Younger, richer and smaller: How California's era of wildfire has changed communities forever

"A town native, Goodlin was living in Colorado with her husband and four children. She wanted to witness the devastation that wiped out 10,700 homes, including the small white cottage where she grew up, and turned the dense forest of her youth into a bleak landscape. But once she arrived, she was surprised at her reaction. She could envision so much more than the burned trees and abandoned businesses around her."

"Here, she saw, her family could live on a big piece of land as they'd always wanted. Her husband thought she was crazy, but they ran the numbers, bought a 1.2-acre vacant lot and put a trailer on the property. A few years later, they moved into a new, four-bedroom house. "It took the fire to bring me home," said Goodlin, 43, who now runs a local wildfire recovery nonprofit."

"Young families like Goodlin's are coming to Paradise, shifting the town's demographics away from the retirees who once lived there. Attracted by cheap land - lots cost less than a mid-range car- newcomers can build a larger home on larger parcels for less than buying a house in Chico, a city of 100,000 people 15 miles away. Though Paradise's current population is less than half of what it was, the local Little League already has more kids than before the fire."

The 2018 Camp Fire destroyed roughly 10,700 homes and converted dense forest into a charred landscape, displacing most residents of Paradise, California. Some former residents and newcomers saw opportunity in low land prices, purchasing larger parcels and rebuilding new homes. Families like Goodlin's returned, bought lots, and constructed houses, while some residents started local recovery nonprofits. The influx of younger families is shifting Paradise's age profile, reducing the proportion of retirees. Rebuilt neighborhoods show signs of increased wealth, while renters and people on fixed incomes are being pushed toward urban areas. Physical and institutional reminders of fire continue across the town.

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