La Mesa vs Alhambra
111 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+7.4 pts in La Mesa) and average commute (7 min in La Mesa).
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.
Where they differ most
The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.
La Mesa places higher on 12 of 22 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.
Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.
Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of La Mesa’s rankings →
A typical home costs $190 more a month in Alhambra
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.
The difference: $190 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Alhambra and La Mesa.
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.
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.
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.
111 miles apart
Straight-line miles between town centers.
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.
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.
Set another town beside La Mesa and Alhambra
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Bordering La Mesa
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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.