Covelo, California

Covelo ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. Covelo is located east-northeast of Laytonville, at an elevation of . The population was 1,394 at the 2020 census, up from 1,255 at the 2010 census. of Covelo is part of the Round Valley Indian Reservation.

Geography

Covelo is located in northeastern Mendocino County at . It is accessible via California State Route 162, which leads southwest to U.S. Route 101 at Longvale. To the east, Mendocino Pass Road (becoming Alder Springs Road) leads over the mountains of Mendocino National Forest to Elk Creek, for much of its length a gravel road.

Covelo covers of land, of which is part of the Round Valley Indian Reservation. Of the total area, 99.40% of it is land and 0.60% of it water. Covelo and Round Valley are drained by Mill Creek, which flows east to the Middle Fork of the Eel River.

Vineyards and agriculture

Covelo is an American Viticultural Area as of February 15, 2006, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The AVA includes Round and Williams Valleys, situated approximately north of Ukiah, and spans .

Like the rest of Mendocino County, a large part of Covelo's economy comes from growing grapes for wine but also cattle ranching.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Covelo has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated ''Csa'' on climate maps. Covelo has a four-season climate, with the dry part of the year during summer and the rainy part in the winter. Winters are mild in Covelo. Although snowfall is heavy on the nearby mountains such as Anthony Peak in the winter, it is usually light in the valley. Diurnal temperature variation is large year round, albeit widest in summer. During winter, the variation results in frequent frosts.

History

Covelo began in 1860, with the opening of the town's first store. The post office opened in 1870. Some sources claim that the town was named after a village in Switzerland. However, there is no village in Switzerland by that name. Covelo may be a misspelling of Covolo, a fort in Pederobba, Veneto, Italy, which is near Switzerland. Alternatively, it could be named after Covelo, a village in Galicia, Spain. There is also a Covello in Basilicato, in the south of Italy.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Covelo had a population of 1,394. The population density was . The racial makeup of Covelo was 522 (37.4%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 377 (27.0%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, 1 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 280 (20.1%) from other races, and 212 (15.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 488 persons (35.0%).

The whole population lived in households. There were 493 households, out of which 159 (32.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 194 (39.4%) were married-couple households, 43 (8.7%) were cohabiting couple households, 116 (23.5%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 140 (28.4%) had a male householder with no partner present. 131 households (26.6%) were one person, and 59 (12.0%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.83. There were 322 families (65.3% of all households).

The age distribution was 361 people (25.9%) under the age of 18, 107 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 434 people (31.1%) aged 25 to 44, 306 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 186 people (13.3%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 35.4years. For every 100 females, there were 125.2 males.

There were 546 housing units at an average density of , of which 493 (90.3%) were occupied. Of these, 302 (61.3%) were owner-occupied, and 191 (38.7%) were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $35,735, and the per capita income was $16,504. About 49.6% of families and 46.0% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Covelo had a population of 1,255. The population density was . The racial makeup of Covelo was 611 (48.7%) White, 14 (1.1%) African American, 475 (37.8%) Native American, 10 (0.8%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 49 (3.9%) from other races, and 96 (7.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 163 people (13.0%).

The census reported that 1,247 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 8 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 481 households, 148 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 146 (30.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 81 (16.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 56 (11.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 70 (14.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 148 households (30.8%) were one person and 53 (11.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59. There were 283 families (58.8% of households); the average family size was 3.25.

The age distribution was 339 people (27.0%) under the age of 18, 105 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 320 people (25.5%) aged 25 to 44, 299 people (23.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 192 people (15.3%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

There were 542 housing units at an average density of 75.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 314 (65.3%) were owner-occupied and 167 (34.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.4%. 791 people (63.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 456 people (36.3%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the state legislature, Covelo is in , and .

Federally, Covelo is in .

Education

Round Valley Elementary and Round Valley High School serve as the town's schools. There is also a charter school: Eel River Charter School.

Notable people

* Michelle Lambert, pop singer
* Thomas J. and Joseph M. Long, brothers who co-founded Longs Drugs Stores; born and raised in Covelo

References

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Census-designated places in Mendocino County, California
Populated places established in 1860
Census-designated places in California
1860 establishments in California