Foothill Area Guide · Yuba County

Strawberry Valley, California

A high-country Yuba County hamlet on the old road to La Porte

"Strawberry Valley, North East Tp., Yuba Co.", from the 1879 History of Yuba County. Image: Thompson & West, 1879 (Internet Archive Book Images) · Public domain

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

Where is Strawberry Valley, California?

Strawberry Valley is a small unincorporated community in northeastern Yuba County, at about 3,750 feet on La Porte Road (County Road E-21), about 39 miles (straight-line) northeast of Marysville. It is not a Census-designated place, so the Census reports no population for the hamlet itself.

County and ZIP: The town center is in Yuba County, with the Butte County line just to the west. Census points less than a mile west fall in Butte County, and the 1879 county history described the valley as "on the Butte county line." Strawberry Valley's ZIP 95981 also serves La Porte. It crosses into Plumas County, with about 76% of its land in Plumas and 24% in Yuba. The whole ZIP area counted just 191 residents and 341 housing units in 2020. Check the county for any parcel.

What is the history of Strawberry Valley?

The 1879 History of Yuba County (Thompson & West) calls Strawberry Valley "the most thriving locality in North East Township," forty-three miles from Marysville by road. It says Captain William Mock named it early in 1851 for the wild strawberry vines at the head of the valley. Men from Columbus, Ohio built the Columbus House hotel, rich diggings were found on Deadwood Creek, and the town had three stores by 1854. David Durham's California's Geographic Names dates the post office to 1855 and records a competing story that the name came from two settlers named Straw and Berry.

What is there to do in and around Strawberry Valley?

Strawberry Valley sits in mixed-conifer forest high on the ridge between the North Yuba and the Feather River's South Fork. It's a place for quiet, a wood stove, and real winter weather. La Porte Road continues northeast about 10 miles (straight-line) to La Porte and Plumas National Forest's Little Grass Valley Recreation Area. There the Forest Service runs 8 campgrounds (about 323 sites), three boat launches, two swim beaches and a 13-mile Lakeshore Trail, usually open mid-June to fall.

What schools serve Strawberry Valley?

Census/NCES EDGE boundaries place Strawberry Valley in Marysville Joint Unified School District. NCES lists MJUSD's nearest school, Yuba Feather Elementary, at 18008 Oregon Hill Rd in Challenge. The Plumas County part of ZIP 95981 is in Plumas Unified School District. 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.

Realtors Property Resource (RPR) didn't list rated schools for Strawberry Valley, so this guide doesn't show school ratings. Ask the district office which schools serve a specific address.

How far is Strawberry Valley from Marysville?

Strawberry Valley is about 39 miles (straight-line) northeast of Marysville; La Porte Road runs southwest through Clipper Mills, Challenge and Brownsville toward the valley.

La Porte Road is the lifeline. It runs southwest through Clipper Mills, Challenge and Brownsville toward Marysville, and northeast to La Porte, where the Quincy–La Porte Road continues to Quincy. This is a remote mountain commute with winter snow, so ask Aaron for a route and access check from a specific property.

Census estimates for Yuba County reported by RPR put the average travel time to work at about 32 minutes.

What are homes like in Strawberry Valley?

Expect cabins, rural homes and timberland-adjacent acreage, often with private wells, septic systems and seasonal-access considerations.

Home prices right now

Strawberry Valley had too few single-family sales in September 2026 for RPR to report figures of its own, so the numbers below are for all of Yuba County. They describe the wider county market, not Strawberry Valley specifically.

The median sold price for a single-family home across Yuba County was $470,000 in September 2026. Homes sold at 100% of list price after a median of 35 days (49 closed sales).

RPR showed 223 active listings (median list price $459,900, or $267 per square foot), 85 new listings and 51 pending sales in September 2026. That works out to 3.84 months of inventory, which RPR classifies as a seller's market. RPR's median estimated home value is $444,760, up 2.7% over 12 months.

Small markets have few sales each month, so medians can swing; ask Aaron for numbers on a specific area or price range.

Who lives here: Census estimates for Yuba County reported by RPR put the median age at 34, median household income at $76,373 and owner-occupied homes at 64% (U.S. Census via RPR, pulled October 18, 2026).

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

How does Strawberry Valley 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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