Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 19,765 residents, it is a town in California.
A strong record with one exception. Its strongest subject is health: residents are healthier than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Casa de Oro-Mount Helix grades B overall and ranks 157th of 841 in California. It comes out better than 56% of U.S. towns. Incomes are another plus: the median household earns $125K. The drawback is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $952K, 9 years of the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. The town’s concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. This California town is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where Casa de Oro-Mount Helix beats most towns.
Where Casa de Oro-Mount Helix’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Casa de Oro-Mount Helix is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,723 in 1970, a peak of 30,727 in 1990, 19,576 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 8 maps from 1893 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Casa de Oro-Mount Helix. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
12 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
11 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
11 mi Park & preserveBalboa Park
15 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearMexico–United States border wall: Földhegy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Snapdragon Stadium: Terrible Tim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petco Park: Mds08011, CC BY 4.0 · San Diego Zoo: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Balboa Park: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix is unincorporated, so San Diego 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Casa de Oro-Mount Helix.
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Against the 5,051 U.S. towns with household incomes like Casa de Oro-Mount Helix’s, it is healthier than 68%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Casa de Oro-Mount Helix who say their health is fair or poor: 17%. The town beats the California average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. In Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 9.3% smoke cigarettes.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the La Mesa-Spring Valley school district. One of its 6 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murdock ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 608 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The top destinations are San Diego (45%), El Cajon (8%) and La Mesa (5%). Most people who work leave Casa de Oro-Mount Helix to do it: just 3% work in town. In Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, 4.8% of residents live below the poverty line. The town had 2,849 jobs in 2023, up 225 from 2013.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 43.5°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 84.5°.
Its January low comes in at 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix’s midpoint age comes in at 43.4 years. People 65 and older are just over a fifth of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). For adults 25 and older locally, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 47%.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.4 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.5 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.9% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.2% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
There are 1.1 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 7 acres in Casa de Oro-Mount Helix.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eucalyptus Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 91% of California towns, with expected losses of about $246 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
In Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, the FEMA hazard score is 52 of 100. Flood insurance has paid out on 12 claims locally since 1979. Expected losses in Casa de Oro-Mount Helix break down as 73% from inland flooding and 22% from earthquakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical rent for Casa de Oro-Mount Helix comes to $1,973 a month. Among households locally, 79% live in a home they own. A home in Casa de Oro-Mount Helix typically sold within 22 days of listing.
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,973 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
27 within 15 miles of the center of Casa de Oro-Mount Helix
About 4 of every 100 Casa de Oro-Mount Helix residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census designated place in California, United States
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix is a census-designated place (CDP) in the East County region of San Diego County, California. As of the 2020 census, Casa de Oro-Mount Helix had a population of 19,576. The CDP encompasses several unincorporated neighborhoods east of La Mesa and south of El Cajon, principally the communities of Mount Helix and Casa de Oro. Much of the area lies within the County of San Diego’s Valle de Oro Community Planning Area, which identifies Casa de Oro, Mount Helix, Vista Grande Hills, and Rancho San Diego as neighborhoods within the planning area."Valle de Oro Community Plan". County of San Diego. Planning & Development Services. Retrieved August 23, 2026. County planning doc…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Casa de Oro-Mount Helix.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; La Mesa (C+) comes closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | #157 | B | D | — | B− | A |
| La Mesa | #277 | C+ | D− | C | B | A− |
| El Cajon | #644 | D | D | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Rancho San Diego | #369 | C | D− | — | C+ | A |
| Spring Valley | #348 | C | D− | — | B− | B+ |
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, Rancho San Diego and Spring Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Casa de Oro-Mount Helix with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Casa de Oro-Mount Helix grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #157 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $952,000, 25% above 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.
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