Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'',

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "of Mendoza) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located on the

North Coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to : Antigua and Barbuda * Major Division of North Coast, a census division in Saint John Parish Australia *New South Wales North Coast, a region Canada *The British Columbia Coast, primarily the communiti ...

of 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists wholly of the Ukiah, CA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA) for the purposes of the

U.S. 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 ...

. It is located approximately equidistant from the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

and California/

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

border, separated from the

Sacramento Valley , photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg , photo_caption= Sacramento , map_image=Map california central valley.jpg , map_caption= The Central Valley of California , location = California, United States , coordinates = , boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...

to the east by the

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. P ...

. While smaller areas of redwood forest are found further south, it is the southernmost California county to be included in the World Wildlife Fund's Pacific temperate rainforests ecoregion, the largest

temperate rainforest Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American Paci ...

ecoregion on the planet. The county is noted for its distinctive

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

coastline, its location along California's "

Lost Coast The Lost Coast is a mostly natural and undeveloped area of the California North Coast in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. In add ...

", Redwood forests,

wine production Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and w ...

microbrew Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

s, and

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

views about the use of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

and support for its legalization. In 2009, it was estimated that roughly one-third of the economy was based on the cultivation of marijuana. The notable historic and recreational attraction of the "

Skunk Train The California Western Railroad , AKA Mendocino Railway popularly called the Skunk Train, is a rail freight and heritage railway, heritage railroad transport railway in Mendocino County, California, United States, running from the railroad's he ...

" connects

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

with Willits in Mendocino County via a steam-locomotive engine, along with other vehicles. Mendocino is one of three Northern California counties to make up the "

Emerald Triangle The Emerald Triangle is a region in Northern California, named as such due to it being the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. The region includes three counties in an upside-down triangular configuration: * Humboldt County, ...

", along with Humboldt and Trinity counties.

History

Mendocino County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Due to an initially minor settler American population, it did not have a separate government until 1859 and was under the administration of

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 ...

prior to that. Some of the county's land was given to Sonoma County between 1850 and 1860. The county derives its name from

Cape Mendocino Cape Mendocino (Spanish: ''Cabo Mendocino'', meaning "Cape of Mendoza"), which is located approximately north of San Francisco, is located on the Lost Coast entirely within Humboldt County, California, United States. At 124° 24' 34" W longitude ...

(most of which is actually located in adjacent Humboldt County), which was probably named in honor of either

Antonio de Mendoza Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco (, ; 1495 – 21 July 1552) was a Spanish colonial administrator who was the first Viceroy of New Spain, serving from 14 November 1535 to 25 November 1550, and the third Viceroy of Peru, from 23 September 1551, ...

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

, 1535–1542 (who sent the

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo ( pt, João Rodrigues Cabrilho; c. 1499 – January 3, 1543) was an Iberian maritime explorer best known for investigations of the West Coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the firs ...

Expedition to this coast in 1542),https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_m8FQAQAAIAAJ/bub_gb_m8FQAQAAIAAJ_djvu.txt Cape Mendocino was named in honor of Antonio de Mendoza, the first Viceroy of New Spain. He was appointed by the emperor, and, arriving in the city of Mexico in 1535, ordered a survey of the coast of California, wherein the cape was discovered. The county was named after the cape. ''History of Northern California'', p. 138. or

Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo State ...

, Viceroy from 1580 to 1583. ''Mendocino'' is the adjectival form of the

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

of Mendoza. Neither Spanish nor Mexican influence extended into Mendocino County beyond the establishment of two Mexican land grants in southern Mendocino County: Rancho Sanel in Hopland, in 1844 and

Rancho Yokaya Rancho Yokaya privately owned by Sophia Charity Piceno of the Little Lake and Kon kow tribes to current date 2022, (also called "Llokaya") was a Mexican land grant in present day Mendocino County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico t ...

that forms the majority of the Ukiah Valley, in 1845. In the 19th century, despite the establishment of the

Mendocino Indian Reservation Mendocino Indian Reservation, a former Indian reservation in Mendocino County, one of the early Indian reservations to be established in California by the Federal Government for the resettlement of California Indians. It was established in the spr ...

and

Nome Cult Farm The Round Valley Indian Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation lying primarily in northern Mendocino County, California, United States. A small part of it extends northward into southern Trinity County, California, Trinity County ...

in 1856, the county witnessed many of the most serious atrocities in the extermination of the Californian Native American tribes who originally lived in the area, like the Yuki, the

Pomo The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point. One small grou ...

