Best PlacesColumbia, Redding, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Columbia, Redding, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Columbia, Redding ranks 3,177th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Columbia, Redding
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Columbia, Redding's strengths and weaknesses
Where Columbia, Redding ranks high
- QuietBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Short commute20.1 minutes each way, better than 79% of neighborhoods
Where Columbia, Redding ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Columbia, Redding
A household needs to earn about $125,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Columbia, Redding home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $89,540, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Columbia, Redding's effective rate of 0.77%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Columbia, Redding
Columbia, Redding runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Columbia, Redding.
Who works in Columbia, Redding, and how
Work in Columbia, Redding centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Columbia, Redding
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Columbia, Redding.
What the weather is like in Columbia, Redding, month by month
Columbia, Redding sees roughly 115 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 103 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 49° | 38° |
| April | 76° | 62° | 47° |
| July | 103° | 86° | 67° |
| October | 83° | 66° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Columbia, Redding
The nearest airport, Redding Regional, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 137 miles away.
The best schools in and around Columbia, Redding
Schools across Columbia, Redding average a B−, better than 64% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Junction ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- North Cow Creek ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Bella Vista ElementaryC+ · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mountain View MiddleB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Central Valley HighB+ · 53% proficient
- Foothill HighB · 49% proficient
- Enterprise HighB− · 41% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Columbia, Redding school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Columbia, Redding measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Columbia, Redding against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Columbia, Redding
Is Columbia, Redding a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Columbia, Redding ranks 3,177th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on quiet, low crime, and civic engagement, and lowest on internet speeds and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Columbia, Redding expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $481,852. The overall cost of living runs about 5% above the national average. Set against a $89,540 median income, cost of living beats 57% of neighborhoods.
Is Columbia, Redding safe?
Yes, Columbia, Redding is safer than 96% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $210 per resident a year.
Compare Columbia, Redding with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Columbia, Redding. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Columbia, Redding represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Columbia, Redding detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Columbia, Redding: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Columbia, Redding: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Columbia, Redding: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Columbia, Redding: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Columbia, Redding detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.