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 →

Cherry Valley$2,380/mo

Typical home $408K (Census) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $1,399/mo · Housing →

The difference: $440 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Cherry Valley 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

Paradise places higher on 10 of 19 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 –Cherry ValleyNot graded

Schools

C+ParadiseBetter than 36% of districts in the state –Cherry ValleyNot graded

Health

B−ParadiseHealthier than 46% of U.S. towns B−Cherry ValleyHealthier than 45% of U.S. towns

10Paradise

9Cherry Valley

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #581#52 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #231#742 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #668#223 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #672#337 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #816#532 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #793#550 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #491#730 Most educatedPeople · 844 towns #393#590

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

ParadiseCherry Valley

Snow a year0″0″

January low41°F 40°F

July high91°F 95°F

Growing season (days)313d 315d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)35th 100th

Outdoors & history

ParadiseCherry Valley

Trails2 mi 9 mi

Conserved land0.9%11.3%

Archive photos9 8

Famous people born here5 1

Community

ParadiseCherry Valley

Library hours a week14 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

474 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ParadiseCA Cherry ValleyCA

Paradise ↔ Cherry Valley474 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

ParadiseCherry Valley

People

Population 7,392Highest 6,668Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -81.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +2.3%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 57.4±4Highest 51% above CA 51.1±10.7Lowest 35% above CA

Paradise and Cherry Valley 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% 17.9%±4.5Highest CA: 22%

Cherry Valley 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% 32.9%±7.9Lowest CA: 15.7%

Paradise and Cherry Valley 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% 19.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.8%±2.1Highest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $67,687±$27kLowest 32% below CA $76,895±$16kHighest 22% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $416,000±$63kHighest 43% below CA $408,000±$38kLowest 44% below CA

Paradise and Cherry Valley 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 $1,399±$215Highest 31% below CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,855Lowest 44% below CA $2,917Highest 43% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.2%±6.2Lowest CA: 55.3% 80.1%±11.9Highest CA: 55.3%

Below poverty line 18.2%Highest CA: 12% 13.2%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 74.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 83.1%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1992Highest 16 yrs newer than CA 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 15% below CA 36 minHighest 26% above CA

Work from home 18.6%±9.7Highest CA: 17.2% 18.1%±5.9Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 17.7%Highest 2.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 22.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.95Highest 0.44Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Chico (33%)San Bernardino (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Cherry ValleyFew work in Paradise

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Lowest 11.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miLowest 9.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.4Highest 22.8Lowest

Schools

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

School district Paradise Unified—

High school in town Paradise Senior High—

Students per teacherat that high school 18.7 —

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.

Cherry Valley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cherry Valley’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Paradise and Cherry Valley

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

Bordering Paradise

+ Compare

Magalia7,389 people · $281K homes

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Butte Creek Canyon713 people · $695K homes

Towns like Paradise

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Angels3,716 people · $485K homes

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Rio Vista10,102 people · $490K homes

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Jackson5,048 people · $443K homes

+ Compare

Big Bear Lake5,041 people · $577K 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.

Paradise vs Cherry Valley

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $440 more a month in Cherry Valley

Paradise places higher on 10 of 19 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

474 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Paradise and Cherry Valley

Bordering Paradise

Towns like Paradise

Post to Paradise

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