The 10 Best Cities For Hippies In California For 2024


The hippiest cities in California are Piedmont and Emeryville for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

You might think that the whole hippie movement has faded away, but the truth is, there are plenty of hippies out there in California.

While they aren’t necessarily in your face all the time with war protests, and the next Woodstock isn’t being planned any time soon, we thought it would be fun to look at which cities in the Golden State where the most hippies would live.

And, after crunching the data, you know what? It was spot on.

How do you decide where the most hippies live? By the number of yoga studios, organic markets, and most importantly, where the liberals live in droves.

Using those criteria, it’s not hard to scrape the internet, run some scientific data on where hippies might live in California, and then put out a list.

So, put on your tie-dye shirt and sandals as you go through this list with us.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Cities In California With The Largest Hispanic Population For 2024

  1. Piedmont
  2. Emeryville
  3. Atherton
  4. Corte Madera
  5. Albany
  6. Sausalito
  7. Fairfax
  8. Larkspur
  9. Capitola
  10. Rolling Hills Estates

Best Places For Hippies In California Map

What’s the hippiest city in California? The hippiest city in California is Piedmont.

Read on below to see where your town ranked, Young Flower Child.

Piedmont, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Sam Pullara | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 10,957
% Liberal: 78.8%
More on Piedmont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Emeryville, CA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 10,497
% Liberal: 78.8%
More on Emeryville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Atherton, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,034
% Liberal: 72.1%
More on Atherton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Corte Madera, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 9,478
% Liberal: 74.3%
More on Corte Madera: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Albany, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 19,020
% Liberal: 78.8%
More on Albany: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Sausalito, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,043
% Liberal: 74.3%
More on Sausalito: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Fairfax, CA

Source: Wikipedia User ERobson at English Wikipedia | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,546
% Liberal: 74.3%
More on Fairfax: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Larkspur, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Sanfranman59 | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 12,131
% Liberal: 74.3%
More on Larkspur: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Capitola, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 10,043
% Liberal: 75.6%
More on Capitola: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Rolling Hills Estates, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Clotee Allochuku | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 8,184
% Liberal: 69.7%
More on Rolling Hills Estates: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How we determined the most beatnik city in California

In order to rank the best cities for hippies in California, we used Saturday Night Science to determine what criteria defines a hippie.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the Google Places API, the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, and Voter Registration data, this is the criteria we used:

  • Number of yoga studios per capita
  • Number of organic markets per capita
  • Number of pet adoption centers per capita
  • Number of vegan restaurants per capita
  • Number of thrift stores per capita
  • Each city’s liberal voting population

For the sake of getting reliable numbers on places, we counted any place within a ~4.5 mile radius of a city’s center. The average city in the United States is about 18 square miles.

All of these results are listed in a per capita basis, meaning number of stores per person in a city. Additionally, we limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 5,000 people.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 414 in each category, where 1 was the most hippie.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a hippie index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the highest hippie index the “Best City for Hippies In California.” We’re looking at you, Piedmont.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in hippie central. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from hippiest to most square.

Summary: The Hippies Of California

If you’re measuring the locations in California where there are lots of liberals, and there are many options for vegan food, yoga and thrift stores, this is an accurate list.

The most hippie cities in California are Piedmont, Emeryville, Atherton, Corte Madera, Albany, Sausalito, Fairfax, Larkspur, Capitola, and Rolling Hills Estates.

If you’re curious, here are the most square places in California:

  1. Corcoran
  2. Paradise
  3. Woodlake

For more California reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Hippie Cities In California

