California is a community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, home to about 13,136 people across 13 square miles. Its ZIP code is 20634, and parts of 20619 and 20653 are in California too.
Homes sold for a median of $176 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly California
Mostly Wildewood; part is in California
Mostly Lexington Park; part is in California
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside California. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up California’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)49 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Washington, DC52 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA140 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of California; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
California had 12,947 residents in the 2020 census, up 39% since 2000.
It’s the 113th largest of 527 towns in Maryland by population.
St. Mary's County grew from 17,182 residents in 1900 to 113,777 in 2020.
St. Mary's County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 87°F in summer, and winter lows average 30°F. About 45.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 13 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Patuxent River Nas, MD weather station (5 miles away).
32,683 jobs at 2,090 businesses in St. Mary's County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
11 doctors and other health care providers list an office in California.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Dentists | 5 |
|---|---|
| Mental health providers | 4 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 2 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (10 nearby)
Grocery stores (8 nearby)
Pharmacies (2 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums (2 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 2.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by St. Mary's County Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergreen Elementary SchoolCalifornia | Pre-K–5 | 715 | Public | 3.9 mi |
| George Washington Carver ElementaryGreat Mills | Pre-K–5 | 460 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Greenview Knolls ElementaryGreat Mills | Pre-K–5 | 294 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Great Mills HighGreat Mills | 9–12 | 1,697 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Flower SchoolGreat Mills | Pre-K–8 | 123 | Roman Catholic | 2.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Lexington Park and Wildewood.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.