PARADISE, Calif. — When Jen Goodlin visited Paradise six months after the 2018 Camp fire, she thought she was saying goodbye.
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.
Jen Goodlin, executive director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation, in Paradise, Calif., in June 2024.
(Nic Coury / Associated Press)
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.
Nearly a decade of megafire in California has brought profound changes to recovering communities. Paradise has become younger. Some rebuilt areas have become wealthier. Renters and people on fixed incomes have found themselves pushed to more urban locales. Both devastated neighborhoods and fire survivors face an unpredictable future that, given the recent intensity of wildfires in California, many more areas will have to face.
Reminders of fire are inescapable in Paradise, from the roadside signposts that designate evacuation routes to the alarm that blares at noon on the 15th of every month, a test of the system that will tell everyone if they need to flee once again. At the same time, the activity in the town belies the desolation implied by building data that show only 30% of destroyed homes have been replaced. Dog walkers and parents with small children play in refurbished parks. At lunchtime, construction workers in reflective vests gather around taco trucks.
A deer treks over an empty lot as homes continue to be built throughout Paradise years after the Camp fire.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Local boosters tout that for every year after the fire, Paradise has been one of the fastest-growing communities in California. Another half-dozen homes are being rebuilt each month, according to a Times data analysis.
But as shown in Paradise, the statistics tell only part of the story. The Times found that of the nearly 22,500 homes lost in the Camp fire and California’s four other most destructive wildfires from 2017 to 2020, just 8,400, or 38%, have been rebuilt.
Given the time that has already passed, it’s unlikely that some places — the forests below the northern Sierra Nevada, parts of the Santa Monica Mountains, pieces of old Shasta County mining towns — ever will have the same number of homes as before. In Paradise, it’s essentially guaranteed. Many returning homeowners purchased their neighbors’ burned out lots to build a larger house or simply expand the size of their property.
Instead of simply repopulating these areas, there has been a subtle shift toward living in more urban communities, especially for renters or homeowners who couldn’t afford to rebuild. In Butte County, disaster relief dollars from both the Camp fire and North Complex fire, which destroyed 1,500 homes in even more rural areas two years later, have been funneled toward affordable housing projects largely in Chico and smaller nearby cities untouched by the blazes. Not one such development has been proposed in the North Complex burn scar.
The rationale is straightforward: More people can be housed more safely and sustainably in cities than in mountainous, fire-prone tracts with little public infrastructure. The urban developments also provide access to grocery stores, public transit and other amenities that give them a higher chance of winning state financing competitions and being completed.
Local officials welcome the investments but feel uneasy about what’s happening. Katie Simmons, deputy chief administrative officer overseeing recovery efforts for Butte County, said many rural fire survivors don’t want to move to the city. She called the new developments “displacement housing” that doesn’t address the needs of those in remote areas who continue to “flounder in disaster-caused homelessness.”
As time wears on, fewer and fewer people find themselves in positions to return, sometimes despite extraordinary efforts to allow them to do so.
Palm trees rising over the vacant lot in November 2020 where Journey’s End Trailer Park once stood in Santa Rosa.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
In Santa Rosa, the 2017 Tubbs fire wiped out Journey’s End, a 162-space mobile home park next to a hospital and the 101 Freeway. A partnership between the landowner, the city and for- and nonprofit developers led to plans for more than 400 apartments on the site, including full replacement of 162 units for low-income seniors.
But it wasn’t until summer 2023 that the first apartments opened. Journey’s End residents, so long as they qualified under the age and income restrictions, could return if they wanted.
Few did. About three dozen expressed interest, 12 initially moved in, six of whom remain.
A lot of her former neighbors from the mobile home park died waiting, said Pat Crisco, 75, one of the Journey’s End residents who came back. Others didn’t want to live in apartments. More had settled elsewhere and didn’t want to uproot themselves again, she said.
Pat Crisco is a former resident of the Journey’s End mobile home park that burned in the Tubbs fire. Crisco is now living in the affordable housing apartment development that was built on the site.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The stray cats Crisco used to feed at Journey’s End are gone and when the hot wind blows outside her apartment building she gets the “heebie jeebies.” But she feels great about her decision to return. The location is close to the bus, her doctors and grocery stores.
“This is brand spanking new,” Crisco said. “And everything is very convenient.”
Before the Tubbs fire, Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park subdivision was middle-class, with its tract homes routinely going for around $500,000. Nearly all the 1,300 houses lost have been rebuilt. Residents were astounded recently when they began selling at more than $1 million.
Jeff Okrepkie, 46, a Coffey Park renter who used his insurance payout as a down payment for a new home on his old street, said it’s undeniable that the neighborhood is more upscale now, with amenities hard to find elsewhere.
“This is the cliche, Americana, suburban single-family-detached homes,” Okrepkie said. “It’s 1980s-style lots, 1980s-style streets with 2020s-style houses.”
Jeff Okrepkie outside his rebuilt home, second from left, in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa.
(Eric Risberg / Associated Press)
What’s happening in Paradise and Santa Rosa provide continually evolving answers to weighty questions: When has a community recovered? And what does recovery even mean?
That’s why local leaders are pushing for a new sewer system as part of an expanded town center to attract restaurants and business that would make more young families want to live there. The lack of one limited the commercial district in the past.
For Paradise officials, recovery is when the community can sustain itself once again.
“It looks like it’s going to serve us for 25 years,” said Colette Curtis, the town’s recovery and economic development director, of the PG&E settlement.
Some residents of communities reshaped by fire have found themselves both drawn and repelled by the place they call home.
