Living in Nice, California: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices match the U.S. average in the parts of California outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Nice to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Upper Lake High, about 4 miles away.
A hospital close bySutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySacramento is about 84 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Nice meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Down 1%Lake County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,293 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 57%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $961 a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 8%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 9%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 100U.S. average = 100 (the parts of California outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved down 1% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of California outside metro areas, not Nice alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2020-2024 Census survey: 2,569The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 44.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 22%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 20%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 0%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (38%); construction (19%)
Average commute: 34 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 0%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 16%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Lakeport, CA, about 3 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Nearest general hospital: Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, Ukiah, CA, about 19 miles away. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

There are no public schools inside Nice itself. The nearest public high school is Upper Lake High, about 4 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 90%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 33°F
July average high: 91°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 66 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 72 a year
Rain and melted snow: 29.9 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 1,489 feet

Weather station: Clearlake 4 SE (21 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Sutter Lakeside HospitalEmergency room3

Santa Rosa, CACity of 179,00048

Sacramento, CAMetro of 2.5 million84

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Santa Rosa, Sacramento.

Lake County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Nice's history on Wikipedia.

Know Nice?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

North Lakeport, CA3,000 people, 4 miles
Lucerne, CA3,400 people, 7 miles
Lakeport, CA5,100 people, 7 miles
Kelseyville, CA4,000 people, 11 miles
Clearlake Riviera, CA4,100 people, 14 miles
Clearlake, CA16,900 people, 17 miles

Smaller places

Upper Lake, CA (unincorporated)1,374 people, 4 miles
Soda Bay, CA (unincorporated)802 people, 9 miles
Clearlake Oaks, CA (unincorporated)2,198 people, 13 miles
Spring Valley, CA (unincorporated)853 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.