Yountville ( or ) is an incorporated town in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, 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 famed Michelin-starred restaurant, The French Laundry.

History

The town was named Sebastopol in 1855. A town in nearby Sonoma County had already claimed that name, and thus the town was renamed in 1867 to honor George C. Yount, following his death. Yount was considered responsible for establishing the first vineyard in the Napa Valley.

Geography

Yountville is located within Napa Valley, in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. According to the United States Census Bureau, 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

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Yountville had a population of 3,436. The population density was . The racial makeup of Yountville was 84.7% White, 1.9% African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.1% of the population. The census reported that 55.4% of the population lived in households, 13.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 31.2% were institutionalized. There were 1,047 households, out of which 11.2% included children under the age of 18, 37.4% were married-couple households, 5.6% were cohabiting couple households, 37.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 19.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 43.6% of households were one person, and 27.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.82. There were 498 families (47.6% of all households). The age distribution was 5.4% under the age of 18, 1.7% aged 18 to 24, 9.3% aged 25 to 44, 16.8% aged 45 to 64, and 66.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 74.0years. For every 100 females, there were 112.9 males. There were 1,348 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,047 (77.7%) were occupied. Of these, 63.6% were owner-occupied, and 36.4% were occupied by renters.

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $79,696, and the per capita income was $65,863. About 5.5% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

Economy

Major employers in Yountville include the Veterans Home of California and The Vintage Estate. Domaine Chandon California is located immediately outside city limits.

Media

The ''Yountville Sun'' was a

weekly newspaper Weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspap ...

with a 1,000 circulation published in the city since 1998. It was co-founded by Sharon Stensaas who sold it to Highway 29 Media in 2022. The ''Sun'' went on hiatus in 2025 due to poor advertisement sales.

Arts and culture

Culinary scene

The French Laundry, founded by Sally Schmitt 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 Found ...

, 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 restaurants ...

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, Bouchon. 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 * 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 Margie Mohler. 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). ...

, Yountville is in , and in . 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 ...

, Yountville is in .

Twin towns - sister cities

Yountville is twinned with: * Kaštela, Croatia

References

External links

*
Yountville Chamber of Commerce website
{{Authority control Populated places in Napa County, California Napa Valley Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California