Harbison CanyonCA
Today 4,328 people live in this town, first settled in 1927.
Is Harbison Canyon a good place to live?
Several subjects drag its grade down. Its lowest grade is for hazard risk (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Overall, Harbison Canyon earns a C−, which places it 503rd of 841 in California. That leaves it better than nearly a fifth of U.S. towns. Homes run about $689K for a typical one, 6.5 times the San Diego metro’s $106K median household income. Incomes are its strong suit (B+): the median household earns $130K. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow.
What makes Harbison Canyon stand out
Where Harbison Canyon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
98% of working residents leave Harbison Canyon for work
Where Harbison Canyon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Harbison Canyon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Harbison Canyon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mexico–United States border wall and 65 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harbison Canyon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi LandmarkMexico–United States border wall
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaSnapdragon Stadium
20 mi Stadium & arenaPetco Park
19 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo4.0M visitors a year
19 mi Park & preserveBalboa Park
23 mi Theme parkSeaWorld San Diego4.0M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Mexico–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
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Moving to Harbison Canyon: who provides what
Harbison Canyon 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Harbison Canyon.
Harbison Canyon has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and sends most of its workers to San Diego and beyond.
Top of a very high hazard risk in Harbison Canyon: wildfire
Flood insurance has paid out on 3 claims in Harbison Canyon since 1993. Expected losses in Harbison Canyon break down as 76% from wildfires and 20% from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools in Harbison Canyon fall behind 59% of California districts
One of its 4 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Alpine Union Elementary school district. The 4 public schools in Harbison Canyon teach 923 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Hills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 377 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Open space protected for good: nearly a third of Harbison Canyon
Its 2,389 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 95% of California towns.
In Harbison Canyon, the concentration of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 3.4 miles. The biggest park or preserve is Flynn Springs County Park, at 41 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flynn Springs County Park | — | 41 |
| 2. Old Ironsides County Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About one in three of Harbison Canyon’s working residents commute to San Diego
Harbison Canyon has 370 jobs for its 1,848 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Harbison Canyon: 1.8% of working residents work locally. Employers in Harbison Canyon added 143 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 370. In Harbison Canyon, the mean commuting time is 31 minutes, against 28 minutes in California’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The median commute is under 18 miles.
| Harbison Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $130,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Harbison Canyon ranks healthier than 68% of the country’s towns
Against the 4,517 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harbison Canyon’s, it is less healthy than 78%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
75% of adults in Harbison Canyon had a checkup this year; 21% get no exercise outside work. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Harbison Canyon is ahead of California on 9 and behind on 7. Among adults in the town, 27% have obesity.
| Harbison Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Harbison Canyon | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Harbison Canyon
The Ramona Fire Dept weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 270 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41.5°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.1°.
Harbison Canyon’s July high comes in at 89°F. Snow almost never falls.
| Harbison Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 89°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ages in Harbison Canyon track California closely
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 29% of adults 25 and older, vs 37% across California. No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. In Harbison Canyon, the midpoint age is 42.9 years.
| Harbison Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.9 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Harbison Canyon | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.8% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
Homes in Harbison Canyon sell for about $885K
For households in Harbison Canyon, the share who own their home is 89%. The town’s going rate for rent stands at $2,793 a month.
| Harbison Canyon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,793 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 89% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Harbison Canyon
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Harbison Canyon
About 7 of every 100 Harbison Canyon residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Harbison Canyon
Census-designated place in California, United States
Harbison Canyon is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. It had a population of 4,048 as of the 2020 census, up from 3,841 as of the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 10 sq mi
- Elevation
- 906 ft
- Area code
- 619
Harbison Canyon’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Harbison Canyon.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbison Canyon | #503 | C− | D | — | C+ | B+ |
| Crest | #402 | C | C | — | C+ | B+ |
| Alpine | #345 | C | D− | — | B | B+ |
Harbison Canyon, Crest and Alpine report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Harbison Canyon with a neighbor →
Questions about Harbison Canyon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Harbison Canyon, CA a good place to live?
Harbison Canyon grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #503 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Harbison Canyon, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $689,000, 10% 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 D.