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%

Paradise$1,950/mo

Typical home $335K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $1,241/mo · Housing →

Angels$2,830/mo

Typical home $485K (Census) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,833/mo · Housing →

The difference: $890 a month, about $10,600 a year, between Angels and Paradise.

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

Angels places higher on 10 of 21 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

C+ParadiseSafer than 42% of U.S. towns –AngelsNot graded

Schools

C+ParadiseBetter than 36% of districts in the state B+AngelsBetter than 68% of districts in the state

Health

B−ParadiseHealthier than 46% of U.S. towns BAngelsHealthier than 56% of U.S. towns

9Paradise

10Angels

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #1#309 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #581#211 Cheapest rentCost of living · 830 towns #109#375 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #274#453 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #231#16 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #793#634 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #672#562 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #502#387

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

ParadiseAngels

Snow a year0″0″

January low41°F 38°F

July high91°F 97°F

Growing season (days)313d 290d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)35th 78th

Outdoors & history

ParadiseAngels

Trails2 mi 2 mi

Conserved land0.9%0.8%

Settled—1848

National Register places—5

Archive photos9 12

Famous people born here5 5

Community

ParadiseAngels

Library hours a week14 hrs 23 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

129 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ParadiseCA AngelsCA

Paradise ↔ Angels129 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

ParadiseAngels

People

Population 7,392Highest 3,716Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -81.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% -4.4%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 57.4±4Highest 51% above CA 55±11.2Lowest 45% above CA

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

Kids under 18 15.3%±3.3Lowest CA: 22% 23.1%±8Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 40.9%±8.1Highest CA: 15.7% 31.8%±6.9Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.9%Highest CA: 37.1% 27.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±1.9Highest CA: 7.6% 3.3%±3.2Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $67,687±$27kHighest 32% below CA $62,188±$15kLowest 37% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $416,000±$63kLowest 43% below CA $484,800±$81kHighest 34% below CA

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,241±$142Lowest 39% below CA $1,833±$152Highest 10% below CA

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,855Lowest 44% below CA $3,483Highest 32% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.2%±6.2Lowest CA: 55.3% 94%±85Highest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 18.2%Highest CA: 12% 11.2%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 74.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 81.1%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1992Highest 16 yrs newer than CA 1987Lowest 11 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 15% below CA 15 minLowest 48% below CA

Work from home 18.6%±9.7Highest CA: 17.2% 14.6%±8.2Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 17.7%Highest 11.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 46.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.95Lowest 1.12Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Chico (33%)Murphys (4%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AngelsFew work in Paradise

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Highest 0.8%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miHighest 1.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.4Lowest 69.1Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #274 of 574 in CA #453 of 574 in CA

School district Paradise UnifiedBret Harte Union High · Mark Twain Union Elementary

High school in town Paradise Senior HighBret Harte Union High

Students per teacherat that high school 18.7Highest 17.0Lowest

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.

Paradise neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Paradise’s Town Square.

Angels neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Angels’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Paradise and Angels

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

Bordering Paradise

+ Compare

Magalia7,389 people · $281K homes

+ Compare

Butte Creek Canyon713 people · $695K homes

Towns like Paradise

+ Compare

Rio Vista10,102 people · $490K homes

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Jackson5,048 people · $443K homes

+ Compare

Big Bear Lake5,041 people · $577K homes

+ Compare

Morro Bay10,692 people · $918K 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.

Paradise vs Angels

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $890 more a month in Angels

Angels places higher on 10 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

129 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Paradise and Angels

Bordering Paradise

Towns like Paradise

Post to Paradise

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