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Compare towns

Point Arena vs Dorris

231 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (10.7× in Dorris) and property tax bill (3.4× in Point Arena).

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Point Arena, CAA history townCalifornia · 789 people
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Dorris, CAHomes around $140KCalifornia · 869 people
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Where each one shines

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.

Point ArenaA history town
HistorySettled in 190812 places on the National Register SchoolsBetter than 29%of CA districts Housing$562K typical home27% below the CA typical home All about Point Arena →
DorrisHomes around $140K
Housing$140K typical home82% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 7%of CA districts All about Dorris →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid10.7×
Dorris has the more walkable street grid
Dorris 102Point Arena 9.5
Property tax bill3.4×
Tax bills are bigger in Point Arena
Point Arena $3,667Dorris $1,069
Home values2.8×
Homes cost more in Point Arena
Point Arena $436,000Dorris $154,700
Rent2.6×
Rent runs higher in Point Arena
Point Arena $1,917Dorris $746
Conserved land+14.3 pts
Point Arena has more conserved land
Point Arena 15.1%Dorris 0.8%
Bachelor’s degree++11.9 pts
More adults in Point Arena have a degree
Point Arena 29.9%Dorris 18%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $2,530 more a month in Point Arena

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.

Point Arena$3,340/mo
Typical home $562K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.84% · or rent about $1,917/mo · Housing →
Dorris$810/mo
Typical home $140K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $746/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,530 a month, about $30,300 a year, between Point Arena and Dorris.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
CPoint ArenaBetter than 29% of districts in the state DDorrisBetter than 7% of districts in the state
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
Point ArenaDorris
Snow a year—52″
January low—21°F
July high—88°F
Growing season (days)—107d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd73rd
Outdoors & history
Point ArenaDorris
Trails4 mi—
Conserved land15.1%—
Settled19081908
National Register places12—
Archive photos1810
Community
Point ArenaDorris
Library hours a week39 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

231 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Point ArenaCADorrisCA
Point Arena ↔ Dorris231 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.

Point ArenaDorris
People
Population 789Lowest 869Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -8.4% CA: +6.1%
Median age 36.5±5.4Lowest 4% below CA 36.6±9Highest 3% below CA
Dorris and Point Arena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.4%±6.5Lowest CA: 22% 31%±3.1Highest CA: 22%
Dorris and Point Arena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.9%±5.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 21.4%±9.7Highest CA: 15.7%
Dorris and Point Arena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.9%Highest CA: 37.1% 18%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±2.5Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.3%±2.3Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $108,095±$49kHighest 9% above CA $41,563±$23kLowest 58% below CA
Point Arena and Dorris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $436,000±$21kHighest 41% below CA $154,700±$13kLowest 79% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,917±$954Highest 6% below CA $746±$147Lowest 63% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,667Highest 28% below CA $1,069Lowest 79% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 41.9%±13.8Lowest CA: 55.3% 54.4%±16.2Highest CA: 55.3%
Dorris and Point Arena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.1%Lowest CA: 12% 19.1%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 51.7%Lowest CA: 55.9% 57.4%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest same as CA 1959Lowest 17 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 33% below CA 20 minHighest 32% below CA
Work from home 14.3%±8Lowest CA: 17.2% 14.4%±9.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Dorris and Point Arena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.3%Lowest 15.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miLowest 40.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.48Highest 0.98Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Manchester (6%)Medford (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DorrisFew work in Point Arena
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.1%Highest 0.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.8 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 9.5Lowest 102Highest
Schools
School district Arena Union Elementary · Point Arena Joint Union HighButte Valley Unified
High school in town Point Arena HighButte Valley High
Students per teacherat that high school 10.5Lowest 13.6Highest
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.

Point Arena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Point Arena’s Town Square.

Dorris neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dorris’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Point Arena

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Colma1,636 people · $1.06M homes
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Fort Jones562 people · $229K homes
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Etna642 people · $221K homes
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Irwindale1,377 people · $709K 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.

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