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California›Del Norte County

Fort DickCA

A town of 1,365, settled in 1917.

Is Fort Dick a good place to live?

Fort Dick’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Fort Dick’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 99 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. On the outdoors, just 21 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Fort Dick has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Fort Dick stand out

Where Fort Dick beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Small town

1,365 people, and everyone knows the way

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

Nearby towns

How Fort Dick grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Fort Dick is from typical.

How grading works

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.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Redwood National Park and 5 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fort Dick. Close and well known come first.

All 6 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Redwood National Park: Michael Schweppe, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park: Mario Vaden (talk · contribs), Public domain · Brother Jonathan: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Six Rivers National Forest: Clinton Steeds, CC BY 2.0 · Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park: California Department of Parks and Recreation, Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to Fort Dick: who provides what

Fort Dick is unincorporated, so Del Norte County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPacific Power24.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Crescent City water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesDel Norte CountyDel Norte County provides services here
SchoolsDel Norte County 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 hereDel Norte County Clerk-Recorder-ElectionsDel Norte County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes95538, 9553195538 70% · 95531 30%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 Fort Dick.

SchoolsC+

Fort Dick’s schools rank behind 64% of California districts

Its public schools are run by the Del Norte County Unified school district. Its one school is below.

36%of CA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Redwood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8Grades K–8452–

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

Tsunamis leads a very high hazard risk in Fort Dick

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.

90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
90Very high riskLowerHigher
TsunamisInland floodingEarthquakes
1
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−

Most of Fort Dick’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them

Most working residents leave Fort Dick for work: only 2% work in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Fort Dick, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Jobs based in Fort Dick grew to 117 in 2023, 57 more than in 2013.

2%work in town
Fort DickCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line16%10%9.6%
Median household income$71,000$95,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town2.3%6.6%8%

Where working residents work

In Fort Dick2%
Crescent City32%
Eureka6%
Brookings3%
Smith River3%
8 mi
median commute distance
117
jobs based in Fort Dick
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Fort Dick stands out in California and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler

Fort Dick’s July high is 65°F. Fort Dick has warm winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain.

65°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter42–54°
Spring45–58°
Summer52–64°
Fall47–61°
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
65°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthC+

Fort Dick is less healthy than 59% of U.S. towns

Fort Dick beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of Fort Dick adults report frequent physical distress.

41%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
Fort DickCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)17%14%14%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)16%11%14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)19%17%17%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)74%72%79%
32 measures vs. California
3 better17 too close to call12 worse
What stands outFort DickCA
Fewer uninsured adults7.6%10.6%
Fewer adults facing housing insecurity12.2%14.9%
More adults with COPD8.4%5.1%
Curry General Hospital
39.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

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

HousingCost of living grade C+

A larger share of households own their home in Fort Dick than in most of California or the rest of the country

97% of households own their home in Fort Dick.

$248Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in April

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Fort Dick

16pages on Fort Dick
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Fort Dick; the nearest are

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Fort Dick for work

Where Fort Dick’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

32% → Crescent City Crescent City 32% 6% → Eureka Eureka 6% 3% → Brookings Brookings 3% 3% → Smith River Smith River 3% 3% → Bertsch-Oceanview Bertsch-Oceanview 3% 2% → Arcata Arcata 2% Fort Dick · 2% stay
117jobs based in Fort Dick
2%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Fort Dick

Unincorporated community in California, United States

Fort Dick (Tolowa: Mvn-des-chuu-dvn) is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in rural Del Norte County, California, United States. Fort Dick is approximately five miles (eight kilometers) north of Crescent City, California, and around 15 mi (24 km) south of the California–Oregon state line. Its population is 912 as of the 2020 census, up from 588 from the 2010 census. It is located on the U.S. Route 101 corridor on the Redwood Coast. A post office was set up in 1917.

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

Elevation
52 ft
ZIP code
95538

Questions about Fort Dick

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Fort Dick, CA expensive?

The typical home is worth about $307,000, 60% 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 C+.