Guerneville, California
Guerneville | ||
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FIPS code 06-31470 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 277527 |
Guerneville (
History
Guerneville is built adjacent to the
The area became popular with wealthy vacationers from San Francisco and surrounding communities in the late 19th century. The San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad linked the town to the Ferries of San Francisco Bay in 1877. Even with the demise of train service in the late 1930s, the area's resorts remained popular with vacationers who came by automobile through the 1950s. A local movie theater, the River, was built near the beach and showed double features throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The coming of jet airplane travel in the 1960s marked a period of decline for many of the older resorts. Winter floods in 1964 caused a further decline in business conditions. A renaissance took place in the late 1970s as large numbers of gay entrepreneurs from San Francisco identified the area as a prime recreational destination for weekends. Many older resorts benefited from increased tourism, and the town's businesses began to thrive.
Geography
Guerneville is located in western Sonoma County, along the
The CDP has a total area of 9.88 sq mi (25.6 km2). Of that, 9.71 sq mi (25.1 km2) is land and 0.17 sq mi (0.4 km2) (1.72%) is water.[1]
Climate
Guerneville has cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers, a climate typical of northern coastal California. Although rainfall is rare during the summer months, fog often comes up the river from the Pacific Ocean, producing enough condensation to create "fog drip," which sustains the numerous redwood trees, ferns, and other vegetation.
The National Weather Service reports that Guerneville has an average annual rainfall of 49.15 inches (1,248 mm). Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 73 days each year. The wettest year was 1970 with 70.2 inches (1,780 mm) and the driest year was 1949 with 31.34 inches (796 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 29.08 in January 1970. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.4 inches (210 mm) on February 8, 1960.
Although no official temperature records exist for Guerneville, the nearby town of Graton has average January temperatures ranging from 35.7 to 56.1 °F (2.1 to 13.4 °C), and July temperatures from 48.4 to 83.5 °F (9.1 to 28.6 °C). There are an average of 28.7 days annually with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and 44.7 days annually with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature was 113 °F (45 °C) on July 14, 1972, and the record low temperature was 14 °F (−10 °C) on December 22, 1990. Other nearby cooperative National Weather Service stations are in Occidental, Cazadero, and Fort Ross.[8]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 363 | — | |
1940 | 1,089 | — | |
1980 | 1,525 | — | |
1990 | 1,966 | 28.9% | |
2000 | 2,467 | 25.5% | |
2010 | 4,534 | 83.8% | |
2020 | 4,552 | 0.4% | |
2022 (est.) | 4,764 | [9] | 4.7% |
U.S Census 1880, 1940,[10] 1980-2020[11] |
Racial and ethnic composition | 2000[12] | 2010[13] | 2020[14] |
---|---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 80.21% | 80.83% | 73.22% |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 14.54% | 12.2% | 15.88% |
Two or more races (non-Hispanic)
|
3.2% | 3.6% | 6.46% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
0.53% | 0.64% | 1.3% |
Native American (non-Hispanic) | 0.57% | 1.08% | 1.25% |
Asian (non-Hispanic)
|
0.57% | 0.99% | 0.97% |
Other (non-Hispanic) | 0.16% | 0.44% | 0.9% |
Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) | 0.2% | 0.22% | 0.02% |
2010
At the
The census reported that 99.1% of the population lived in households and 0.9% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 2,305 households, 407 (17.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 583 (25.3%) were
The age distribution was 643 people (14.2%) under the age of 18, 306 people (6.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,042 people (23.0%) aged 25 to 44, 1,932 people (42.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 611 people (13.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 48.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.3 males.
There were 3,343 housing units at an average density of 338.4 per square mile (130.7/km2), of which 56.2% were owner-occupied and 43.8% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%. 56.2% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 42.9% lived in rental housing units.
In 2015, estimated median household income was $44,127, median family income was $53,250 and per capita income was $35,391, according to the 2011-15 American Community Survey (ACS), U.S. Census Bureau.
2000
At the
Of the 1,097 households 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.3% were non-families. 34.8% of households were one person and 8.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.86.
The age distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males.
