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%

Taft$1,240/mo

Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $1,069/mo · Housing →

Willows$1,860/mo

Typical home $321K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $1,237/mo · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Willows and Taft.

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

Taft places higher on 11 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

DTaftSafer than 12% of U.S. towns –WillowsNot graded

Schools

C+TaftBetter than 36% of districts in the state CWillowsBetter than 31% of districts in the state

Health

CTaftHealthier than 32% of U.S. towns CWillowsHealthier than 27% of U.S. towns

11Taft

9Willows

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

Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #750#379 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #243#431 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #785#540 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #738#553 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #60#233 Most educatedPeople · 844 towns #770#649 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #719#611 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #376#443

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

TaftWillows

Snow a year0″0″

January low41°F 38°F

July high99°F 94°F

Growing season (days)330d 279d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th 72nd

Outdoors & history

TaftWillows

Trails18 mi 3 mi

Conserved land0.3%2%

Settled—1886

National Register places1 2

Community

TaftWillows

Library hours a week20 hrs 28 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

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

339 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

TaftCA WillowsCA

Taft ↔ Willows339 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

TaftWillows

People

Population 7,125Highest 6,190Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +2.1%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 37.1±5.2Lowest about the CA average 38.6±5.3Highest about the CA average

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

Kids under 18 19.1%±5.6Lowest CA: 22% 23.4%±5.6Highest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 14.4%±6.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 16.3%±4.3Highest CA: 15.7%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 15.8%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±2.6Highest CA: 7.6% 4.2%±2.7Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $72,772±$22kHighest 27% below CA $64,068±$18kLowest 35% below CA

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $252,600±$22kLowest 66% below CA $281,700±$32kHighest 62% below CA

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,069±$189Lowest 47% below CA $1,237±$173Highest 39% below CA

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,244Highest 56% below CA $1,904Lowest 63% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.6%±17.6Lowest CA: 55.3% 60%±18.8Highest CA: 55.3%

Willows and Taft 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% 19.3%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Lowest CA: 55.9% 59.1%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 5 yrs older than CA 1975Highest 1 yr older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 34% below CA 24 minHighest 15% below CA

Work from home 4.4%±4.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 7.4%±4.1Highest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 27.6%Highest 23.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 20.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.15Highest 1.00Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (17%)Chico (7%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WillowsFew work in Taft

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 2%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 18.3 miHighest 2.9 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 1.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 19.7Lowest 77.6Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #243 of 574 in CA #431 of 574 in CA

School district Taft City · Taft Union HighGlenn County ROP · Walden Academy District

High school in town Taft Union HighWillows High

Students per teacherat that high school 18.3Lowest 18.8Highest

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.

Taft neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft’s Town Square.

Willows neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Willows’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Taft and Willows

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

Bordering Taft

+ Compare

South Taft2,939 people · $185K homes

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Taft Heights1,291 people · $194K homes

Towns like Taft

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Exeter10,258 people · $308K homes

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Orland8,357 people · $342K homes

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Colusa6,505 people · $375K homes

+ Compare

Dos Palos5,765 people · $300K 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.

Taft vs Willows

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $620 more a month in Willows

Taft places higher on 11 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

339 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Taft and Willows

Bordering Taft

Towns like Taft

Post to Taft

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