Living in
Susanville.

Living in Susanville means you're signing up for a place where the economy revolves around the three prisons in the area—nearly half the working-age population is employed in corrections, which provides stable jobs but also shapes the community's character in ways you'll notice. The town itself is small at around 16,700 people, sitting at 4,186 feet elevation in high desert country, so don't expect urban amenities or a bustling downtown scene. Housing is genuinely affordable compared to most of California: median home values sit around $234,000 and median rent around $905, which makes this appealing if you're priced out of coastal markets, though the median household income of $61,641 means you're balancing that affordability against more modest earning potential.

Winters here are legitimately cold—freezing temperatures hit about 149 days a year and you can get significant snow (the area once recorded 114 inches in a single year), while summers are hot and dry with around 31 days hitting 90°F or higher, so you need to be comfortable with that climate swing. Outdoor recreation is accessible: Lassen Volcanic National Park sits 42 miles away, and you're in genuine high desert and forest country, but those weekend adventures require some driving. The real trade-off is that this is a car-dependent town with limited job diversity outside corrections work, a declining population (it's lost about 1,000 residents since 2010), and you're 40 miles from anything else substantial—Reno is your nearest real city.

If you work remotely, don't mind or work in corrections, value affordability and access to quiet outdoor spaces, and can handle cold winters and isolation, Susanville works; if you need robust job options, cultural amenities, or mild weather, you'll struggle here.