Boonville, California

Boonville (formerly The Corners and Kendall's City) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located southwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 381 feet (116 m). The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census.

History

Boonville was founded by John Bregartes in 1862. It was originally called "The Corners". Bregartes built a hotel there, and in 1864 Alonzo Kendall built another. The town became known as "Kendall's City". W.W. Boone bought a store in town and gave the place its current name.

The first post office opened in 1875, having been transferred from Anderson.

Geography

Boonville is in southern Mendocino County, in the Anderson Valley, north of San Francisco. State Route 128 passes through the town, leading southeast to U.S. Route 101 at Cloverdale and northwest the same distance to the Pacific Ocean near Albion. State Route 253 leads east from Boonville to Route 101 near Ukiah.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Boonville CDP covers an area of , all of it land. The town is drained by Anderson Creek, a northwest-flowing tributary of the Navarro River, which leads to the Pacific Ocean near Albion.

Climate

The region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Boonville has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated ''Csb'' on climate maps.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Boonville had a population of 1,018. The population density was . The racial makeup of Boonville was 475 (46.7%) White, 4 (0.4%) African American, 17 (1.7%) Native American, 3 (0.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 172 (16.9%) from other races, and 347 (34.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 551 persons (54.1%).

The whole population lived in households. There were 357 households, out of which 89 (24.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 169 (47.3%) were married-couple households, 36 (10.1%) were cohabiting couple households, 84 (23.5%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 68 (19.0%) had a male householder with no partner present. 93 households (26.1%) were one person, and 48 (13.4%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.85. There were 228 families (63.9% of all households).

The age distribution was 210 people (20.6%) under the age of 18, 83 people (8.2%) aged 18 to 24, 271 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 242 people (23.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 212 people (20.8%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 41.0years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males.

There were 400 housing units at an average density of , of which 357 (89.3%) were occupied. Of these, 165 (46.2%) were owner-occupied, and 192 (53.8%) were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $53,510, and the per capita income was $27,063. About 0.0% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

Elementary school students in Boonville attend Anderson Valley Elementary School. Middle and high school students attend Anderson Valley Junior-Senior High School. Both schools are located in Boonville.

Politics

In the state legislature, Boonville is in , and .

Federally, Boonville is in .

Culture

Boonville is best known as the source of the Boontling folk language. Bottles from the local Anderson Valley Brewing Company are labeled with the motto "Bahl Hornin'" which means "It's good drinkin'" in Boontling.

An Alsatian Varietals wine festival is held at the fairgrounds each February. In early spring (April or May), the annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival is held at the fairgrounds, featuring beers from about 50 craft breweries. A Pinot Noir Festival is held in May. In July, the Wool-growers' Barbecue and Sheepdog Trials is held at the fairgrounds. Boonville hosts the annual Mendocino County Fair in September. Boonville also hosts the long-running Sierra Nevada World Music Festival every summer solstice weekend in June.

The apple cultivar known as Sierra Beauty is attributed to have been located on a mountainside by itself. Cuttings were made and grafted allowing the cultivar to survive. The Gowan family was one of the early growers that helped save this cultivar from extinction.

Boonville, despite its small population, has a minor reputation among political leftists in the United States for countercultural ideals, including promotion of organic food. The town serves as the setting for the novel '' Boonville'' (2001) by Robert Mailer Anderson and is mentioned in '' Sourdough'' (2017) by Robin Sloan. Some commentators believe Boonville may be the setting for the novel '' Vineland'' (1990) by Thomas Pynchon.

The town is known to Unificationists as the site of the successful but ill-fated Creative Community Project.

The ZIP Code is 95415. The community is inside area code 707.

The 2008 American science fiction action horror thriller film '' Pig Hunt'' is set and shot in Boonville.

The 2016 Western film '' Boonville Redemption'' is set in Boonville in 1906.

Boonville is home of the Boonville stomp, a dance invented by a forestry worker named Maudie in the early 1900s. Les Claypool has a song called "Boonville Stomp" on his album '' Of Fungi and Foe'' which was also featured in the film '' Pig Hunt'' and includes a shout-out to the film's producer and writer Robert Mailer Anderson.

Notable residents

* Robert Mailer Anderson, novelist, screenwriter, playwright and activist; 1987 graduate of Anderson Valley High School
* René Auberjonois, Emmy award-nominated actor, former resident
* Gabriela Lena Frank, award-winning composer (Latin Grammy, Guggenheim, USA Artist) and Grammy-nominated pianist
* Martin Tevaseu, football player for the Indianapolis Colts
* In the spring of 1968 a number of Manson Family members lived for a few months in a residence between Boonville and Philo. Due to drug accusations the residence was raided on June 24 and the inhabitants were arrested. Among the accused were Mary Brunner, Ella Jo Bailey, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel. After the Boonville raid they left the area.'' Helter Skelter'' (1974) by Vincent Bugliosi. Norton & Co, New York.

See also

* Boontling
* Boont ale
*

References

External links

The ''Anderson Valley Advertiser''
- the weekly newspaper of Anderson Valley

{{Authority control

Census-designated places in Mendocino County, California
Populated places established in 1862
1862 establishments in California
Census-designated places in California