The median household income was $37,266 and the median family income was $45,875. Males had a median income of $32,350 versus $31,429 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,793. About 13.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the
As of 2000 90% of people from Guerneville speak primarily English while 10% do not. Of these, 6% speak Spanish, 1% speak Russian, 1% speak French, 1% speak German, 1% speak Portuguese, less than 1% speak "other West Germanic languages," Tagalog and Thai.[17]
Economy
Tourism
Guerneville includes a plaza in the town center with permanent chess tables, and small shops. A public beach area along the Russian River is used for fishing, swimming, boating, and sunbathing.
LGBTQ+ community
Guerneville is an
There are several LGBT-friendly clubs and bars in Guerneville.
Parks and recreation
Places of interest include Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and the adjacent Austin Creek State Recreation Area, the Russian River with its meandering flow and wildlife, Johnson's Beach, which hosted the Russian River Jazz and Blues festival In the past and provides summer swimming and boating, and the close proximity of the Pacific Ocean.
Government
In the
In the United States House of Representatives, Guerneville is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.[24]
Education
The Guerneville School District includes the Guerneville School, a K-8 school, established in 1949.[25]
Media
Guerneville/lower Russian River events receive daily coverage by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's "hyperlocal" online Towns section.[26]
Guerneville is the home of non-commercial radio station KGGV-FM, 95.1 MHz.
The Russian River area occasionally appears in local and/or national news due to significant winter flooding, the worst of which occurred in 1986. Because much of the housing is elevated, thanks in large part to FEMA grants, floods no longer have the impact they once did and recovery for most residents and businesses is much faster than in earlier times. The effects of floods are mitigated by the extensive upstream floodplain storage capacity of the Laguna de Santa Rosa.
Filmed in Guerneville
Guerneville's older metal truss bridge can be filmed from the newer bridge, and made an appearance in the movie Mumford as a location for people to walk and talk in idyllic settings. The independent film Deep Dark Canyon was filmed in Guerneville. Surrounding communities were also regular filming locations for the 1960s television series Combat!
References
- ^ a b "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Guerneville
- ^ "History of Armstrong Redwoods". RussianRiverTravel.com. Guerneville, California. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
In 1867 a 25 year old Swiss immigrant arrived in Stumptown. His name was George E. Guerne. Guerne purchased land in the area and laid out a subdivision which became known as 'Guernewood Park'. Guerne also built and operated a sawmill in Stumptown.
- ^ United States Post Office Department (1870). Revenues and Classes of Post Offices. p. 85. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
Guerneville, Sonoma, Cal
- ^ Montero, Melody. "Guerneville". Retrieved August 21, 2013.
As the local tee shirts say, 'don't call it Guerneyville'.
- ISBN 9780738546674. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
There always have been those who insist on calling the town Guerneyville, as pictured in the above 1909 postcard.
- Bob Foster (Winter 2007). "Book Reports". Napa Valley Wine Library Report.
- ^ Annual Report of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture. Vol. 30. Indiana State Board of Agriculture. 1889. p. 569. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
... then by rail entered the Sonoma Valley, visiting the redwood regions at and near Guerneyville, returning to Santa Rosa, ...
- ^ "Central California". www.wrcc.dri.edu.
- ^ "ACS Survey Population Estimate".
- ^ "Population Totals by Township and Place for California Counties: 1860 to 1950". dof.ca.gov.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "2000: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
- ^ "2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
- ^ "2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Guerneville 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 January 31, 2008.
- ^ MLA Data Center Archived 2008-08-01 at the Wayback Machine, access date July 31, 2008
- ^ "CastroBear". Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ "Lazy Bear Weekend at the Russian River". 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ "Polar Bear Weekend at the Russian River". Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
- ^ SPI
- ^ Russian River
- ^ "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 8, 2013.
- ^ "Guerneville School: Home Page". gs-ges-ca.schoolloop.com.
- ^ Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Further reading
- Schubert, John (2016). Guerneville: Early Days: A History of the Lower Russian River (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Schuler Book. OCLC 983424073.
- Sonoma County Genealogical Society. Portraits of Early Sonoma County Settlers., pp.71-87. Santa Rosa, California: Caiifornia Genealogical Society, 2016, ISBN 978--1-365-13126-4