, the

Cahto The Cahto (also spelled Kato, especially in anthropological and linguistic contexts) are an indigenous Californian group of Native Americans. Today most descendants are enrolled as the federally recognized tribe, the Cahto Indian Tribe of the ...

, and the

Wintun The Wintun are members of several related Native American peoples of Northern California, including the Wintu (northern), Nomlaki (central), and Patwin (southern).Pritzker, 152 Mendocino War The Mendocino War was a conflict between the Yuki (mainly Yuki tribes) and white settlers in Mendocino County, California between July 1859 and January 18, 1860. It was caused by settler intrusion and slave raids on native lands and subsequent ...

in 1859, where hundreds of Indians were killed. Establishment of the

Round Valley Indian Reservation Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the numbe ...

on March 30, 1870, did not prevent the segregation that continued well into the 20th century. Other tribes from the Sierra Nevada mountains were also relocated to the Round Valley Indian Reservation during the "California Trail Of Tears", where the Natives were forced to march in bad conditions to their new home in Round Valley. Many of these tribes thrown together were not on good terms with the other tribes they were forced to live with on the reservation, resulting in tensions still evident today.

Geography

According to the

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (9.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Humboldt County - north * Trinity County - north *

Tehama County Tehama County ( ; Wintun for "high water") is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff. Tehama County comprises th ...

- northeast *

Glenn County Glenn County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,917. The county seat is Willows. It is located in the Sacramento Valley, in the northern part of the California Central Valley. The ...

- east * Lake County - east *

- south

Rivers

* Russian River (inland) *

Gualala River The Gualala River is a river on the northern coast of California. Most of the river is in Sonoma County, but a portion is in Mendocino County. The headwaters of the river (measuring via its South Fork)U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography ...

Garcia River The Garcia River is a river on the northern coast of California, in southern Mendocino County. The river's watershed covers and its mainstem is long. The watershed receives of precipitation per year near the coast and inland. The watershed's ...

* Elk Creek *

Navarro River , name_native_lang = , name_other = , name_etymology = , image = Navarro_River.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = The Navarro River near its mouth. , map = , map_size ...

Albion River The Albion River is an river in Mendocino County, California. The river drains about on the Mendocino Coast and empties into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Albion, California, where California State Route 1 crosses it on the Albion River ...

* Little River * Big River * Big Salmon Creek * Little Salmon Creek *

Noyo River The Noyo River (Pomo: ''Chemli-bida'') is a river on the north coast of California in Mendocino County. The river's headwaters are in the steep Mendocino Range, but downstream the river flows through gently sloping marine terraces before draini ...

* Pudding Creek * Virgin Creek * Ten Mile River *

Usal Creek Usal Creek is the southernmost drainage basin unbridged by California State Route 1 on California's Lost Coast. The unpaved county road following the westernmost ridge line south from the King Range crosses Usal Creek near the Pacific coast, b ...

* Eel River (inland)

Beaches

* Big River Beach *

Caspar Headlands State Beach Caspar Headlands State Beach is a protected beach in the state park system of California, United States. It is located in Northern California in Mendocino County near the village of Caspar. The park was established in 1972. History In the ...

* Van Damme Beach *

Greenwood State Beach Greenwood State Beach, also known as Elk Beach, is a state-protected beach of California, United States. It is located in the unincorporated village of Elk in Mendocino County. It is located about north of Point Arena on Highway 1. The park ...

* Seaside Beach *

Westport-Union Landing State Beach Westport-Union Landing State Beach is located in Mendocino County in Northern California. Covering over of rugged and scenic coastline, this beach consists of 46 campsites with ocean and mountain views. This scenic opportunity gives new photogra ...

