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%

Durham$3,460/mo

Typical home $601K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · or rent about $1,105/mo · Housing →

Solvang$8,300/mo

Typical home $1.42M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $1,666/mo · Housing →

The difference: $4,840 a month, about $58,100 a year, between Solvang and Durham.

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

Solvang places higher on 12 of 20 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

–DurhamNot graded B+SolvangSafer than 69% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+DurhamBetter than 65% of districts in the state A−SolvangBetter than 83% of districts in the state

Health

B+DurhamHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns A−SolvangHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns

7Durham

12Solvang

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #762#184 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #616#188 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #838#381 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #46#501 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #456#150 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #353#84 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #384#657 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #424#158

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Durham’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

DurhamSolvang

Snow a year0″—

January low38°F —

July high94°F —

Growing season (days)279d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th 93rd

Outdoors & history

DurhamSolvang

Trails25 mi 4 mi

Conserved land2.3%6.4%

Settled—1911

National Register places2 1

Archive photos7 18

Famous people born here2 3

Community

DurhamSolvang

Library hours a week21 hrs 38 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

360 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DurhamCA SolvangCA

Durham ↔ Solvang360 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

DurhamSolvang

People

Population 5,340Lowest 6,034Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5.7%Lowest CA: +6.1% +16.8%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 50.8±6Lowest 34% above CA 54.2±3.9Highest 43% above CA

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

Kids under 18 18.1%±3.9Highest CA: 22% 13.4%±3.7Lowest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 27.4%±3.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 33.4%±5.8Highest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 40.4%Highest CA: 37.1% 38.2%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.2%±6.2Highest CA: 7.6% 8.1%±2.8Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $95,417±$29kLowest 4% below CA $109,091±$18kHighest 10% above CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $700,100±$127kLowest 5% below CA $949,600±$93kHighest 29% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,105±$82Lowest 46% below CA $1,666±$199Highest 18% below CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,304Lowest 16% below CA $6,987Highest 36% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.1%±29.7Highest CA: 55.3% 42.9%±11.2Lowest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 10.2%Lowest CA: 12% 11.3%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 70.9%Highest CA: 55.9% 57%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest same as CA 1982Highest 6 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 37% below CA 29 minHighest about the CA average

Work from home 16.8%±9Highest CA: 17.2% 15.8%±4.4Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 12.2%Lowest 20.5%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 21.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.00Lowest 1.09Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Chico (39%)Santa Barbara (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SolvangFew work in Durham

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Lowest 6.4%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 24.6 miHighest 4.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 1.8 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.5Lowest 77.4Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #151 of 574 in CA #91 of 574 in CA

School district Durham UnifiedSolvang Elementary

High school in town Durham HighNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 16.4 —

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.

Durham neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Durham’s Town Square.

Solvang neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Solvang’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Durham and Solvang

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

Bordering Durham

+ Compare

Chico102,188 people · $468K homes

Towns like Durham

+ Compare

Big Bear Lake5,041 people · $577K homes

+ Compare

Morro Bay10,692 people · $918K homes

+ Compare

Ojai7,577 people · $1.02M homes

+ Compare

Bishop3,778 people · $386K 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.

Durham vs Solvang

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $4,840 more a month in Solvang

Solvang places higher on 12 of 20 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

360 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Durham and Solvang

Bordering Durham

Towns like Durham

Post to Durham

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