Elk Creek’s July high is 96°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. No town among the 848 in California we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Elk Creek. 12% of the land in Elk Creek is conserved, above both California’s towns (4.3%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Elk Creek has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

36 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Willows · 19 mi Orland · 21 mi

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Elk Creek.

Housing

A typical Elk Creek home is worth about $316K

$316KZillow home value

In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 7.5%.

Typical home value

Elk Creek$316K

California$762K

+7.5%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in September

Full pageElk Creek’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the full Housing & cost-of-living page

Prices over the yearsUp 7.5% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.7 years of the town’s median household income RentsRents

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Schools

The schools Elk Creek’s kids attend

Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The public schools here belong to the Stony Creek Joint Unified school district. The 2 public schools in Elk Creek teach 55 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Elk Creek ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8	Grades K–8	34	C⁻
Elk Creek HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	21	–

Full pageElk Creek’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The districtsStony Creek Joint Unified Every school3 schools · Elk Creek Elementary Questions“Are Elk Creek’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Natural hazards

Top of a very high hazard risk in Elk Creek: drought

90risk score of 100

The FEMA hazard score here in Elk Creek is 90 of 100. Expected losses in Elk Creek break down as 62% from drought and 16% from wildfires.

FEMA risk score

DroughtWildfireInland flooding

Full pageElk Creek’s hazards pageOpen the full Hazards page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters19 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready87 events a year, on average · Ready for drought

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers: that is Elk Creek’s year

96°summer high

July afternoons reach 96°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.

Typical low → high °F

Winter36–58°

Spring45–72°

Summer60–93°

Fall48–78°

Nov 13

typical first frost

Apr 5

typical last frost

+1.1°

vs. the 20th-century average

96°

typical summer high

Full pageElk Creek’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

A year of weatherJuly highs 96°, January lows 36°Rain & snow21″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+1.1° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Outdoors

12.1% of Elk Creek is conserved land

12.1%conserved

1.1 miles of trail. Elk Creek’s trail density is recorded as 0.7 miles per square mile.

12.1%

conserved · 116 of 960 acres

1.1 mi

of trails · 0.7 per sq mi

Full pageElk Creek’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Trail map1.1 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walkPick a walk Conserved land12.1% conserved · 116 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Elk Creek?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Health

Elk Creek stands out in California and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure

Elk Creek: 14% of adults report frequent mental distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Elk Creek beats the California average on 14 and trails it on 10. Among adults in the town, 81% had a checkup this year and 30% feel lonely.

	Elk Creek	Typical California town	Typical U.S. town
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	45%	31%	35%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	81%	72%	79%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	30%	36%	33%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	14%	17%	17%

32 measures vs. California

14 better8 too close to call10 worse

What stands out	Elk Creek	CA
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity	7.6%	14.9%
Fewer uninsured adults	5.5%	10.6%
More adults who have had cancer	14.5%	6.4%

Glenn Medical Center

18.1 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: mental health

Full pageElk Creek’s health reportOpen the full Health report

Everyday habitsFewer binge drinkers Hospitals & doctors nearby18.1 miles to an ER · Glenn Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than CA on 14 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Elk Creek

17pages on Elk Creek

The big questions

Schools3 schools HealthBetter than CA on 14 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$316K typical home · up 7.5% in a year Work & commute$85K median household income Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities · drought

Out and about

Outdoors1 mi of trails · 12% conserved land PlacesAttractions8 nearby · Sacramento Valley Museum 37 mi LibraryElk Creek Branch Library Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1872 Climate96° summer highs

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 95939 Town SquareNeighbors

Getting set up

Moving to Elk Creek: who provides what

Elk Creek is unincorporated, so Glenn County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterElk Creek Community S.d. water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4

Trash & county servicesGlenn CountyGlenn County provides services here

SchoolsStony Creek Joint Unified School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereGlenn County Clerk-ElectionsGlenn County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025

ZIP code9593995939 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.

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Elk Creek; the nearest are

California State University-ChicoUniversity or college · Public · Chico37.7 mi$8,472 in-state tuition Mendocino CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ukiah46.7 mi$1,423 in-state tuition

About 0 of every 100 Elk Creek residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Elk Creek

Census-designated place in California, United States

Elk Creek is a census-designated place in Glenn County, California, United States. It is located 19 miles (31 km) northwest of Willows, at an elevation of 745 feet (227 m). The 2020 census reported that Elk Creek's population was 138. It is home to the smallest public high school in California, which has an enrollment of about 35 students in grades 7 through 12. The Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians, founded in 1907, is located approximately seven miles north of the town and conducts business in Elk Creek. The best-known landmark nearby is a mountain named Bidwell Point. The first post office at Elk Creek opened in 1872. The town of Elk Creek is just north of Stony Gorge…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 1.5 sq mi
Elevation: 745 ft
ZIP code: 95939
Area code: 530

Questions about Elk Creek

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Elk Creek, CA a good place to live?

Elk Creek has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Elk Creek is in here

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