Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 06-07260 | | |
GNIS feature IDs | 1658093, 2407872 |
Bodega Bay is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 912 at the 2020 census. The town, located along State Route 1, is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast.
History

Bodega Bay is the site of the first Russian structures built in California, which were erected in 1809 by Commerce Counseller
The town is now named in honor of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, a Spanish naval officer who explored the west coast of North America as far north as Alaska during multiple voyages of discovery in the late 18th century.
The location scenes in the
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) wanted to build a nuclear power plant at Gaffney Point on Bodega Head, across the bay from the town, in the 1960s, but the plans were shut down after a large protest (the first for environmental reasons) and the geologic fault which was found while it was digging the hole for the first reactor. The hole filled with water and became known as "The Hole in the Head".
Government
In the
In the United States House of Representatives, Bodega Bay is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.[8]
Education
The majority of Bodega Bay is in the Shoreline Unified School District.[9] Shoreline USD operates the Bodega Bay School.[10] The district's high school is Tomales High School.[11]
A northeast portion of Bodega Bay is instead in the Harmony Union School District and the West Sonoma County Union High School District.[9]
Geography

According to the
The U.S. National Weather Service provides a helpful visual aid[12] graphing weather and climate information from the nearby Monterey sensors to display visually by month the annual typical temperatures, the past year's temperatures, and record temperatures.
Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the
Climate data for Bodega Bay, California | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.6 (13.7) |
59.7 (15.4) |
60.7 (15.9) |
62.7 (17.1) |
65.8 (18.8) |
69.5 (20.8) |
70.6 (21.4) |
71.1 (21.7) |
71.0 (21.7) |
67.9 (19.9) |
61.6 (16.4) |
56.6 (13.7) |
64.5 (18.0) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 48.9 (9.4) |
50.8 (10.4) |
51.9 (11.1) |
53.2 (11.8) |
55.8 (13.2) |
58.9 (14.9) |
60.5 (15.8) |
60.6 (15.9) |
60.0 (15.6) |
57.3 (14.1) |
52.5 (11.4) |
48.6 (9.2) |
54.9 (12.7) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 41.1 (5.1) |
41.9 (5.5) |
43.0 (6.1) |
43.6 (6.4) |
45.7 (7.6) |
48.3 (9.1) |
50.3 (10.2) |
50.1 (10.1) |
49.0 (9.4) |
46.6 (8.1) |
43.3 (6.3) |
40.5 (4.7) |
45.3 (7.4) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 7.6 (190) |
6.9 (180) |
5.4 (140) |
2.4 (61) |
1.4 (36) |
0.3 (7.6) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (2.5) |
0.4 (10) |
2.1 (53) |
5.1 (130) |
7.9 (200) |
39.6 (1,010.1) |
Source: Bestplaces.net[14] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | 1,423 | — | |
2010 | 1,077 | −24.3% | |
2020 | 912 | −15.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1850–1870[16][17] 1880-1890[18] 1900[19] 1910[20] 1920[21] 1930[22] 1940[23] 1950[24] 1960[25] 1970[26] 1980[27] 1990[28] 2000[29] 2010[30] |
2020 Census
Following the
In 2022, 73.8% of housing units in Bodega Bay, CA, were owner-occupied, marking an increase from the previous year's rate of 61.8%.[32]
Between 2021 and 2022, employment in Bodega Bay, CA, saw a decline of 10.8%, from 609 employees to 543. The top employment sectors for Bodega Bay residents include Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (96 people), Construction (70 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (70 people).[32]
2010 Census
The
The Census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 533 households, out of which 77 (14.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 278 (52.2%) were
The population was spread out, with 131 people (12.2%) under the age of 18, 52 people (4.8%) aged 18 to 24, 172 people (16.0%) aged 25 to 44, 409 people (38.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 313 people (29.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
There were 1,060 housing units at an average density of 84.6 units per square mile (32.7 units/km2), of which 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 23.7%. 65.3% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 33.7% lived in rental housing units.
2000 Census
As of the
In the CDP, the population was 12.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $56,818, and the median income for a family was $60,750. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $28,375 for females. The
Notable people

Bodega Bay was the hometown of
Erden Eruç made history here when he completed the first entirely solo and entirely human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth. He began the expedition on July 10, 2007, in Bodega Bay and returned a little more than five years later on July 21, 2012.[36][37]
Film locations
Bodega Bay has served as a location for several major films and TV shows:[38][39][40]
- The Birds (1963): Except for a short sequence at the beginning filmed in San Francisco, most of the film's exterior scenes were filmed around the two towns of Bodega (a small inland village) and Bodega Bay (a larger village on the bay). Special sites used for shooting included Potter School, the Bay, the two towns which were made to appear as one, and the home and barn across the bay from the town of Bodega Bay.
- The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming(1966) Some scenes filmed in Bodega Bay.
- The Pack (1977): Filmed around Bodega Bay.
- The Fog (1980)
- The Goonies (1985): The ending was shot at Goat Rock Beach.
- Puppet Master (1989): Setting is Bodega Bay for the first two, fourth and fifth films.
- Sleepwalkers (1992): Opening scene filmed in Bodega Bay.
- Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is (1994 TV movie): Exterior scenes of the town.
- I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997): Scenes around the road accident.
- Road Trip with Huell Howser Episode 117 (2002)[41]
- Season 15's multi-episode arc was originally going to be filmed in Ireland. But due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bodega Bay was used as the stand-in for those episodes.[42][43]
Other facilities
A branch of the University of California operates a marine lab at Bodega Bay, the Bodega Marine Laboratory.[44]
A nuclear power plant had been planned for Bodega Bay in the 1960s but was abandoned after both local and statewide protests and the discovery of the San Andreas Fault near the proposed site. Excavation for the site began at Bodega Head, and since the project was abandoned the area has been referred to by locals as "The Hole in the Head."[45]
See also
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bodega Bay
- ^ Watrous, Steven (2001). "Outpost of an Empire: Russian Expansion To America". Fort Ross. Fort Ross Interpretive Association. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ Schwartz, Harvey (1989). "Fort Ross: Historic Russian Fort in California". In Howard DeWitt (ed.). Readings in California Civilization. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ "Hitchcock's The Birds Shot Here, Bodega, California". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- ^ "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2024. - Text list
- ^ Home. Bodega Bay School. Retrieved on January 28, 2019.
- ^ "Principal's Message".
- ^ http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/climate/yeardisp.php?wfo=mtr&stn=KSFO&submit=Yearly+Charts San Francisco Bay Area / Monterey
- ^ Climate Summary for Bodega Bay, California
- ^ "Bodega Bay,CA". July 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Bodega Bay CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Nicholas Green Foundation".
- ^ "Guinness World Records – First solo circumnavigation of the globe using human power". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- ^ "Media Kit – Project Summary Document" (PDF). Around-n-Over (PDF file linked from "around-n-over.org/media/mediakit.htm"). August 22, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ "OldMovies.com".
- ^ "The Internet Movie Database".
- ^ "Film locations for I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)". Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
- ^ "Bodega – Road Trip with Huell Howser (117) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University".
- ^ Holub, Christian (December 1, 2021). "Danny DeVito explains why he's really the kid in the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia family". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Lawrence, Derek (November 30, 2021). "Kaitlin Olson will still do anything for a laugh on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "UC Davis Bodega Marin Laboratory". UC Davis Bodega Marin Laboratory. University of California, Davis. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ "Sonoma Coast - Hike Bodega Head". Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2023.