* Manchester State Beach * Navarro Beach * Portuguese Beach *

Schooner Gulch State Beach Schooner Gulch State Beach is a public beach located in Mendocino County, California. It is located approximately 50 miles northwest of Santa Rosa. The park is famous for Bowling Ball Beach, where visitors can view natural spherical sandstone con ...

* Long Valley Creek * 10 Mile Creek * Glass Beach

National and state protected areas

Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area is a state recreation area of California, United States, featuring of redwoods on the Eel River. It is located west of Laytonville, California, in Mendocino County. The park is a popular spot fo ...

Caspar Headlands State Recreation Area Caspar is a masculine given name. It may refer to: People * Caspar (magus), a name traditionally given to one of the Three Magi in the Bible who brought the baby Jesus gifts *Caspar Austa (born 1982), Estonian cyclist *Caspar Badrutt (1848–1904) ...

Hendy Woods State Park Hendy Woods State Park is a California state park, located in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. It is known for its old growth forest, old-growth Sequoia sempervirens, coast redwoods and also provides camping facilities near the wineries ...

* Jug Handle State Reserve *

MacKerricher State Park MacKerricher State Park is a state park in California in the United States. It is located north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County. It covers of coastline and contains several types of coastal habitat, including beaches, dunes, headlands, coves, ...

Mailliard Redwoods State Reserve Mailliard may refer to: * Charlotte Mailliard Shultz (born 1933), American heiress and socialite *William S. Mailliard William Somers Mailliard (June 10, 1917 – June 10, 1992) was an American banker and World War II veteran who was member of ...

* Manchester State Park *

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are located on 47 acres (19 hectares) in Fort Bragg, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country p ...

Mendocino Headlands State Park Mendocino Headlands State Park is a California State Park in Mendocino, California Mendocino ( Spanish for "of Mendoza") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. Mendocin ...

Mendocino National Forest The Mendocino National Forest is located in the Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern California and comprises 913,306 acres (3,696 km2). It is the only national forest in the state of California without a major paved road entering it ...

* Mendocino Woodlands State Park * Montgomery Woods State Reserve *

Navarro River Redwoods State Park Navarro River Redwoods State Park is a state park in Mendocino County, California, consisting of of second-growth redwood forest in a narrow stretch long on both banks of the Navarro River, from the town of Navarro to the river's confluence w ...

* Point Arena State Marine Reserve & Point Arena State Marine Conservation Area * Point Cabrillo Light Station * Reynolds Wayside Campground *

Russian Gulch State Park Russian Gulch State Park is a California State Park in coastal Mendocino County, California, north of Mendocino, California, Mendocino and south of Fort Bragg, California, Fort Bragg. Park features The park features of rocky ocean shores; it ...

Saunders Reef State Marine Conservation Area Saunders Reef State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) is a marine protected area that extends offshore, just south of Schooner Gulch State Beach and north of Sail Rock in Mendocino County on California’s north central coast. The marine protected a ...

Sea Lion Cove State Marine Conservation Area Sea Lion Cove State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) is a marine protected area that lies onshore, just south of Point Arena in Mendocino County on California’s north central coast. The marine protected area covers 0.22 square miles. Sea Lio ...

Sinkyone Wilderness State Park Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is a state park in Mendocino County, California. The wilderness area borders the Pacific Ocean to the west and the King Range National Conservation Area to the north. The nearest settlement is the unincorporated ...

Smythe Redwoods State Reserve Smythe, an uncommon spelling of the surname Smith, may refer to: People *Conn Smythe (1895–1980), Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing * Dallas Smythe (1907–1992), Canadian political activist and research ...

* Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area *

Van Damme State Park Van Damme State Park is a public beach consisting of about of land in Mendocino County, California, near the town of Little River on State Route 1. It was named for Charles F. Van Damme (1881–1934), who was born in the area and purchased the ...

Flora and fauna

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

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 Mendocino County had a population of 87,841. The racial makeup of Mendocino County was 67,218 (76.5%)

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 ...