Rank City Population % Liberal
1 Piedmont 10,957 78.8%
2 Emeryville 10,497 78.8%
3 Atherton 7,034 72.1%
4 Corte Madera 9,478 74.3%
5 Albany 19,020 78.8%
6 Sausalito 7,043 74.3%
7 Fairfax 7,546 74.3%
8 Larkspur 12,131 74.3%
9 Capitola 10,043 75.6%
10 Rolling Hills Estates 8,184 69.7%
11 Los Altos Hills 8,244 70.1%
12 La Habra Heights 5,398 69.7%
13 San Anselmo 12,527 74.3%
14 Signal Hill 11,245 69.7%
15 Sebastopol 7,535 71.1%
16 San Marino 13,294 69.7%
17 Hillsborough 11,148 72.1%
18 Woodside 5,427 72.1%
19 Tiburon 9,100 74.3%
20 Mill Valley 14,178 74.3%
21 Beverly Hills 34,536 69.7%
22 Cotati 7,347 71.1%
23 Hermosa Beach 19,725 69.7%
24 El Segundo 16,839 69.7%
25 Sierra Madre 11,060 69.7%
26 Lomita 20,539 69.7%
27 Palos Verdes Estates 13,568 69.7%
28 West Hollywood 35,053 69.7%
29 Hawaiian Gardens 14,432 69.7%
30 Lawndale 33,155 69.7%
31 Indian Wells 5,089 49.7%
32 Belmont 26,503 72.1%
33 Artesia 16,698 69.7%
34 Moraga 16,549 66.4%
35 Villa Park 5,911 45.6%
36 Solvang 5,345 57.6%
37 Los Altos 29,762 70.1%
38 Solana Beach 13,146 52.6%
39 Campbell 40,327 70.1%
40 San Gabriel 40,173 69.7%
41 Maywood 27,703 69.7%
42 South Pasadena 25,914 69.7%
43 Santa Fe Springs 16,859 69.7%
44 Manhattan Beach 35,534 69.7%
45 Sonoma 10,818 71.1%
46 San Carlos 29,166 72.1%
47 Commerce 12,975 69.7%
48 Lafayette 24,685 66.4%
49 Millbrae 22,177 72.1%
50 El Cerrito 24,136 49.7%
51 Pleasant Hill 33,842 66.4%
52 Saratoga 30,627 70.1%
53 Los Alamitos 11,598 45.6%
54 East Palo Alto 28,920 72.1%
55 Pismo Beach 7,789 48.8%
56 Menlo Park 32,792 72.1%
57 Loomis 6,589 39.0%
58 Fort Bragg 7,274 66.2%
59 Grass Valley 12,861 47.7%
60 Los Gatos 30,163 70.1%
61 South El Monte 20,375 69.7%
62 Santa Monica 91,619 69.7%
63 Healdsburg 11,466 71.1%
64 Big Bear Lake 5,104 52.5%
65 Burlingame 29,618 72.1%
66 Claremont 35,569 69.7%
67 Ojai 7,558 52.3%
68 Laguna Woods 16,302 45.6%
69 Duarte 21,676 69.7%
70 Calabasas 23,956 69.7%
71 Pacific Grove 15,365 67.1%
72 Agoura Hills 20,630 69.7%
73 Lemon Grove 25,963 52.6%
74 Pinole 18,754 66.4%
75 La Verne 31,592 69.7%
76 Bell 35,896 69.7%
77 Grover Beach 13,337 48.8%
78 Redondo Beach 67,511 69.7%
79 Berkeley 115,688 78.8%
80 Marysville 12,144 39.1%
81 Grand Terrace 12,252 52.5%
82 Montclair 37,685 52.5%
83 Monterey 28,053 67.1%
84 Cupertino 59,787 70.1%
85 Scotts Valley 11,711 75.6%
86 San Pablo 29,516 66.4%
87 Seal Beach 24,477 45.6%
88 Orinda 18,390 66.4%
89 St. Helena 5,895 63.0%
90 Coronado 24,333 52.6%
91 Calimesa 8,143 49.7%
92 Auburn 13,690 39.0%
93 Rancho Palos Verdes 42,282 69.7%
94 Palo Alto 65,998 70.1%
95 Laguna Beach 23,114 45.6%
96 Loma Linda 23,648 52.5%
97 Riverbank 23,310 50.0%
98 Half Moon Bay 11,803 72.1%
99 Arroyo Grande 17,536 48.8%
100 Cerritos 49,599 69.7%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.