Redwood Valley (formerly Basil) is a

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

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 S ...

, California, United States. It is located north of Ukiah, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, at an elevation of , and comprises the northern portion of the

Ukiah Valley Ukiah Valley is a valley located in Mendocino County, California, United States. It contains the Mendocino County seat of Ukiah. It also is home to the unincorporated towns of Redwood Valley, Calpella, Potter Valley and Talmage. Lake Mendoc ...

. It is about southeast of Willits.

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 ce ...

is to the east and Calpella to the south. The ZIP Code is 95470, and the community is in

area code 707 Area codes 707 and 369 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northwestern part of the U.S. state of California. The area codes serve part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the North Coast. ...

. The population of the CDP was 1,843 at the 2020 census.

History

The place was called "Basil" by the railroad when it reached there; when the post office opened in 1920, the place was called "Redwood Valley".

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...

Peoples Temple The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978 and was affiliated with the C ...

was located in Redwood Valley for a short time. The site was chosen because Jones believed that it was one of the few places in the world likely to survive a

nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear annihilation, nuclear armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a Futures studies, theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes widespread destruction and radi ...

. Redwood Valley was one of the areas where Black Bart operated.

Geography

Redwood Valley is in eastern Mendocino County, at the headwaters of the West Fork of the Russian River. 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 , 99.56% of it land and 0.44% of it water.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Redwood Valley had a population of 1,843. The population density was . The racial makeup of Redwood Valley was 1,159 (62.9%)

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 ...

, 7 (0.4%)

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 ...

, 95 (5.2%) Native American, 15 (0.8%) 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 ...

, 304 (16.5%) from other races, and 263 (14.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 488 persons (26.5%). The whole population lived in households. There were 659 households, out of which 204 (31.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 338 (51.3%) were married-couple households, 54 (8.2%) 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, 144 (21.9%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 123 (18.7%) had a male householder with no partner present. 158 households (24.0%) were one person, and 81 (12.3%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.8. There were 466

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 ...

(70.7% of all households). The age distribution was 424 people (23.0%) under the age of 18, 91 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 479 people (26.0%) aged 25 to 44, 474 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 375 people (20.3%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 42.1years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. There were 697 housing units at an average density of , of which 659 (94.5%) were occupied. Of these, 556 (84.4%) were owner-occupied, and 103 (15.6%) were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $53,163, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $24,334. About 27.7% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Redwood Valley had a population of 1,729. The population density was . The racial makeup of Redwood Valley was 1,432 (82.8%)

, 7 (0.4%)

, 63 (3.6%) Native American, 10 (0.6%) Asian, 1 (0.1%)

, 155 (9.0%) from other races, and 61 (3.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 305 persons (17.6%). The Census reported that 1,723 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 6 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 640 households, out of which 217 (33.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 354 (55.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 76 (11.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 34 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 45 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 133 households (20.8%) were made up of individuals, and 42 (6.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69. There were 464

(72.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.06. The population age distribution is 411 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 144 people (8.3%) aged 18–24, 390 people (22.6%) aged 25–44, 562 people (32.5%) aged 45–64, and 222 people (12.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.3 males. There were 676 housing units at an average density of , of which 475 (74.2%) were owner-occupied, and 165 (25.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%. 1,276 people (73.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 447 people (25.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

, Redwood Valley is in , and . Federally, Redwood Valley is in . Redwood Valley is in Mendocino County's 1st Supervisors district; it is represented by Glenn McGourty, a resident of the 1st district.

Industry

Redwood Valley is primarily residential and agricultural. The primary crop by far is winegrapes, with many estate and independent

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s. There are over a dozen

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

in the area, which participate in an annual wine-tasting event each

Father's Day Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in som ...

called A Taste of Redwood Valley.

Schools

Redwood Valley is part of the Ukiah Unified School District. Due to a budget shortfall, Redwood Valley Elementary School was closed in June 2010. Its fourth grade and younger students were dispersed to Calpella Elementary in Calpella and its fifth and sixth grade students were absorbed into Eagle Peak Middle School. UUSD students from the area attend Ukiah High School in Ukiah for grades 9–12. Redwood Valley is also home of the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project, an organization which works with elementary schools in the district to provide hands-on science education. In addition, Redwood Valley is the home of Deep Valley Christian School (Preschool to High School) which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Eagle peak Middle School a stem school is also located in Redwood Valley, California.

Other places of interest

Redwood Valley is home to the

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, California, Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, California, Mendocino County, Calif ...

and the

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 ...

of the native

Pomo people The Pomo are a Indigenous peoples of California, Native American people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to ...

. Abhayagiri Monastery and Holy Transfiguration Monastery are located at the north end of Redwood Valley.

References

External links

Redwood Valley, CA Travel Information
{{Authority control Census-designated places in Mendocino County, California Census-designated places in California