Bella VistaCA
A town of 4,511, settled in 1893. Public schools that outperform most of California.
Is Bella Vista a good place to live?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Overall it grades C−, ranked 531st of 841 in California. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $414K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Redding metro’s $73K median household income. Bella Vista’s July high is 99°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Only 80 of California’s 1,063 towns score lower on walkability.
What makes Bella Vista stand out
Where Bella Vista beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Bella Vista has grown 31% from 2010 to 2020
2,781 counted in 2010 and 3,641 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Bella Vista grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Bella Vista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Bella Vista: who provides what
Bella Vista is unincorporated, so Shasta 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 Bella Vista.
Bella Vista has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values still below their peak.
Natural hazards: very high risk in Bella Vista, mostly inland flooding
Households in Bella Vista have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2020. Expected losses in Bella Vista break down as 48% from inland flooding and 37% from wildfires. Also worth knowing: since 1996, Bella Vista has seen 7 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bella Vista’s public schools outperform 74% of California districts
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to the Bella Vista Elementary school district. The 2 public schools in Bella Vista teach 613 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 343 | B+ |
| North Cow Creek ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 270 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The typical home in Bella Vista is valued at about $415K
The typical value, about $415K, is 11% below its June 2022 peak. At about $415K, home values are down 8% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
Home values are down 1.9% over the year to September 2026. In Bella Vista, 86% of households are owner-occupiers.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Open space protected for good: 0.1% of Bella Vista
31 miles of trail. Bella Vista’s trail network density is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Bella Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
More than half of Bella Vista’s working residents commute to Redding
Half of commuters travel less than 8 miles. Employers in Bella Vista added 49 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 360. Most working residents leave Bella Vista for work: only 3% work in town. The share of residents in Bella Vista who live below the poverty line: 6%.
| Bella Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bella Vista: mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons average 98.7°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.5°.
In Bella Vista, the January low is 39°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Residents of Bella Vista are healthier than 58% of U.S. towns
77% of adults in Bella Vista had a checkup this year; 29% have obesity. The town does better than the California average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 9. Among adults in the town, 39% have high blood pressure.
| Bella Vista | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Bella Vista | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lassen Volcanic National Park and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bella Vista. Close and well known come first.
36 mi National ParkLassen Volcanic National Park505K visitors a year
36 mi National forestShasta–Trinity National Forest
8 mi MuseumTurtle Bay Exploration Park
8 mi TheatreCascade Theatre
13 mi National Recreation AreaWhiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area764K visitors a year
36 mi MuseumWeaverville Joss House State Historic ParkPhoto credits
Lassen Volcanic National Park: en:User:Mav, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Shasta–Trinity National Forest: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Turtle Bay Exploration Park: DimiTalen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cascade Theatre: Publichall, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area: RoyalMayfair, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Everything we know about Bella Vista
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Bella Vista
About 5 of every 100 Bella Vista residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
97% of working residents leave Bella Vista for work
Where Bella Vista’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Bella Vista
Census-designated place in California, United States
Bella Vista (Spanish for "Beautiful View") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Bella Vista is a small, rural community about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Redding, and about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Palo Cedro. Its population is 3,641 as of the 2020 census, up from 2,781 from the 2010 census. Historically, Bella Vista was a semi-large lumber town which hosted its own railroad.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 22 sq mi
- Elevation
- 656 ft
- ZIP code
- 96008
Bella Vista’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Bella Vista.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista | #531 | C− | D | — | B+ | B |
| Jones Valley | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Palo Cedro | #225 | B− | D | — | A− | A |
Jones Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bella Vista, Jones Valley and Palo Cedro report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bella Vista with a neighbor →
Questions about Bella Vista
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bella Vista, CA a good place to live?
Bella Vista grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #531 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Bella Vista, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.