Bodega is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP) in

Sonoma County Sonoma County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma ...

in 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 so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The town had a population of 211 as of the 2020 Census. Bodega is located on Bodega Highway, about west of Freestone, California. Salmon Creek flows through the town.

History

The town of Bodega was known historically as Bodega Corners or Bodega Roads, to distinguish it from the Port of Bodega or Bodega Bay, as it is known today, which is about from Bodega. Bodega and Bodega Bay are named for discoverer of the bay, Juan Francisco Bodega y Caudra, who first sailed into the harbor in 1775. There were formerly two

Coast Miwok The Coast Miwok are an Indigenous people of California that were the second-largest tribe of the Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of present-day Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golde ...

villages in the area: one (called ''Kennekono'') sited near the current town and another (called ''Suwutenne'') further north. The first Europeans in the area were Russians who established temporary settlements at Bodega Bay and the Salmon Creek Valley, in the vicinity of Bodega, in 1809. In 1843, Captain Stephen Smith established the first West Coast

lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimens ...

near Bodega. Around the same time, John A. Sutter bought land from the Russians, an area that included Bodega. His land purchase included "some hunting rights, a small

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

, several rusty cannons, and some old

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

s." In 1859, shipbuilders constructed Saint Teresa of Avila Church. Open from 1856 to 1967, Watson School, once served as Bodega's school, and is located in a Sonoma County Regional Parks Department historic park about east of Bodega.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP covers an area of , all of it land. The '' Phacelia distans'' is known for blossoming in Bodega between April and June.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Bodega had a population of 211. The population density was . The racial makeup of Bodega was 186 (88.2%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2 (0.9%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0 (0.0%) Native American, 1 (0.5%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 2 (0.9%) from other races, and 20 (9.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11 persons (5.2%) The whole population lived in households. There were 92 households, out of which 28 (30.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 54 (58.7%) were married-couple households, 6 (6.5%) were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 14 (15.2%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 18 (19.6%) had a male householder with no partner present. 14 households (15.2%) were one person, and 7 (7.6%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29. There were 67

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(72.8% of all households). The age distribution was 29 people (13.7%) under the age of 18, 7 people (3.3%) aged 18 to 24, 38 people (18.0%) aged 25 to 44, 62 people (29.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 75 people (35.5%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 58.3years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. There were 108 housing units at an average density of , of which 92 (85.2%) were occupied. Of these, 63 (68.5%) were owner-occupied, and 29 (31.5%) were occupied by renters.

Economy

As of 1915, Bodega was serviced by

Wells Fargo and Company Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

, who provided express delivery service. Wells Fargo delivered fruits, vegetables,

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s, and butter to the region from

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...

. In the late 1970s, the Soycrafters Association of North America was headquartered in Bodega. It was run by

soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source of f ...

product innovator Larry Needleman. The area also has a history of creameries, making milk and butter. The Bodega Cooperative Creamery was located in Bodega as of 1922. Farming continues in the area, including Salmon Creek Ranch, which raises

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

and sells organic products. Bodega has a

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

industry, which includes the Sonoma Coast Villa, and art galleries and shops in the small "downtown" area.

Arts and culture

In the 1970s, Bodega was home to a

doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...

museum.

In popular culture

In 1963, much of Bodega was used for exterior filming in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's film, '' The Birds'', where it was presented as the nearby shore village of

Bodega Bay Bodega Bay () is a shallow, rocky inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the coast of northern California in the United States. It is approximately across and is located approximately northwest of San Francisco and west of Santa Rosa, California, S ...

. Bodega's Potter School, now a private residence, was used as the Bodega Bay School in the movie; and Bodega's general store also appeared "as itself", though it has since been moved from its original site.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Bodega is in the 2nd Senate District and the 2nd Assembly District. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Bodega is in . At the county level, Bodega is in Sonoma County's 5th supervisorial district.

Education

The school districts are Harmony Union School District and West Sonoma County Union High School District. There is an elementary school in the nearby village of Bodega Bay but no educational facilities in Bodega itself.

Media

Infrastructure

Transportation

The main road through town is Bodega Highway, which runs east to Freestone and Sebastopol and south to State Route 1 less than away. State Route 1 provides access to the neighboring towns of

and Valley Ford. The Mendocino Transit Authority provides bus service to Bodega. Routes 75 and 95 stop at Bodega two times a day. An eastbound one at 10:25 am, and the same one returning westbound at 4:55 pm.

Notable residents

Thomas Oliver Boggs was a resident for a brief period in Bodega, before leaving for

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, where he witnessed the burial of

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...

. Boggs' papers are held in the collection of the

Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

References

External links

Bodega Community Website
{{authority control Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Sonoma County, California Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Sonoma County, California