, 622 (0.7%)

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 ...

, 4,277 (4.9%) Native American, 1,450 (1.7%)

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 ...

, 119 (0.1%)

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 ...

, 10,185 (11.6%) 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 3,970 (4.5%) 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 19,505 persons (22.2%).

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 86,265 people, 33,266 households, and 21,855 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 25 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 36,937 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.8%

, 0.6%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 4.8% Native American, 1.2%

, 0.2%

, 8.6% from

, and 3.9% from two or more races. 16.5% of the population were

of any race. 12.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 10.8%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 8.6%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 6.1%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and 5.6%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. 84.4% spoke

and 13.2%

as their first language. There were 33,266 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,996, and the median income for a family was $42,168. Males had a median income of $33,128 versus $23,774 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $19,443. About 10.9% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of 2022, the

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Mendocino County is C. David Eyster, the elected

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

is Matthew C. Kendall and the Chief Executive Officer is Darcie Antle. Mendocino County is legislatively governed by a board of five supervisors, each with a separate district. The first district is represented by Glenn McGourty, and serves the central-eastern region of the county, including

Potter Valley Potter Valley is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north-northeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of at the headwaters of the East Fork Russian River. The CDP population was 665 at the 2020 cens ...

Redwood Valley Redwood Valley (formerly Basil) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north of Ukiah, the county seat, at an elevation of , and comprises the northern portion of the Ukiah Valley. It i ...

, Calpella, and Talmage. The second district, represented by Maureen Mulheren, serves Ukiah. The third district, in the northeastern quadrant of the county from Willits north to

Laytonville Laytonville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north-northwest of Willits, at an elevation of . The population was 1,152 at the 2020 census, down from 1,227 at the 2010 census. Geogr ...

and Covelo, is represented by John Haschak. The fourth district covers the northwestern quadrant of the county, including the coast from

Caspar Caspar is a masculine given name. It may refer to: People * Caspar (magus), a name traditionally given to one of the Three Magi in the Bible who brought the baby Jesus gifts *Caspar Austa (born 1982), Estonian cyclist *Caspar Badrutt (1848–1904) ...

northwards through

; its supervisor is Dan Gjerde, who previously served on the Fort Bragg City Council. The supervisor for the fifth district is Ted Williams; his district covers the southern portion of the county, including the coast from Mendocino to Gualala, the

Anderson Valley Anderson Valley is a sparsely populated region in western Mendocino County in Northern California. Located approximately north of San Francisco, the name "Anderson Valley" applies broadly to several rural, unincorporated communities in or near ...

, the western outskirts of Ukiah, and portions of the Russian River valley near Hopland.

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Mendocino is a strongly Democratic county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was Californian

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. However, in the 2016 election, Mendocino County gave Hillary Clinton a reduced margin of victory of any Democratic since Al Gore (though support for third-party candidates more than doubled from 2012). In 2020 the county was won by Joe Biden with an increased margin of victory from the previous election. Federally, Mendocino County is in . In the state legislature Mendocino is in , and . As of February 2021, the

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeho ...

reports that Mendocino County has 54,505 registered voters. Of those, 26,648 (48.9%) are registered Democratic; 11,387 (20.9%) are registered Republican; 4,389 (8.1%) are registered with other political parties, and 12,082 (22.1%) declined to state a political party. In 2000, Mendocino County voters approved Measure G, which calls for the decriminalization of marijuana when used and cultivated for personal use. Measure G passed with a 58% majority vote, making it the first county in the United States to declare prosecution of small-scale marijuana offenses the "lowest priority" for local law enforcement. Measure G does not protect individuals who cultivate, transport or possess marijuana for sale. However, Measure G was passed at the local government level affecting only Mendocino County, and therefore does not affect existing state or federal laws. The city of

