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%

Freedom$4,350/mo

Typical home $755K (Census) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $1,621/mo · Housing →

Williams$2,220/mo

Typical home $382K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $1,184/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,130 a month, about $25,600 a year, between Freedom and Williams.

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

Freedom places higher on 12 of 18 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

–FreedomNot graded CWilliamsSafer than 34% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−FreedomBetter than 52% of districts in the state A−WilliamsBetter than 79% of districts in the state

Health

BFreedomHealthier than 61% of U.S. towns C+WilliamsHealthier than 45% of U.S. towns

12Freedom

6Williams

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #552#12 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #319#680 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #507#165 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #439#155 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #582#311 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #387#633 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #501#723 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #49#255

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

FreedomWilliams

Snow a year0″0″

January low40°F 38°F

July high71°F 92°F

Growing season (days)324d 293d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)97th 76th

Outdoors & history

FreedomWilliams

Trails0 mi 1 mi

Conserved land7.2%0.8%

Settled—1920

Archive photos2 12

Famous people born here—1

Community

FreedomWilliams

Library hours a week—24 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

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

154 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

FreedomCA WilliamsCA

Freedom ↔ Williams154 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

FreedomWilliams

People

Population 3,172Lowest 5,585Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +24.9%Highest CA: +6.1% +8.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 32.1±3.9Highest 15% below CA 30.4±2.2Lowest 20% below CA

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

Kids under 18 30.1%±6.7Lowest CA: 22% 30.6%±5.5Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 14.3%±2.2Highest CA: 15.7% 9.7%±3Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.8%Highest CA: 37.1% 14.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.2%±3Highest CA: 7.6% 4.4%±2.1Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $93,750±$41kHighest 5% below CA $90,761±$22kLowest 8% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $755,300±$83kHighest about the CA average $370,000±$19kLowest 50% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,621±$209Highest 20% below CA $1,184±$326Lowest 42% below CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,656Highest 9% below CA $2,544Lowest 50% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 35.8%±16.1Lowest CA: 55.3% 48.8%±20.6Highest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 7.3%Lowest CA: 12% 9.3%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 56.6%Highest CA: 55.9% 53.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1965Lowest 11 yrs older than CA 1998Highest 22 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 7% above CA 26 minLowest 9% below CA

Work from home 5.4%±3.4Highest CA: 17.2% 2%±2.1Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 1.2%Lowest 17.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 27.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.22Lowest 0.65Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Watsonville (19%)Colusa (7%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WilliamsFew work in Freedom

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.2%Highest 0.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 1.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 40.8Highest 32.1Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#149 of 574 in CA

School district Pajaro Valley Unified · Santa Cruz County Office of EducationWilliams Unified · Colusa County Office of Education

High school in town Santa Cruz County Career Advancement CharterWilliams Junior/Senior High

Students per teacherat that high school 27.2Highest 20.3Lowest

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.

Freedom neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Freedom’s Town Square.

Williams neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Williams can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Freedom and Williams

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

Bordering Freedom

+ Compare

Watsonville51,712 people · $686K homes

+ Compare

Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley2,127 people · $1.19M homes

+ Compare

Amesti2,818 people · $879K homes

Towns like Freedom

+ Compare

Wheatland3,876 people · $429K homes

+ Compare

Colfax2,407 people · $434K homes

+ Compare

Colma1,636 people · $1.06M homes

+ Compare

Fowler7,094 people · $380K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Freedom vs Williams

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $2,130 more a month in Freedom

Freedom places higher on 12 of 18 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

154 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Freedom and Williams

Bordering Freedom

Towns like Freedom

Post to Freedom

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