Annapolis (formerly Monti) 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 ...

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 ...

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. Annapolis is situated near the coastline of northern Sonoma County, and is north-northeast of the nearest community, Stewarts Point. Annapolis has ZIP code 95412. The community is named after Annapolis Orchards, which was founded in the area in the 1880s. As of 2010, Annapolis has about 401 residents.

History

The earliest non-Native settlers in the area were Americans moving into the area after the cession of California to the United States. However, extensive settlement did not occur until the early 1870s, when San Francisco developer J.C. Beatty claimed and cleared approximately 1200 acres of

redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affini ...

forest for resale. In 1882, San Francisco-based Wetmore Brothers Commission Merchants purchased part of Beatty's lands and developed a commercial orchard, named "Annapolis Orchard" after their homeland,

Annapolis Valley The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. St ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. Wetmore Brothers grew fruit on its own properties, and purchased local fruit growers' produce to sell on commission. The area was known for its output of fresh and dried apples, producing then-popular varieties such as the

Gravenstein Gravenstein (Danish: ''Gråsten'', meaning "graystone", after Gråsten Palace) is a triploid apple cultivar that originated in the 17th century or earlier. The fruit has a tart flavor, and it is heavily used as a cooking apple, especially f ...

and Baldwin. The area's first post office operated between 1884 and 1888. It was called the Monti Post Office, the name a reference to the area's rugged hills. The community used the name to refer to the area during this short time. In 1901, responding to the community's desire to open another post office, Wetmore Brothers worked with local fruit grower George Batt to open the Annapolis Post Office. This post office operated until 2011.

Redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affini ...

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and milling served as a primary industry in the area for many years.

Features

Annapolis is a part of the

Sonoma Coast AVA The Sonoma Coast AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States containing more than , mostly along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. It extends from San Pablo Bay to the border with Mendocino County. The app ...

, and is known for its pinot noir. Many domestic and foreign winery developers have redeveloped former orchards. Annapolis is home to the Starcross Monastic Community. Since 1980, the Annapolis Historical Society has maintained the 1877 Horicon Schoolhouse.

Kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, and

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

are popular activities in the surrounding areas.

Education

The community has one school, Horicon School, a K-8 public school. Students who attend Horicon School are transitioned to the Point Arena Joint Union High District, and attend Point Arena High School in

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 ...

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza) is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United Sta ...

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Annapolis has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Annapolis, California
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References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Sonoma County, California