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Taft Heights vs Weed

462 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (64× in Weed) and street grid (4.2× in Taft Heights).

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Taft Heights, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 1,291 people
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Weed, CAHomes around $308KCalifornia · 2,737 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.

Taft HeightsOne of the healthiest towns
Health86% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Taft Heights →
WeedHomes around $308K
Housing$308K typical home60% below the CA typical home Outdoors#45 most trails in CA18 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 50%of CA districts All about Weed →
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.

Jobs per worker64×
Weed is more of a job hub
Weed 1.28Taft Heights 0.02
Street grid4.2×
Taft Heights has the more walkable street grid
Taft Heights 153Weed 36.7
Property tax bill+71%
Tax bills are bigger in Taft Heights
Taft Heights $2,321Weed $1,360
Work in town+26 pts
More of Weed’s workers stay in town
Weed 26.5%Taft Heights 0.5%
Typical home built24 yrs
Taft Heights’s homes are older
Weed 1971Taft Heights 1947
Growth since 2010+6.1 pts
Taft Heights has grown faster since 2010
Taft Heights +2.6%Weed -3.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Weed

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.

Taft Heights$1,210/mo
Typical home $194K (Census) · tax rate 1.20% · or rent about $1,066/mo · Housing →
Weed$1,750/mo
Typical home $308K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $788/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Weed and Taft Heights.

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.

Life in each

Weed gets 89 more inches of snow a year

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
Taft HeightsWeed
Snow a year0″89″
January low41°F27°F
July high99°F85°F
Growing season (days)330d143d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd86th
Outdoors & history
Taft HeightsWeed
Trails—18 mi
Conserved land—0.6%
Settled—1961
National Register places—1
Archive photos118
Famous people born here—4
Community
Taft HeightsWeed
Library hours a week—25 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

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.

Safety
–Taft HeightsNot graded C−WeedSafer than 22% of U.S. towns
Schools
–Taft HeightsNot graded B−WeedBetter than 50% of districts in the state
Health
DTaft HeightsHealthier than 14% of U.S. towns C+WeedHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns
Where they are

462 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Taft HeightsCAWeedCA
Taft Heights ↔ Weed462 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.

Taft HeightsWeed
People
Population 1,291Lowest 2,737Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.6%Highest CA: +6.1% -3.5%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31.4±5.1Lowest 17% below CA 36±4Highest 5% below CA
Weed and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.3%±9.6Highest CA: 22% 22.3%±6.3Lowest CA: 22%
Taft Heights and Weed are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 8.4%±4.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.3%±3.7Highest CA: 15.7%
Weed and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.5%Highest CA: 37.1% 11.6%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±2.6Lowest CA: 7.6% 13.7%±4Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,034±$9kHighest 45% below CA $38,854±$8kLowest 61% below CA
Taft Heights and Weed are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $193,800±$48kLowest 74% below CA $259,600±$26kHighest 65% below CA
Weed and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,066±$189Highest 48% below CA $788±$245Lowest 61% below CA
Taft Heights and Weed are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,321Highest 55% below CA $1,360Lowest 73% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.8%±29.1Lowest CA: 55.3% 68.4%±15.7Highest CA: 55.3%
Weed and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.2%Lowest CA: 12% 33.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 51.7%Highest CA: 55.9% 48.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1947Lowest 29 yrs older than CA 1971Highest 5 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 26% below CA 17 minLowest 41% below CA
Work from home 0%±3Lowest CA: 17.2% 3%±2.3Highest CA: 17.2%
Weed and Taft Heights are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.5%Lowest 26.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 29.8 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.02Lowest 1.28Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Taft (23%)Mount Shasta (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WeedFew work in Taft Heights
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 17.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 3.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 153Highest 36.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#341 of 574 in CA
School district —Siskiyou Union High · Weed Union Elementary
High school in town —Weed High
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.5
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 Heights neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft Heights’s Town Square.

Weed neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Weed's Local Priorities

1 neighbor in Weed can answer.

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Bordering Taft Heights

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Taft7,125 people · $253K homes
S
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South Taft2,939 people · $185K homes

Towns like Taft Heights

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Dorris869 people · $155K homes
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Westmorland1,844 people · $310K homes
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Maricopa984 people · $156K homes
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Tulelake925 people · $170K 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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