Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in California, home to 3,515 people.
A town with more to fix than most. With a C− overall, North Shore is better than 15% of U.S. towns and ranks 545th of 841 in California. Where it falls short is health (D): CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. It also trails on hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Its best grade is for cost of living: a typical home costs about $204K, 2.3 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. Salton Sea State Recreation Area, at 1,088 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The town’s peak summer temperature is 108°F, above both the California town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Only 3 of the 847 California towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than North Shore.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Where North Shore beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where North Shore’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 North Shore is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 4%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →North Shore is unincorporated, so Riverside 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 North Shore.
North Shore has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Indio and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Across 2 parks and preserves: 18 miles of trail. The trail network density for North Shore comes to 1.6 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 2, covering 1,095 acres.
| North Shore | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salton Sea State Recreation Area | 1.1 mi | 1,088 |
| 2. North Shore Community Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The nearest emergency room, John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital, is 22.8 miles away in a straight line.
North Shore: 28% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Two figures for adults locally: 19% report frequent physical distress, 40% get no exercise outside work.
| North Shore | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | North Shore | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.5% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 28.4% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected losses in North Shore break down as 78% from earthquakes and 20% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Shore has 331 jobs for its 1,284 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 642 in 2013 to 331.
Jobs based in North Shore fell to 331 in 2023, 311 fewer than in 2013. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Its median household income is $52,000. Half of commuters travel less than 28 miles.
| North Shore | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Mecca Fire Stn weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 196 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.9°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 108°.
It almost never snows. The January low in North Shore is 43°F. Winters in the town are warm and summers scorching, with very little rain.
| North Shore | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 108°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Shore. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi LakeSalton Sea
Big draw12 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
16 mi LakeLake Cahuilla
25 mi MountainNiland Geyser
31 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
31 mi LandmarkSalvation MountainSalton Sea: NASA, Public domain · Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Cahuilla: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Niland Geyser: California Department of Transportation, Public domain · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Salvation Mountain: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0
None within 15 miles of North Shore; the nearest are
About 11 of every 100 North Shore residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
North Shore is a census-designated place in southeastern Riverside County, so named because of its location along the northeast shore of the Salton Sea. It was once a popular vacation destination before increasing salinity and pollution of the Salton Sea shut the tourist trade down. North Shore is flanked to the north and south by the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. The population was 3,585 at the 2020 census, up from 3,477 at the 2010 census. One building is particularly noteworthy. The North Shore Beach and Yacht Club, an Albert Frey design, opened in 1962 and was in active use until 1984; rising water levels destroyed the jetty in 1981, thereby making it impossible for boats to dock th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Shore grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #545 of 841 in California. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
