Paradise, CA

Paradise's wildfire score is 99—the 99th national percentile, the top of this dataset—because the Camp Fire of November 2018 burned 95 percent of the town's structures, killed 85 people, and became the most destructive wildfire in California history. There is no need to contextualize that number with soft language. It is a description of what already happened, and the same forest-edge conditions that produced that event persist across the 95967 and 95969 zip codes today. The 2020 North Complex smoke season reinforced that rebuilding in Paradise does not reset the fire-risk baseline; it inherits it. What we noticed: underwriting in this market is not conventional. Standard homeowners policies are broadly unavailable, and most buyers depend on layered coverage structures or the FAIR Plan—which covers fire but leaves gaps in other perils. Annual premiums range from $3,200 to $9,000 but are heavily shaped by defensible space assessments, roof material, and access route evaluations. Some insurers require site visits before quoting. Coverage continuity from one renewal to the next is not guaranteed. The Magalia corridor in 95969 sits at the forest edge where wildfire exposure is highest. Post-Camp Fire rebuilding has introduced improved construction standards in some parcels, but the surrounding vegetation and topography have not changed. Community resilience scores at the 52nd national percentile—one of the lowest in this dataset—reflect ongoing recovery stress. Flood at the 41st percentile is the city's lowest-concern hazard. The single question governing every purchase decision here: can this property obtain continuous, affordable coverage in a WUI market that major carriers have largely exited.

— Open Data Collective