The Sunniest City in California Is a Recreation Paradise You Can Actually Afford
5 Reasons to Visit® · United States
The Sunniest City in California Is a Recreation Paradise You Can Actually Afford
With more sunshine than anywhere else in California, a river running through downtown, and home prices nearly half the state average, Redding has become the affordable outdoor basecamp Californians keep discovering.
Advertisement
Redding, California, sits at the top of the state's great Central Valley, where the flatlands give way to mountains, rivers, and lakes — and lately, it has become one of the most talked-about places in California for a simple reason: it offers the outdoor life the state is famous for at a price that's actually attainable. The sunniest city in California, anchored by an architectural landmark and surrounded by wilderness, this Shasta County city of roughly 93,000 has become a magnet for anyone who wants mountains, rivers, and sunshine without a coastal price tag.
Advertisement
Affordability is the headline. In a state where the median home price runs well over eight hundred thousand dollars, homes in the Redding area sell for close to half that — dramatically below the California average — making genuine homeownership, often with a yard and room to breathe, a realistic goal. That value, combined with a lower overall cost of living than coastal California, has drawn families, remote workers, and retirees looking for the California lifestyle minus the California housing crisis — the same value that's fueling the capital of Sacramento downriver.
The city has a genuine architectural icon. The Sundial Bridge — a stunning, glass-decked pedestrian bridge designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, whose soaring white pylon doubles as one of the largest working sundials in the world — spans the Sacramento River at the heart of the 300-acre Turtle Bay Exploration Park. It has become the symbol of the city and anchors a roughly eighty-mile network of trails that runs right through town, so residents can bike to the river before work without a second thought.
The sunniest city in California, 80 miles of trails, and homes at half the state price.
Advertisement
The sunshine is a way of life. Redding basks in more than three hundred days of sunshine a year — the sunniest city in California and among the sunniest in the nation — which turns its rivers, lakes, and trails into a year-round playground. That climate underpins the city's identity as an outdoor town, from paddling and cycling to its famously dog-friendly culture, with pet-welcoming restaurants, hotels, and events woven through community life.
And the surrounding wilderness is staggering. Redding is a basecamp to some of Northern California's greatest landscapes: Whiskeytown Lake and its waterfalls minutes away, Shasta Lake — California's largest reservoir, with hundreds of miles of shoreline and houseboats — just to the north, Mount Shasta looming beyond, Lassen Volcanic National Park about an hour east, and the legendary Burney Falls within reach. Sitting right on Interstate 5, the city is also a convenient gateway for exploring the whole Shasta Cascade region.
Redding is honest about its climate extremes — summers are genuinely hot, regularly topping one hundred degrees, and like much of Northern California the region carries real wildfire risk. But the trade for that is a quality of life that's increasingly hard to find in the state. The sunniest skies in California, an iconic bridge and eighty miles of trails, lakes and mountains in every direction, and homes at a fraction of the coastal price have made Redding one of the most compelling places in California. For the visitor it makes an outdoor-adventure basecamp. For the growing number who settle in, it makes the case for the recreation-rich California dream you can actually afford — which is exactly why they keep coming.
Redding, California: FAQ
Is Redding, California worth visiting?
Yes. Redding offers the iconic Sundial Bridge and the 300-acre Turtle Bay Exploration Park, roughly 80 miles of trails, the Sacramento River through town, and easy access to Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Lake, Mount Shasta, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and Burney Falls. As the sunniest city in California and a famously dog-friendly town, it makes an outstanding outdoor-adventure basecamp for the Shasta Cascade region.
Why are people moving to Redding, CA?
Redding draws families, remote workers, and retirees with home prices close to half the California average, a lower cost of living than coastal California, the sunniest skies in the state, and extraordinary outdoor access — rivers, lakes, mountains, and 80 miles of trails. It offers an attainable version of the California outdoor lifestyle, with I-5 access to the rest of Northern California.
What is Redding known for?
Redding is known as the sunniest city in California and the hub of the Shasta Cascade region. It's famous for the Santiago Calatrava-designed Sundial Bridge and Turtle Bay Exploration Park, the Sacramento River, its extensive trail network, its dog-friendly culture, and its proximity to Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Lake, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Is Redding a good place to live?
Redding offers home prices far below the California average, a lower cost of living than coastal California, abundant sunshine, and world-class outdoor recreation with rivers, lakes, mountains, and miles of trails. The main trade-offs are very hot summers that regularly exceed 100 degrees and the wildfire risk common to Northern California.
Advertisement