Roger and Lindy Brown lived in Paradise with their daughter before the fire and their home burned. Their daughter went to Chico State, and Roger and Lindy moved to Oregon. Roger and Lindy moved back to a rebuilt home near their old one a couple of years ago.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Roger and Lindy Brown had lived in Paradise for 12 years when the Camp fire struck. After the blaze, the Browns rented an apartment in Chico so their daughter could finish her last year at Paradise High School, which held classes in a mall and then a warehouse in Chico.
Roger, 60, worked in heating and air conditioning and had to return to the town often. He couldn’t take seeing the burned-out trees, cars and homes. The couple took their insurance money and moved to a small town in Oregon. From a distance, the upkeep on their vacant lot proved to be too much so they sold that too.
But Paradise pulled at them, especially Lindy, 66. Their daughter never left, attending Chico State, where she recently graduated. Some of their friends had rebuilt. To her, Oregon felt lonely. Paradise, she said, was their community.
Tom and Diane Boatright built back their home in the second-fastest time after the Camp fire using a modular homebuilding company.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Roger and Lindy bought a house in Paradise, a newly built, blue, two-bedroom with a white picket fence. The home had all they wanted. Solar power. A large lot. Apple, cherry and peach trees in the back. And they were overwhelmed with the thought of starting from scratch.
They’ve kept a Little Free Library on their lawn stocked with books. In the spring, they traded their extra peaches for eggs from their neighbor’s chickens.
On a recent weekday afternoon, Roger and Lindy stood in their frontyard admiring the finishing touches on their only major construction project. They were replacing some of the landscaping with gravel, a decision that made their home more fire-resistant and cut their insurance costs in half.
Roger still felt unsure about returning. Before the fire, he would go to breakfast with the town’s classic car club every Saturday. The 1971 Chevy Nova Roger had restored was lost in the blaze and the car club was no more.
“It’s never going to be the Paradise it was,” Roger said to Lindy.
His wife turned to him. “It doesn’t have to be,” she said.
A charming Greek island just a stone’s throw from the insatiably popular Santorini and Mykonos has stunning beaches, a rich history, and delicious seafood – but hardly any tourists
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This tiny island really does offer something for everyone(Image: Getty Images)
Escape the bustling crowds of tourists on this idyllic Greek island recently voted the best in the entire world.
Last year, a whopping 40 million international visitors flocked to Greece, marking an impressive 12.8 per cent spike compared to 2023. The sheer influx resulted in hotspots such as Santorini and Mykonos becoming so insufferably busy – swathes of visitors have vowed to never return.
However, if you’re desperate for golden sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, mouth-watering food and a ubiquitous history – you have to check out Páros. This tiny island, located in the Aegean Sea, boasts 120km of unspoilt coastline – complete with quaint cliff-top villages, rugged mountains, and a vibrant nightlife.
The island is filled with pristine beaches and secluded coves(Image: Getty Images)
If you’re not satisfied with soaking up the rays on sugar-like beaches, head over to Panagia Ekatontapiliani, aka the Holy Shrine of the Virgin Mary. This Byzantine church complex is a must-see for history buffs, and is one of the best-preserved Paleo-Christian monuments in Greece. According to legend, the original church was either constructed by Saint Helene herself or Saint Constantine, the first Emperor of Constantinople, after the oblation of his mother.
Staying in the charming villages of Naoussa, Lefkes, and Marpissa, is a great way to explore the island’s whitewashed houses with blue windows and flowered yards. It’s as Instagram-worthy as the domed buildings in Santorini, but comes without coachloads of selfie-stick-waving tourists.
History buffs will love Panagia Ekatontapiliani(Image: Getty Images/imageBROKER RF)
And if you’re feeling extra boujee, explore Páros’ wildlife-rich waters with a private boat trip or yacht charter. The island is also a great place for scuba divers, home to barracuda, groupers, and moray eels, as well as sea turtles and even dolphins and seals. With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that the island was voted the world’s best in Travel and Leisure’s most recent survey.
“This Aegean isle has made the European islands list every year since we added the category to our ‘World’s Best Awards’ survey,” the publication said. “This year, it takes the top spot for the first time since 2020—and readers named Páros not only their favourite island in Europe, but also the best in the world.
The island is as charming as Santorini and Mykonos – but attracts a fraction of the tourists(Image: Getty Images)
Travellers hailed the island’s fresh seafood, shopping options, natural beauty and ‘warm hospitality’ from locals. “There’s more to explore than I expected,” said one survey respondent. “[There are] surprises around every corner.”
While there is an airport in Páros, it only operates as a domestic hub connecting the island to the mainland. This means Brits will have to first fly to Athens, and then hop on another flight to Páros – which altogether takes around six hours and 15 minutes.
If you’re flexible with dates, you can grab return indirect flights for around £264 in August – if you’re travelling from London. Flying from northern airports such as Manchester or Edinburgh increases the cost to £358 and £336 respectively.
There is a wide range of accommodation types on Páros, from no-frill hotels to luxury resorts. For example, a week’s stay (Monday, August 4-11) at the Surfing Beach Huts will only set you back £585. This is based on two adults sharing two single beds in a wooden cabin.
If you’re looking for something a bit more upmarket, you have to check out Paros Agnanti Resort & Spa. This five-star hotel is situated just 100 metres from the beach, and boasts a stunning spa, beautiful sea views, and excellent leisure facilities. Staying here on the exact same nights, in a Superior room which includes breakfast, will cost £2,358.
*Prices based on Skyscanner and Booking.com listings at the time of writing.
What’s your favourite Greek island? Let us know in the comments section below
