Alta SierraCA
A town of 7,361.
What should you know before moving to Alta Sierra?
Homes are expensive, about $564K for a typical one and 6.3 times the Truckee area’s $90K median household income. Overall it grades C, ranked 444th of 841 in California. Residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 67% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 29% of residents are 65 or older in Alta Sierra, where California’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 18%. On walkability, just 26 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. Adam Ryan Wildlife Preserve, at 32 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
97% of working residents leave Alta Sierra for work
Where Alta Sierra’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Alta Sierra grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Alta Sierra is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Alta Sierra: who provides what
Alta Sierra is unincorporated, so Nevada County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alta Sierra.
Alta Sierra sends most of its workers to Grass Valley and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California.
For health, Alta Sierra earns an A−
30% of Alta Sierra adults feel lonely. Alta Sierra beats the California average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 31% of Alta Sierra adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Alta Sierra | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 29% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Alta Sierra | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Alta Sierra’s schools rank ahead of 58% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Sierra ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 338 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Older than California overall
The median age in Alta Sierra is 55 years. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California. 17% of residents are under 18 in Alta Sierra.
| Alta Sierra | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.3 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Alta Sierra | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.9% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.6% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.2% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.3% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.5% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.8% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.4% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.6% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Most working residents commute out of Alta Sierra
Alta Sierra has 261 jobs for its 2,496 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 27.8% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Alta Sierra for work: only 3% work in town. Alta Sierra’s median household income is $106,000. The top destinations are Grass Valley (19%), Nevada City (7%) and Roseville (5%).
| Alta Sierra | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $106,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and hot summers in Alta Sierra
The Colfax weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 233 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 80% of California places with climate records. January nights average 36.2°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 77% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 90.8°.
Alta Sierra has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Alta Sierra | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Alta Sierra
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Alta Sierra | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adam Ryan Wildlife Preserve | 1.7 mi | 32 |
| 2. Lodestar Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes in Alta Sierra sell for about $165K
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Empire Mine State Historic Park and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alta Sierra. Close and well known come first.
5 mi State parkEmpire Mine State Historic Park
37 mi DamOroville Dam
36 mi MuseumAerospace Museum of California
10 mi TheatreNevada Theatre31 mi Zoo & aquariumFolsom City Zoo Sanctuary
16 mi MuseumBernhard Museum ComplexPhoto credits
Empire Mine State Historic Park: Beej71, CC BY 2.5 · Oroville Dam: California Department of Water Resources, Public domain · Aerospace Museum of California: J.smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nevada Theatre: Almonroth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernhard Museum Complex: YankeeSpirit, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Alta Sierra
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Alta Sierra; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Alta Sierra residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Alta Sierra
Census-designated place in Nevada County, California, U.S.
Alta Sierra (Spanish for "Upper Range") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 7,204 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,310 ft
Questions about Alta Sierra
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alta Sierra, CA a good place to live?
Alta Sierra grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #444 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Alta Sierra, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $564,000, 26% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.