Town

Living in California: Liveability Score 37/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

California scores 37/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 71/100 where the typical UK town scores 47/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 9/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

Of the 7 places sharing the FK1 postcode district, California scores lowest. The FK1 district averages 58/100, putting California 21 points below its own postcode area. That sits 13 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom quarter of the towns and villages we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the FK1 postcode district.

37
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

California scores 37 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with California.
Or compare:
FK1 1AA FK1 2AA FK1 3AA FK1 4AA FK1 5AA FK1 9BH FK1

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
77
Air Quality NO₂ 4.791 · PM2.5 4.534 · PM10 7.522 µg/m³
81
Green Space 67
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
37
2 schools in area · 15 within 4km
2Good
  • California Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Shieldhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
16
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary80.2 mi
Community Paramedic Service85 mi
Hexham General Hospital94.7 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust69.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
Nearest GP surgeryPolmont Park Medical Practice1.8 mi
GP capacity1,582 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
9
Full fibre (FTTP)66.2%
available across Falkirk
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
93.6%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
93.6%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
93.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 16 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
61
Employment rate61%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed61.2%Unemployed2%Retired23.3%Student3.8%Other inactive9.6%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial39.5%Skilled & technical34.7%Routine & elementary25.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications30.5%
Home ownership77.6%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Falkirk · 2025-26
A £1,051
B £1,227
C £1,402
D £1,577
E £2,072
F £2,563
G £3,088
H £3,864
Energy South Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
17
Polmont 1.9 mi
Falkirk High 2.3 mi
Falkirk Grahamston 2.8 mi
J5 M9 2.5 mi
J5 M9 2.6 mi
J4 M9 2.7 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
21
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping None
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for California. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Shieldhill 47 0.7 mi away ⇄
Brightons, Redding and Maddiston 58 1.4 mi away ⇄
Hallglen 56 1.6 mi away ⇄
Laurieston 62 1.9 mi away ⇄
Avonbridge 40 2.3 mi away ⇄
Polmont 56 2.4 mi away ⇄
Falkirk 63 2.9 mi away ⇄
Grangemouth 53 3.6 mi away ⇄
Camelon 61 3.7 mi away ⇄
Slamannan 38 3.9 mi away ⇄
Torphichen 40 4.4 mi away ⇄
Larbert and Stenhousemuir 61 4.9 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is California a nice place to live?

California has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for California is 37/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in California?

Among the top-rated schools in California are California Primary School and Shieldhill Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in California in total.

Postcode districts in California

FK1 58 ⇄

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