Clay, CA


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Clay, CA

About Clay, CA

Living in Clay, CA is a great experience. The community is warm and welcoming, with a strong sense of community spirit. The small-town vibe is peaceful and charming, with plenty of opportunities to get involved in the local activities. There are many parks and trails for outdoor recreation, ranging from walking and biking to birdwatching and fishing. The downtown area offers some great restaurants and shops, plus it’s close to larger cities such as San Francisco should you need them. Clay, CA is an excellent place to call home and enjoy all that Northern California has to offer! Capital city / suburban complex - Northern California, northern Central Valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada.

Zip Codes: 95638
Cost of Living:
Time zone: Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Elevation: 25 ft above sea level

Sacramento, the capital of California, has been a leading agricultural and transportation center for most of its history. In the past 15 years, as costs have escalated in California’s coastal cities, thousands have migrated to the area for its reduced cost of living and proximity to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. Now, as a result, growth and traffic issues have become top-of-mind issues for the area. Downtown Sacramento is pleasant and attractive but somewhat lacking in entertainment and activities (aside from restored historic “Old Sacramento” riverfront downtown area). Most recent growth has occurred to the north, northeast, and south as typical California sprawl- freeways, strip malls, and endless developments of tightly packed homes. Job growth projections remain strong.

The Sacramento area has a broad variety of recreational opportunities including water and mountain sports. Excellent skiing and many other recreational opportunities are a moderate day trip away. Professional sports teams, such as the NBA Kings, add to recreation and the overall economy, and the arts and culture scene is on the upswing.

The climate through most of the year is an advantage, although summers can be uncomfortably hot. The Cost of Living Index is high for what’s available and is increasing. While growth is an issue, the area is more family friendly than most California cities and does have several attractive family neighborhoods (particularly along the US 50 corridor).

Lincoln, formerly a sleepy agricultural town to the northeast, has become a booming family and retirement center, and home to one of the two large Del Webb “Sun City” active senior complexes. Roseville is an overbuilt suburban town and hub to the rapidly growing northeastern suburbs in southwestern Placer County, while Arden-Arcade is an older inner suburb and commercial area a few miles east of downtown. The metro area now also includes Yolo County, site of the excellent college town of Davis and the growing small residential towns of Woodland and Dixon.

At Sacramento, located along the banks of the Sacramento River, the Central Valley is approximately 50 miles wide. The terrain is completely flat. A few miles to the east, rolling terrain rises gradually to the 8,000-foot to 10,000-foot Sierra Nevada crest. Local natural vegetation is grassland; deciduous trees have been planted in the inhabited area. The Mediterranean Central Valley climate is mild with abundant sunshine most of the year. Summer is dry with warm to hot afternoons and mostly mild nights. “Delta breezes” from the Bay Area cool the region. Most rain falls from November through March. Heavy snowfall and torrential winter rains fall on the western Sierra slopes and may produce flood conditions along the Sacramento River and its tributaries. Winter brings sometimes heavy and persistent ground fog.

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Clay Cost of Living

Mild winters, nearby recreation, and central location make Clay a great place to live.

$662,600
+49.0% higher than avg
$108,789
36.6% lower than avg
8.4 / 7.2
Comfort Index
summer/winter
Clay Crime
31.5 / 100
Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low) to 100 (high). US average: 35.4
Minimum annual income
To live comfortably in Clay, California
$127,080
for a family
$52,800
for a single person
Pros & Cons of Clay
   Mild winters
Growth and sprawl
   Nearby recreation
Rising cost of living
   Central location
Summer heat
Cost of Living