Bodega is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The town had a population of 220 as of the 2010 Census. Bodega is located on Bodega Highway, about west of

Freestone, California Freestone is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. A former stone and logging town, Freestone is the entryway to the Bohemian Highway. In 1974, Freestone became the first historic district named by Sono ...

. Salmon Creek flows through the town.

History

The town of Bodega was known historically as Bodega Corners or Bodega Roads, to distinguish it from the Port of Bodega or Bodega Bay, as it is known today, which is about four miles from Bodega. Bodega and Bodega Bay are named for discoverer of the bay, Juan Francisco Bodega y Caudra, who first sailed into the harbor in 1775. There were formerly two

Coast Miwok Coast Miwok are an indigenous people that was the second-largest group of Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Point ...

villages in the area: one (called ''Kennekono'') sited near the current town and another (called ''Suwutenne'') further north. The first Europeans in the area were Russians who established temporary settlements at Bodega Bay and the Salmon Creek Valley, in the vicinity of Bodega, in 1809. In 1843, Captain Stephen Smith established the first West Coast

lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

near Bodega. Around the same time,

John A. Sutter John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant of Mexican and American citizenship, known for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area th ...

bought land from the Russians, an area that included Bodega. His land purchase included "some hunting rights, a small

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

, several rusty cannons, and some old

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

s." In 1859, shipbuilders constructed Saint Teresa of Avila Church. Open from 1856 to 1967,

Watson School Watson School is a Sonoma County Regional Parks Department historic park, covering approximately , located about east of Bodega, California, on the south side of the road, at 15000 Bodega Highway in Sonoma County, California, United States. It ...

, once served as Bodega's school, and is located in a

Sonoma County Regional Parks Department Sonoma County, California, United States, U.S.A. has numerous regional parks, beaches, trails, and other facilities that are maintained by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department. Sonoma County regional parks typically provide facilities for ...

historic park about 2 miles east of Bodega.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP covers an area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land. The ''

Phacelia distans ''Phacelia distans'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common names distant phacelia and distant scorpionweed.

Demographics

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

reported that Bodega had a population of 220. The population density was . The racial makeup of Bodega was 209 (95.0%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0 (0.0%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2 (0.9%) Native American, 2 (0.9%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0 (0.0%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 7 (3.2%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 9 persons (4.1%). The Census reported that 220 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 117 households, out of which 16 (13.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 43 (36.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5 (4.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 7 (6.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 9 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 51 households (43.6%) were made up of individuals, and 13 (11.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.88. There were 55

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

(47.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.55. The population was spread out, with 25 people (11.4%) under the age of 18, 12 people (5.5%) aged 18 to 24, 43 people (19.5%) aged 25 to 44, 101 people (45.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 39 people (17.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males. There were 131 housing units at an average density of , of which 66 (56.4%) were owner-occupied, and 51 (43.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 137 people (62.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 83 people (37.7%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy

As of 1915, Bodega was serviced by Wells Fargo and Company, who provided express delivery service. Wells Fargo delivered fruits, vegetables,

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s, and butter to the region from

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and List ...

. In the late 1970s, the Soycrafters Association of North America was headquartered in Bodega. It was run by

soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

product innovator Larry Needleman. The area also has a history of

creameries A creamery is a place where milk and cream are processed and where butter and cheese is produced. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream ret ...

, making milk and butter. The Bodega Cooperative Creamery was located in Bodega as of 1922. Farming continues in the area, including Salmon Creek Ranch, which raises

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

and sells organic products. Bodega has a

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

industry, which includes the Sonoma Coast Villa, and art galleries and shops in the small "downtown" area.

Arts and culture

The Birds (1963) Trailer - Escaping school

In the 1970s, Bodega was home to a

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

museum.

In popular culture

In 1963, much of Bodega was used for exterior filming in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's film, '' The Birds'', where it was presented as the nearby shore village of

Bodega Bay Bodega Bay ( es, Bahía Bodega) is a shallow, rocky inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the coast of northern California in the United States. It is approximately across and is located approximately northwest of San Francisco and west of Santa Ros ...

. Bodega's Potter School, now a private residence, was used as the Bodega Bay School in the movie; and Bodega's general store also appeared "as itself", though it has since been moved from its original site.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, Bodega is in the 2nd Senate District and the 2nd Assembly District. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Bodega is in . At the county level, Bodega is in Sonoma County's 5th supervisorial district.

Education

There is an elementary school in the nearby village of Bodega Bay but no educational facilities in Bodega itself.

Media

Infrastructure

Transportation

The main road through town is Bodega Highway, which runs east to Freestone and

Sebastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

and south to State Route 1 less than a mile (1.6 km) away. State Route 1 provides access to the neighboring towns of

and

Valley Ford Valley Ford is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in western Sonoma County, California, United States. It is located on State Route 1 north of San Francisco. Like all of Sonoma County, Valley Ford is included in both ...

. The Mendocino Transit Authority provides bus service to Bodega. Routes 75 and 95 stop at Bodega two times a day. An eastbound one at 10:25 am, and the same one returning westbound at 4:55 pm.

Notable residents

Thomas Oliver Boggs was a resident for a brief period in Bodega, before leaving for

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, where he witnessed the burial of

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

. Boggs' papers are held in the collection of the

Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

References

External links

Bodega Community Website
{{authority control Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Sonoma County, California Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Sonoma County, California