Sacramento Valley City Guide · Yuba County

Marysville, California

"California's Oldest Little City," ringed by levees where the Feather and Yuba rivers meet

Bok Kai Temple (dedicated 1880), California Historical Landmark No. 889. Image: Noellegi · CC BY-SA 4.0

By Aaron Rose, Realtor®, eXp Realty of California · Last updated October 18, 2026

Where is Marysville, California?

Marysville is the county seat of Yuba County. It sits at the confluence of the Feather and Yuba rivers, about 39 miles (straight-line) north of downtown Sacramento and directly across the Feather River from Yuba City, at roughly 60 feet elevation. The 2020 Census counted 12,844 residents and 5,098 housing units on 3.5 square miles of land, up from 12,072 in 2010. Levees ring the city. The Appeal-Democrat and Sacramento Bee credit them with keeping Marysville compact and giving it the nickname "California's Oldest Little City."

County and ZIP: The city lies entirely in Yuba County and in ZIP 95901. That ZIP area is much larger than the city (35,840 residents in 2020). It includes the neighboring Linda CDP and stretches far to the northeast, with a sliver crossing into Butte County (about 3% of its land). Check the city limits and county for any 95901 address.

What is the history of Marysville?

Per the California State Library, Charles Covillaud had a ranch at a riverboat stop called Yubaville. In early 1850 the new town was named for his wife, Mary Murphy Covillaud, a survivor of the Donner Party. Local historians date the town's founding to January 18, 1850. It was incorporated on February 5, 1851, as the eighth city in the new state per the Appeal-Democrat (a later Appeal-Democrat item says ninth). Marysville was where steamboats coming up the Feather River could go no farther, which made it the supply "Gateway to the Goldfields." After hydraulic-mining debris raised the Yuba riverbed and caused severe floods, the city built the levees that surround it today.

Chinese miners and merchants made Marysville a major Chinese American center. Per the NRHP nomination summary, the permanent Chinese population reached about 1,000 by 1860, and the city was known as Sam Fou. The Bok Kai Temple (California Historical Landmark No. 889) was dedicated on March 21, 1880, replacing an 1850s temple nearby. The Office of Historic Preservation says it has served as a meeting hall, court, school and place of worship, and that its central deity, Bok Eye, the water god, has been celebrated in Marysville on "Bomb Day" since Chinese settled here.

What are Marysville's main neighborhoods?

Historic Commercial District (downtown): This National Register district (#99000692, listed 1999) covers parts of 14 blocks bounded by First, Sixth, C and E Streets, with 59 contributing buildings from 1850 to 1949. Highlights include D Street's storefronts, the 1946 Tower Theater, the Hotel Marysville and the Hart Building. The nomination calls the Hart Building probably the tallest commercial structure between Sacramento and Portland when it was built.

Historic Chinatown (First and C Streets): The streets near the Bok Kai Temple, along the Yuba River levee, hold the Suey Sing Chamber of Labor and Commerce and other contributing buildings.

Ellis Lake area: Ellis Lake sits at the city's center along Highway 20 (B and Ninth Streets area). Per the Living New Deal, landscape architect John McLaren laid it out in 1924 on an old slough of the Yuba River. WPA crews added rip-rap banks, stone lampposts, a fountain, tennis courts, an island bridge and a boat landing in 1939–40.

Just outside the levees: Unincorporated Linda (21,654 residents) and Olivehurst (16,595) to the east and south are larger than the city itself, by 2020 Census count. Beale Air Force Base is about 13 miles (straight-line) to the east.

What amenities and services does Marysville have?

Marysville's amenities include Adventist Health and Rideout hospital, Yuba College's nearby Marysville campus, Ellis Lake, two riverfronts and historic theaters.

• Adventist Health and Rideout hospital, 726 4th Street
• Yuba College's Marysville campus, 2088 N. Beale Road, a Marysville address in Linda
• Ellis Lake's walking paths
• The Feather and Yuba riverfronts
• Downtown's historic theaters

What schools serve Marysville?

Every point we sampled inside the city falls in Marysville Joint Unified School District under Census/NCES EDGE boundaries. NCES lists MJUSD schools within the city limits, including Marysville High (12 E. 18th St.), Covillaud Elementary (628 F St.), Kynoch Elementary (1905 Ahern St.) and Anna McKenney Intermediate, plus charter and county programs. District lines don't follow ZIP codes or community names, so buyers should confirm the district and school assignment for a specific address with the Yuba County Office of Education's School District Locator or the district office.

How local schools rate in RPR (school ratings in Realtors Property Resource for the City of Marysville, pulled October 18, 2026):

• Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts High School (charter) (High): A
• CORE Charter School (charter) (K-12): A
• Covillaud Elementary School (Elementary): B
• Marysville High School (High): B-
• Kynoch Elementary School (Elementary): C+
• Anna McKenney Intermediate Middle School (Middle): C+
• Paragon Collegiate Academy School (charter) (Elementary/Middle (charter)): C+

Ratings are third-party summaries, and district lines don't follow ZIP codes or community names, so confirm the school assignment for a specific address with the district office.

How far is Marysville from Sacramento?

Marysville is about 39 miles (straight-line) north of downtown Sacramento; Highway 70 runs south toward Sacramento, and Sacramento International Airport is about 31 miles away.

State Highways 70 and 20 meet in Marysville. Highway 70 runs south toward Sacramento (about 39 miles straight-line) and Sacramento International Airport (about 31 miles). Highway 20 crosses the Feather River west to Yuba City and runs east into the foothills. Drive times vary by address, so ask Aaron for a route check from a specific property.

What are homes like in Marysville?

Inside the levees, expect older single-family homes, Victorian and early-1900s houses near downtown and Ellis Lake, and some multi-unit buildings. Newer subdivisions are mostly outside the city in Linda, Olivehurst and Plumas Lake. Flood-zone status and insurance are standard due-diligence items here.

Home prices right now

RPR recorded only 4 single-family sales in Marysville in September 2026, too few for a meaningful median sold price, so this guide doesn't quote one.

RPR showed 33 active listings (median list price $335,000, or $241 per square foot), 10 new listings and 8 pending sales in September 2026. That works out to 4.71 months of inventory, which RPR classifies as a seller's market. RPR's median estimated home value is $333,310, down 0.9% over 12 months.

With so few sales, values vary widely, and a property-specific valuation is the best guide to what a particular home is worth.

Who lives here: Census estimates for the City of Marysville reported by RPR put the population at about 13,000, the median age at 34 and median household income at $56,430 (U.S. Census via RPR, pulled October 18, 2026).

Geography: City of Marysville, single-family, Sept 2026 (RPR). Source: listings and public records via RPR (Realtors Property Resource); pulled October 18, 2026.

How does Marysville compare with nearby towns?

Single-family homes, September 2026. Source: listings via RPR (Realtors Property Resource), pulled October 18, 2026. Where a town had too few sales of its own, its row uses the ZIP code or county shown under its name. "Too few sales" means RPR reported no figure, or the town had under 5 sales, too few for a meaningful median. Towns with few sales can swing month to month.

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