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

has had a similar law (known as the Berkeley Marijuana Initiative II) since 1979 which has generally been found to be unenforceable. In 2008, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors placed Measure B on the June 3 county-wide ballot. After three months of hard-fought campaigning and national attention, voters narrowly approved "B", which repealed the provisions of 2000's Measure G. However, opponents of Measure B intend to continue the challenge in court, as the wording of Measure B relies heavily on S.B. 420's state limitations which were recently ruled unconstitutional by the California supreme court. On July 3, the Sheriff and District Attorneys offices announced that they would not be enforcing the new regulations for the time being, citing pending legal challenges and conflicts with existing state law. In April, 2009, Sheriff Tom Allman issued his department's medical marijuana enforcement policy, which includes the provisions of Measure B and also cites the California Supreme Court Ruling narrowly defining "caregiver" in the state's medical marijuana law. In 2004, Measure H was passed in Mendocino County with a 56% majority, making it the first county in the United States to ban the production and cultivation of

genetically modified organism A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

s. On Nov. 4, 2008, Mendocino County voted 63.1% against Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

A coroner's jury ruled that the 2018

Hart family crash The Hart family murders was a murder–suicide which took place on March 26, 2018, in Mendocino County, California, United States. Jennifer Hart and her wife, Sarah Hart, murdered their six adopted children: Ciera (aged 12), Abigail (14), Jere ...

in Mendocino County was deliberate.

Media

Mendocino County is considered part of the

television market, and primarily receives the major Bay Area TV stations. The county is also served by local and regional newspapers as well as a community radio stations. Community radio stations include

KZYX KZYX (90.7 FM), is a National Public Radio member station in Philo, California. The studios are located at 9300 Highway 128 in Philo, CA, and the transmitter is located on Cold Springs Mountain (near Philo, CA) in the State of California Departm ...

, operating out of Philo, and KLLG, operating out of the Little Lake

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to a monastery Geography Australia * Grange, South Austral ...

in Willits. The Humboldt County-based

KMUD KMUD (91.1 FM) is a community radio station broadcasting a variety format. Licensed to Garberville, California, the station serves Humboldt, Northern Mendocino, and western Trinity counties in the North Coast region. KMUD is owned by Redwood ...

is also receivable in large parts of the county. Local independent newspapers include the online news service

The Mendocino Voice ''The Mendocino Voice'' is an independent daily online newspaper based in and covering Mendocino County, in Northern California. History ''The Mendocino Voice'' was founded in September 2016 by two former employees of ''The Willits News'', a ...

, and The Laytonville Observer, the

Anderson Valley Advertiser The ''Anderson Valley Advertiser'' is a small weekly tabloid published in Anderson Valley, California. It was founded in 1955 as a local, community-based paper. The ''AVAs masthead features mottoes borrowed from the French Revolution and the Ind ...

, the Willits Weekly and the Independent Coast Observer. Four formerly independent newspapers are now owned by the national conglomerate media company

Digital First Media MNG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado-based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. The company has been growing its portfolio and as of May 2021, owns over 100 newspa ...

, they are: The Ukiah Daily Journal, The

Mendocino Beacon ''The Mendocino Beacon'' is a weekly newspaper for the community of Mendocino, California, owned by MediaNews Group. History ''The Mendocino Beacon'' was founded on October 6, 1877 by W. H. Meacham and William Heeser,. an immigrant from Germany ...

, the

Willits News ''The Willits News'' is a twice weekly newspaper covering Willits, California and northern Mendocino County. It has been reporting on the community since 1903. It works regularly with the Ukiah Daily Journal. Current The paper is owned by newsp ...

, and The Fort Bragg Advocate. These four papers have seen a precipitous decline in the size of editorial staff and in coverage over the past several years, in keeping with the nationwide tactics of DFM. The Sonoma County-based

Press Democrat ''The Press Democrat'', with the largest circulation in California's North Bay, is a daily newspaper published in Santa Rosa, California. History The newspaper was founded in 1897 by Ernest L. Finley who merged his ''Evening Press'' and Thomas ...

also covers the area.

Education

Community colleges

Mendocino College Mendocino College is a public community college in Ukiah, California. Mendocino College was founded in 1973. The main campus is located on of hilltop land north of downtown Ukiah in the Ukiah valley. Currently there are about 4,000 students, 5 ...

