Fairhaven (formerly Rolph) 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) adjacent to Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County,

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 ...

, United States. It is located west-southwest of downtown

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

, at an elevation of above sea level. In 1867,

Hans Ditlev Bendixsen Hans Ditlev Bendixsen (October 14, 1842 – February 12, 1902) was a Danish-American shipbuilder who was instrumental in the development of the merchant marine industry on the West Coast of the United States. His lumber schooners were built in o ...

opened a ship building yard in Fairhaven. Bendixsen built many vessels for the lumber trade. Bendixsen constructed 92 sailing vessels between 1869 and 1901, including 35 three-masters. These included the '' C.A. Thayer'' which is now preserved at the

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California, United States. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility. The park used to be r ...

.Leigh H. Irvine, ''History of Humboldt County California'' (Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1915

/ref> The Rolph post office operated from 1918 to 1921. That name was for Governor

James Rolph James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931, until his death on June ...

of California. The name "Fairhaven" was taken from Fair Haven, a neighborhood in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

Demographics

References

Census-designated places in Humboldt County, California Census-designated places in California Populated coastal places in California {{HumboldtCountyCA-geo-stub