AnzaCaliforniaField2, 2005
Anza’s story
100 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1940 on.
- 1926Anza is settled
AnzaCA
A town of 1,898, settled in 1926.
Photo: Trios2007 · Public domain
Population
1,898
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$395K
−1.8% in a year
Household income
$84K
median
Median age
35.7
years
Jobs based here
402
A commuter town
Is Anza a good place to live?
Anza’s weakest subject grade is a D− for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 1 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Only 72 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. Anza’s trail density is 3.7 miles per square mile, above both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). On history, just 21 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. San Bernardino National Forest, at 813 acres with 3.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Anza has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Anza for work
Where Anza’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
402jobs based in Anza
7%of working residents work in town
30 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Anza grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Anza is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities; wildfire tops the listD−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.2 of 20; 6.4% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & income$84K median household incomeC−Open →HealthHemet Global Medical Center 20.1 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsC+Open →Cost of livingC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.7; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Anza: who provides what
Anza is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAnza Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterRamona Water Company8 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers63% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRiverside CountyRiverside County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRiverside Registrar of VotersRiverside County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9253992539 100%Census 2020
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 Anza.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
The FEMA risk score in Anza is higher than in most of California or the rest of the country
At 100 of 100, Anza’s FEMA risk score is above both the California town median (88 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireEarthquakesInland flooding
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Anza’s schools trail 65% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Hemet Unified school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Hamilton, with 450 students.
35%of CA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 360 | – |
| HamiltonLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 450 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade C+
Anza’s typical home value is about $395K
The typical Anza home is worth about $395,000, down 1.8% in a year, 48% below the California typical home. Anza’s median rent is $1,580 a month.
$395KZillow home value
| Anza | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,580 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Anza$395K
California$762K
−1.8%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Anza has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Anza for work: only 7% work in town. The average trip to work in Anza is 34 minutes. Since 2013, Anza has added 125 jobs, to 402 in 2023.
7%work in town
| Anza | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Anza7%
Temecula5%
Palm Desert5%
Los Angeles5%
Idyllwild-Pine Cove4%
30 mi
median commute distance
402
jobs based in Anza
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 8% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Health in Anza trails 70% of U.S. towns
Anza beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 17% of Anza adults report frequent physical distress.
30%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Anza | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. California
3 better16 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Anza | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 62.1% | 57.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.1% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 5.1% |
Hemet Global Medical Center
20.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Anza has four seasons and hot summers
Anza has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 36° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
26″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter36–57°
Spring41–68°
Summer58–88°
Fall48–75°
Nov 18
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC+
Anza has set aside 2.9% of its land for conservation
102 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
2.9%conserved
2.9%
conserved · 513 of 17,648 acres
102 mi
of trails · 3.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bernardino National Forest | 3.3 mi | 813 |
| 2. Minor Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 68 attractions →Joshua Tree National Park and 25 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Anza. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
18 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
26 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
27 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park
38 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
37 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo Safari ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · San Diego Zoo Safari Park: Flickr user: Olivier Bruchez https://www.flickr.com/photos/bruchez/, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Anza
17pages on Anza
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Anza; the nearest are
College of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert21.3 mi$1,326 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos40 mi$8,082 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Anza residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Anza
Census-designated place in California, United States
Anza is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California, in the Anza Valley, a semi-arid region at a mean elevation of 3,921 feet (1,195 m) above sea level. It is located 13 miles (21 km) south of Idyllwild, 32 miles (51 km) east-northeast of Temecula, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Palm Springs, and 90 miles (140 km) northeast of San Diego, being traversed by State Route 371. Anza is on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. The population was 3,075 at the 2020 census. Locally, Anza and several other mountain communities (including Garner Valley, Idyllwild, Pinyon Pines and Aguanga) are collectively referred to as "the Hill." The ZIP code is…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 28 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,921 ft
- ZIP code
- 92539
- Area code
- 951
Questions about Anza
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Anza, CA expensive?
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($89,662 across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.