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Compare towns

Cotati vs Highgrove

424 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+84 pts in Highgrove) and jobs per worker (3.4× in Cotati).

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Cotati, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 7,489 people
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Highgrove, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 8,366 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Cotati

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.

Cotati$4,250/mo
Typical home $726K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $2,056/mo · Housing →
Highgrove$3,840/mo
Typical home $626K (Census) · tax rate 1.08% · or rent about $1,463/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Cotati and Highgrove.

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.

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
CotatiHighgrove
Snow a year0″0″
January low39°F43°F
July high81°F95°F
Growing season (days)271d353d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)94th99th
Outdoors & history
CotatiHighgrove
Trails3 mi4 mi
Conserved land3.5%14.5%
Settled19631886
Archive photos3—
Famous people born here2—
Community
CotatiHighgrove
Library hours a week—34 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

424 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Cotati ↔ Highgrove424 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.

CotatiHighgrove
People
Population 7,489Lowest 8,366Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +88.4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 38.5±2.6Highest about the CA average 30.9±3.4Lowest 18% below CA
Kids under 18 16.2%±3.6Lowest CA: 22% 30.6%±4Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 16%±3.8Highest CA: 15.7% 6.1%±1.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 37.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.7%±2.4Highest CA: 7.6% 7.2%±2.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cotati and Highgrove are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $110,750±$19kLowest 12% above CA $114,125±$36kHighest 15% above CA
Highgrove and Cotati are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $746,800±$49kHighest about the CA average $625,800±$48kLowest 15% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,056±$266Highest about the CA average $1,463±$283Lowest 28% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,514Lowest 8% above CA $6,748Highest 32% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.3%±8.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 58.9%±21.4Highest CA: 55.3%
Highgrove and Cotati are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.2%Lowest CA: 12% 8.5%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 73.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than CA 2008Highest 32 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest about the CA average 31 minHighest 8% above CA
Work from home 15.2%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2% 6.9%±3.7Lowest CA: 17.2%
Cotati and Highgrove are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.5%Highest 1.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 14.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.79Highest 0.23Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Santa Rosa (17%)Riverside (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HighgroveFew work in Cotati
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.5%Lowest 14.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.3 miLowest 3.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 1.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 120Highest 91.8Lowest
Schools
School district Cotati-Rohnert Park UnifiedRiverside Unified
High school in town None in townNone in town
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.

Cotati neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cotati’s Town Square.

Highgrove neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Highgrove’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Cotati and Highgrove

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Bordering Cotati

Towns like Cotati

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.

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