Best PlacesSouth Bay, Eureka, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Bay, Eureka, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Bay, Eureka ranks 4,735th 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 South Bay, Eureka
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.
South Bay, Eureka's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Bay, Eureka ranks high
- QuietBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.1 minutes each way, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
Where South Bay, Eureka ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Bay, Eureka
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Bay, Eureka home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $77,945, 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 South Bay, Eureka's effective rate of 0.58%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Bay, Eureka
South Bay, Eureka runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Bay, Eureka.
Who works in South Bay, Eureka, and how
Work in South Bay, Eureka centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in South Bay, Eureka
The coast is about 11 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across South Bay, Eureka, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Bay, Eureka, month by month
South Bay, Eureka sees roughly 127 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 64 degrees. January highs sit near 57, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 57° | 49° | 40° |
| April | 58° | 50° | 42° |
| July | 64° | 57° | 52° |
| October | 64° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of South Bay, Eureka
The nearest airport, California Redwood Coast- Humboldt County, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Sacramento International, about 198 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Bay, Eureka
Schools across South Bay, Eureka average a D+, better than 24% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- South Bay CharterC · 30% proficient
- Pine Hill ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Linell K. Walker ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Winship MiddleD · 23% proficient
- South Bay ElementaryD− · 17% proficient
- Fortuna MiddleD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Academy Of The RedwoodsB+ · 55% proficient
- Eureka Senior HighC+ · 35% proficient
- Mckinleyville HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Bay, Eureka school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Bay, Eureka 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 South Bay, Eureka against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Bay, Eureka
Is South Bay, Eureka a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Bay, Eureka ranks 4,735th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on quiet, short commutes, and tree cover, and lowest on internet speeds and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Bay, Eureka expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $411,410. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $77,945 median income, cost of living beats 40% of neighborhoods.
Is South Bay, Eureka safe?
South Bay, Eureka is safer than 42% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $542 per resident a year.
Compare South Bay, Eureka with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Bay, Eureka. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Bay, Eureka 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.
South Bay, Eureka detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Bay, Eureka: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Bay, Eureka: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Bay, Eureka: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Bay, Eureka: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Bay, Eureka 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.