Smith RiverCA
A town of 898, settled in 1863.
Is Smith River a good place to live?
Smith River’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 1 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Smith River. Smith River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
898 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Redwood National Park and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Smith River. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National ParkRedwood National Park1.2M visitors a year
10 mi State parkJedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
21 mi National forestSix Rivers National Forest
15 mi Ancient siteBrother Jonathan
31 mi National MonumentOregon Caves National Monument and Preserve64K visitors a year
36 mi State parkPrairie Creek Redwoods State ParkPhoto credits
Redwood National Park: Michael Schweppe, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park: Mario Vaden (talk · contribs), Public domain · Six Rivers National Forest: Clinton Steeds, CC BY 2.0 · Brother Jonathan: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · 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
Moving to Smith River: who provides what
Smith River is unincorporated, so Del Norte 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 Smith River.
Smith River faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The schools Smith River’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Del Norte County Unified school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith River ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 258 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical home in Smith River is valued at about $431K
The typical Smith River home is worth about $431,000, down 1.2% in a year, 43% below the California typical home. 82% of households own their home in Smith River, above both the California town median (64%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Smith River’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Smith River for work: only 4% work in town. 17% of Smith River residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Smith River has added 22 jobs, to 121 in 2023.
| Smith River | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Smith River, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
Smith River has warm winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. Smith River’s July high is 71°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Smith River is
Smith River beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 72% of adults had a checkup this year in Smith River.
| Smith River | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 22% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Smith River | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.5% | 5.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8% | 6.4% |
| More adults with arthritis | 24.8% | 20.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Smith River
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Smith River; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Smith River residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
96% of working residents leave Smith River for work
Where Smith River’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Smith River
US town
Smith River (Tolowa: Kaa-nvsh) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Del Norte County, California, United States, located near the Oregon border. Smith River is the headquarters of the Tolowa Dee-niʼ Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Tolowa people. As of the 2020 census, the population was 906. It is bordered by the Smith River National Recreation Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 52 ft
- ZIP code
- 95567
- Area code
- 707
Questions about Smith River
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Smith River, CA a good place to live?
Smith River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.