: ** Main campus, Ukiah ** North County Center, Willits ** Coast Center, Fort Bragg *

Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private university, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California, Napa County. It is a coeducational r ...

Albion Biological Field Station The Albion Biological Field Station is a research and education facility near the Pacific coast of Mendocino County, California that is operated by Pacific Union College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Adventist Church and loc ...

Universities

Dharma Realm Buddhist University Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) is an American private nonprofit university located in Ukiah, California, just over 100 miles north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. It was established in 1976 by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. It is sit ...

K-12 education

School districts include: Unified: *

Anderson Valley Unified School District Anderson Valley Unified School District, a public school district based in Boonville, Mendocino County, California, provides compulsory public primary and secondary education in the entirety of the nearly 20 mile long Anderson Valley, from the Me ...

Fort Bragg Unified School District Fort Bragg Unified School District, a public school district in Mendocino County, oversees public primary and secondary education in Fort Bragg, California and the surrounding area, accountable to both the local voters and the California Departmen ...

Laytonville Unified School District Laytonville Unified School District is a public school district in Mendocino County, California, United States. References External links

* School districts in Mendocino County, California Education in Mendocino County, California ...

Leggett Valley Unified School District Leggett Valley Unified School District is a public school district based in Mendocino County, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a countr ...

Mendocino Unified School District Mendocino Unified School District is a public school district in Mendocino County, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primaril ...

Potter Valley Community Unified School District A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US *Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska *Potters, New Jerse ...

Round Valley Unified School District The Round Valley Unified School District (RVUSD) is an Arizona school district comprising five schools in Apache County, Arizona. The towns that house the schools of RVUSD include Eagar and Springerville, Arizona. As of 2006, RVUSD has 1610 studen ...

Southern Humboldt Joint Unified School District Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

* Ukiah Unified School District * Willits Unified School District Secondary: *

Point Arena Joint Union High School District Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Poin ...

Elementary: *

Arena Union Elementary School District The Arena Union Elementary School District is a public elementary school district based in Point Arena, California and part of one of only ten "Common Districts" in the state, following a model where two separate legal entities responsible for lo ...

Manchester Union Elementary School District Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Transportation

Major highways

State Route 1 * US 101 (1961 cutout)

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

State Route 20 * California 128

State Route 128 * California 162

State Route 162 * California 175

State Route 175 * California 222

State Route 222 (unsigned) * California 253

State Route 253 * California 271

State Route 271

Public transportation

Bus

The Mendocino Transit Authority provides local and intercity bus service within Mendocino County. Limited service also connects with transit in

Greyhound Bus Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pa ...

currently serves Ukiah.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's operates connecting bus service to Ukiah, Willits and Laytonville. The historic

is a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

that connects

Fort Bragg, California Fort Bragg, officially the City of Fort Bragg, is a city along the Pacific Coast of California along Shoreline Highway in Mendocino County. The city is west of Willits, at an elevation of . Its population was 6,983 at the 2020 census. Fort ...

with Willits using steam locomotives.

Airports

Ukiah Municipal Airport Ukiah Municipal Airport is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) south of Ukiah, serving Mendocino County, California, United States. This general aviation airport covers and has one runway. Past passenger airline service Ukiah wa ...

is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Ukiah. It is located south of downtown Ukiah. *

Little River Airport Little River Airport is a small county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Little River, in Mendocino County, California, United States. Although most U.S. airports use th ...

is a general aviation airport serving the Mendocino coast. * Willits Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport serving the Willits / Little Lake Valley area. Located in the Brooktrails subdivision area west of Willits. *

Round Valley Airport Round Valley Airport is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) southwest of Covelo, serving Mendocino County, California, USA. The airport is mostly used for general aviation. Facilities Round Valley Airport covers and has one asphalt ...

is a general aviation airport serving the Covelo / Round Valley area. * Boonville Airport (California) is a general aviation airport serving the Boonville / Anderson Valley area. * Ocean Ridge Airport is a privately owned general aviation airport serving the Gualala area. For commercial service, passengers in Mendocino County need to go to

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 ...

