Yountville ( or ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Napa County Napa County () is a county north of San Pablo Bay located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,019. The county seat is the City of Napa. Napa County was one of the original c ...

, in the

Wine Country Wine Country is the region of California, in the northern San Francisco Bay Area, known worldwide as a premier wine-growing region. The region is famed for its wineries, its cuisine, Michelin star restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, ...

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. Located in the North Bay region of the

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 Gov ...

, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's population lives at the Veterans Home of California. Yountville is a popular tourist destination, particularly for its wineries and its two famed

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...

-starred restaurants,

The French Laundry The French Laundry is a three-Michelin star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredie ...

and

Bouchon A bouchon is a type of restaurant found in Lyon, France, that serves traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, such as sausages, coq-au-vin, "salade lyonnaise" duck pâté or roast pork. Compared to other forms of French cooking such as ''nouvelle cuisi ...

History

The town was named Sebastopol in 1855. A town in nearby

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 ...

had already claimed that name (

Sebastopol, California Sebastopol ( ) is a city in Sonoma County, in California with a recorded population of 7,521, per the 2020 U.S. Census. Sebastopol was once primarily a plum and apple-growing region. Today, wine grapes are the predominant agriculture crop, a ...

), and thus the town was renamed in 1867 to honor

George C. Yount George Calvert Yount (May 4, 1794 – October 5, 1865), later known by his Spanish name Don Jorge Concepción Yount, was a Californian ranchero, fur trapper, and entrepreneur. Born in North Carolina, he later emigrated to Alta California, whe ...

, following his death. Yount was considered responsible for establishing the first vineyard in the Napa Valley.

Geography

Yountville is located within

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

, in the North Bay region of 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 ...

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

. 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 town has a total area of , all of it land. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in Yountville on September 3, 2000.

Climate

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Yountville had a population of 2,933. The population density was . The racial makeup of Yountville was 2,623 (89.4%) White, 38 (1.3%) African American, 30 (1.0%) Native American, 49 (1.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 92 (3.1%) from other races, and 101 (3.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 289 people (9.9%). The census reported that 1,945 people (66.3% of the population) lived in households, 60 (2.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 928 (31.6%) were institutionalized. There were 1,050 households, 136 (13.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 418 (39.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 64 (6.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 16 (1.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 48 (4.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 16 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 449 households (42.8%) were one person and 257 (24.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 1.85. There were 498 families (47.4% of households); the average family size was 2.53. The age distribution was 237 people (8.1%) under the age of 18, 75 people (2.6%) aged 18 to 24, 426 people (14.5%) aged 25 to 44, 767 people (26.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,428 people (48.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 64.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 136.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 139.2 males. There were 1,252 housing units at an average density of 817.6 per square mile, of the occupied units 688 (65.5%) were owner-occupied and 362 (34.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%. 1,266 people (43.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 679 people (23.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy

Major employers in Yountville include the Veterans Home of California and The Vintage Estate.

Domaine Chandon California Domaine Chandon is a winery located in Napa Valley in the town of Yountville, California, United States. Established in 1973 by Moët et Chandon, businessman, John Wright, was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in Napa Valley. The R ...

is located immediately outside city limits.

Arts and culture

Culinary scene

, founded by

Sally Schmitt Sally Schmitt (February 28, 1932 – March 5, 2022) was an American restaurateur who helped launch California's farm to table movement. She was the original chef and co-founder of the French Laundry. Biography Sally Schmitt was born Sarah Elizab ...

in 1978 and now owned by chef

Thomas Keller Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Founda ...

, has a three-star

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

rating, and was twice named the "best restaurant in the world" by "The Worlds 50 Best" restaurant rating organization. Yountville is also the home of a Michelin one-star restaurant,

. With more than one Michelin star per 1,000 residents, Yountville claims the most Michelin stars per capita of anywhere in North America.

Attractions

Bespoke Collection The Bespoke Collection is a wine producer and lifestyle brand based in Yountville, California in the United States. The company comprises two wine labels: Blackbird Vineyards and Recuerdo Wines, and a wine, art and design gallery called Ma(i)so ...

* Napa Valley Museum * Lincoln Theatre * The Yountville American Viticultural Area * Veterans Memorial Grove Cemetery (also known as the California State Veterans Home Cemetery) * George C. Yount Pioneer Cemetery * Vine Trail Bike Path

Government

The Town of Yountville has a council–manager form of government. The mayor is John F. Dunbar. 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 ...

, Yountville is in , and in . 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 ...

, Yountville is in .

References

External links

*
Yountville Chamber of Commerce website
{{portal bar, Drink Cities in Napa County, California Napa Valley California wine Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California