Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,024, settled in 1909.
The best of Portola’s subject grades is an A+ for walkability; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Portola, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 22 of California’s 1,056 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Portola’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, above both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). Portola has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Portola beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Portola is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,261 in 1950, 2,100 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1983 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portola, and how to reach them.
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 Portola.
The median rent in Portola is $819 a month. The typical Portola home is worth about $270,000, up 0.8% in a year, 64% below the California typical home. 56% of Portola households own their home.
| Portola | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $819 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Plumas Unified school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Roy Carmichael ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 344 | – |
| Portola Junior/Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 256 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1994, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Portola.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Portola beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Portola.
| Portola | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Portola | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.3% | 10.6% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 66.2% | 57.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Portola has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Portola’s median household income is $44,000. Jobs based in Portola grew to 608 in 2023, 77 more than in 2013. Portola’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Portola | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Portola City Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Portola; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Portola residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
City in California, United States
Portola ( por-TOH-lə) is the only incorporated city in Plumas County, California, United States. The population was 2,100 at the 2020 census, down from 2,104 at the 2010 census. Portola is located on the Middle Fork of the Feather River and was named after Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá, although he did not explore this area. Portola is a crew change site on the Western Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific Railroad) Feather River Route over the Sierra Nevada. The city is also home to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (formerly Portola Railroad Museum), one of the largest railroad museums in the Western United States. The museum is famous for its Run A Locomotive program, where the publ…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Portola.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portola | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C |
| Delleker | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Iron Horse | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lake Davis | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Portola has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Portola reports no FBI crime data of its own. Delleker, Iron Horse and Lake Davis aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Portola with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.