, one county to the north in Humboldt County, or to

Sonoma County Airport Sonoma may refer to: * ''Sonoma'' (beetle), a genus of beetles * Sonoma County, California, a county in northern California in the United States ** Sonoma, California, the city for which the county is named ** Sonoma Valley, the region in Sonoma ...

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...

, one county to the south. More comprehensive service is available from

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

to the east or

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, well to the south. Emergency services for the largely unincorporated county are coordinated through Howard Forest Station, a local

Cal Fire The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various areas under state responsibi ...

station just south of Willits.

Communities

Cities

Point Arena Point Arena, formerly known as Punta Arena (Spanish language, Spanish for "Sandy Point") is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located west of Hopland, California, H ...

* Ukiah (county seat) * Willits

Census-designated places

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

* Anchor Bay * Boonville * Brooktrails * Calpella *

* Cleone * Comptche * Covelo * Hopland (formerly Sanel) *

* Leggett *

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

* Mendocino *

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; grc, Φίλων, Phílōn; he, יְדִידְיָה, Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah); ), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo's deplo ...

* Talmage

Unincorporated communities

* Branscomb * Dos Rios *

Elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

* Gualala *

Inglenook An inglenook or chimney corner is a recess that adjoins a fireplace. The word comes from "ingle", an old Scots word for a domestic fire (derived from the Gaelic ''aingeal''), and "nook". The inglenook originated as a partially enclosed heart ...

* Longvale * Navarro * Noyo * Old Hopland * Piercy * Pine Grove * Rockport * Wanhala * Westport * Yorkville

Indian reservations

Mendocino County has nine

Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...

s lying within its borders, the fourth most of any county in the United States (after

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

;

Sandoval County, New Mexico Sandoval County is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,561, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo. Sandoval County is part of the Albuquerque m ...

; and

Riverside County, California Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...

). *

Coyote Valley Reservation The Coyote Valley Reservation in Redwood Valley, California is home to about 170 members of the Coyote Valley tribe of the Native American Pomo people, who descend from the Shodakai Pomo. They are a federally recognized tribe, who were formerly ...

* Guidiville Rancheria *

Hopland Rancheria The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians of the Hopland Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people in Mendocino County, California, south of Ukiah.

* Laytonville Rancheria *

Manchester-Point Arena Rancheria The Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria, formerly named the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester-Point Arena Rancheria, is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo Indians in California. The tribe is a community o ...

Pinoleville Rancheria The Pinoleville Pomo Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people in Mendocino County, California.

Redwood Valley Rancheria The Redwood Valley Rancheria (officially known as Redwood Valley Little River Band of Pomo Indians) is a federally recognized Indian tribe located in Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, California. The tribe is primarily composed of Pomo Indians. Red ...

Round Valley Reservation The Round Valley Indian Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation lying primarily in northern Mendocino County, California, United States. A small part of it extends northward into southern Trinity County. The total land area, incl ...

(partly in Trinity County) *

Sherwood Valley Rancheria The Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California is a Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribe of Pomo people, Pomo Indians in California. The tribe's reservation, the Sherwood Valley Rancheria, is located in Mendocino C ...

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Mendocino County. † ''county seat''

In popular culture

"Mendocino" by

The Sir Douglas Quintet ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

was released in December 1968 and reached No. 27 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 by early 1969, spending 15 weeks in the chart.

Kate McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010)Obituary at CBC ...

's song "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino," is one of the songs on the McGarrigles' 1975 debut album; it has been covered by

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

on her 1982 album ''Get Closer'', and by the English singer-songwriter John Howard on his 2007 E.P., and also by

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

on her 2014 album '' It's The Girls''. A song written by Matt Serletic and

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...

, " Mendocino County Line" which was released in 2002, is about a love that could not last and cites the 'Mendocino County Line' in the chorus.

Notes

Footnotes

External links

*
Mendocino County Tourism Commission website

Mendocino County and Coast Travel Directory

Mendocino County Museum

Mendocino's Movie History - Information and Video
* Hiking trails in Mendocino County at WikiSpot {{authority control California counties 1850 establishments in California Populated places established in 1850