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%

Sonora$2,350/mo

Typical home $403K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.71% · or rent about $1,238/mo · Housing →

Fort Bragg$3,260/mo

Typical home $567K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60% · or rent about $1,290/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Fort Bragg and Sonora.

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

Sonora places higher on 14 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

DSonoraSafer than 7% of U.S. towns DFort BraggSafer than 8% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−SonoraBetter than 53% of districts in the state B−Fort BraggBetter than 46% of districts in the state

Health

C+SonoraHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns CFort BraggHealthier than 31% of U.S. towns

14Sonora

6Fort Bragg

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

Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #481#8 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #591#217 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #241#539 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #207#365 Highest incomeIncome · 843 towns #535#758 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #367#203 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #491#680 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #547#737

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

SonoraFort Bragg

Snow a year0″0″

January low33°F 40°F

July high93°F 65°F

Growing season (days)213d 272d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)75th 85th

Outdoors & history

SonoraFort Bragg

Trails3 mi 5 mi

Conserved land1.7%11.4%

Settled1850 —

National Register places7 2

Archive photos—21

Famous people born here24 18

Community

SonoraFort Bragg

Library hours a week52 hrs 41 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

210 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SonoraCA Fort BraggCA

Sonora ↔ Fort Bragg210 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

SonoraFort Bragg

People

Population 4,919Lowest 7,032Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2%Highest CA: +6.1% -4%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 42.1±5.8Lowest 11% above CA 49±4.2Highest 29% above CA

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

Kids under 18 20.6%±5.6Lowest CA: 22% 21.4%±4.8Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 24.2%±5.4Highest CA: 15.7% 23.7%±4Lowest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 26.4%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.8%±2.2Highest CA: 7.6% 2.7%±1.5Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $82,690±$25kHighest 17% below CA $56,481±$12kLowest 43% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $422,300±$33kLowest 43% below CA $535,400±$46kHighest 27% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,238±$182Lowest 39% below CA $1,290±$131Highest 37% below CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,016Lowest 41% below CA $3,205Highest 37% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.8%±12.9Lowest CA: 55.3% 61%±13.1Highest CA: 55.3%

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

Below poverty line 16.9%Lowest CA: 12% 18.2%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 42.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 46.3%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1969Highest 7 yrs older than CA 1964Lowest 12 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 29 minHighest about the CA average 13 minLowest 56% below CA

Work from home 10.4%±5.4Highest CA: 17.2% 5.6%±3.4Lowest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 16.5%Lowest 45.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 42.3 miHighest 2.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.63Highest 1.17Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town East Sonora (4%)Mendocino (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Fort BraggFew work in Sonora

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.7%Lowest 11.4%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 3.3 miLowest 5.0 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.1 miLowest 1.7 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.5Highest 66.3Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #207 of 574 in CA #365 of 574 in CA

School district Sonora Elementary · Sonora Union HighFort Bragg Unified

High school in town Sonora HighFort Bragg High

Students per teacherat that high school 23.0Highest 16.7Lowest

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.

Sonora neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sonora’s Town Square.

Fort Bragg neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fort Bragg’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sonora and Fort Bragg

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

Bordering Sonora

+ Compare

East Sonora2,651 people · $335K homes

+ Compare

Jamestown3,265 people · $375K homes

Towns like Sonora

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Willits4,920 people · $371K homes

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Avalon3,338 people · $936K homes

+ Compare

Calistoga5,111 people

+ Compare

Sutter Creek2,702 people · $544K 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.

Sonora vs Fort Bragg

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $900 more a month in Fort Bragg

Sonora places higher on 14 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

210 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Sonora and Fort Bragg

Bordering Sonora

Towns like Sonora

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