafer than 17% of U.S. towns

Schools

CAndersonBetter than 33% of districts in the state B−TehachapiBetter than 48% of districts in the state

Health

C+AndersonHealthier than 35% of U.S. towns C+TehachapiHealthier than 37% of U.S. towns

14Anderson

9Tehachapi

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #414#53 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #110#790 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #802#420 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #291#574 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #75#362 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #512#272 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #397#602 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #325#224

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Anderson’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

AndersonTehachapi

Snow a year1″—

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th 90th

Outdoors & history

AndersonTehachapi

Trails14 mi 15 mi

Conserved land8.2%1.8%

Settled1956 1876

National Register places—2

Archive photos2 18

Famous people born here—4

Community

AndersonTehachapi

Library hours a week40 hrs 32 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

423 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AndersonCA TehachapiCA

Anderson ↔ Tehachapi423 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs California average

AndersonTehachapi

People

Population 11,255Lowest 11,946Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +14%Highest CA: +6.1% -10.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 37.9±1.8Lowest about the CA average 39.1±2.7Highest 3% above CA

Tehachapi and Anderson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 25.7%±3.8Highest CA: 22% 19.8%±3.6Lowest CA: 22%

Anderson and Tehachapi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 17.2%±2.9Highest CA: 15.7% 13.4%±2.8Lowest CA: 15.7%

Anderson and Tehachapi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.6%Highest CA: 37.1% 15.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.9%±1.7Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.2%±1.5Highest CA: 7.6%

Tehachapi and Anderson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $47,375±$7kLowest 52% below CA $72,957±$13kHighest 26% below CA

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $283,000±$15kLowest 61% below CA $355,500±$13kHighest 52% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $962±$130Lowest 53% below CA $1,295±$129Highest 36% below CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,186Lowest 57% below CA $3,074Highest 40% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 69.3%±7.9Highest CA: 55.3% 46.8%±9.7Lowest CA: 55.3%

Below poverty line 21.2%Highest CA: 12% 13.9%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.1%Lowest CA: 55.9% 58.5%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than CA 1982Highest 6 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 31% below CA 27 minHighest 6% below CA

Work from home 11.5%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2% 7.2%±3.5Lowest CA: 17.2%

Anderson and Tehachapi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 13.3%Lowest 21.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miLowest 37.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.01Lowest 1.36Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Redding (43%)Bakersfield (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TehachapiFew work in Anderson

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 8.2%Highest 1.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 13.9 miLowest 15.1 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miHighest 1.5 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 5Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 50.2Highest 35.2Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #265 of 574 in CA #252 of 574 in CA

School district Anderson Union High · Cascade Union ElementaryEPIC de Cesar Chavez District · Tehachapi Unified

High school in town Anderson HighTehachapi High

Students per teacherat that high school 22.6Highest 22.5Lowest

California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Anderson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Anderson’s Town Square.

Tehachapi neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tehachapi’s Town Square.

Add a town

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One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Anderson

+ Compare

Yreka7,820 people · $263K homes

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Susanville14,177 people · $236K homes

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Exeter10,258 people · $308K homes

+ Compare

Willows6,190 people · $282K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Anderson vs Tehachapi

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $530 more a month in Tehachapi

Anderson places higher on 14 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

423 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Anderson and Tehachapi

Towns like Anderson

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