Bodega Bay, California
Encyclopedia
Bodega Bay is a town and census-designated place
(CDP) in Sonoma County
, California
, United States
. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor
, an inlet of Bodega Bay
on the Pacific coast
.
Bodega Bay is the site of the first Russian structures built in California. These were built in 1809 by Commerce Counseller Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, of the Russian-American Company
in the lead up to the establishment of Fort Ross. For the Russians, the settlement in Bodega Bay was called Port Rumyantsev, named after the Russian Foreign Minister Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, and it served as a port to support Fort Ross and the larger Russian community known as Colony Ross.
The Alfred Hitchcock
-directed film
, The Birds
, was filmed in Bodega Bay. The town markets itself with the film in many ways, including its Birds
-themed Visitors' Center. The location was also featured in the cult horror movie Puppet Master
.
was 86.0 people per square mile (33.2/km²). The racial makeup of Bodega Bay was 951 (88.3%) White, 2 (0.2%) African American, 4 (0.4%) Native American, 33 (3.1%) Asian, 4 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 49 (4.5%) from other races
, and 34 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 126 persons (11.7%).
The Census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 533 households, out of which 77 (14.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 278 (52.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 22 (4.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 14 (2.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 33 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 8 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 170 households (31.9%) were made up of individuals and 67 (12.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00. There were 314 families
(58.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.48.
The population was spread out with 131 people (12.2%) under the age of 18, 52 people (4.8%) aged 18 to 24, 172 people (16.0%) aged 25 to 44, 409 people (38.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 313 people (29.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.2 years. For every 100 females there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
There were 1,060 housing units at an average density of 84.6 per square mile (32.7/km²), of which 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 23.7%. 65.3% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 33.7% lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 1,423 people, 669 households, and 432 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 169.7 per square mile (65.6/km²). There were 1,144 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile (52.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.52% White, 0.35% African American, 1.55% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 9.07% from other races
, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.18% of the population. There were 669 households out of which 14.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples
living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.47.
In the CDP the population was 12.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $56,818, and the median income for a family was $60,750. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $28,375 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $37,226. About 2.0% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty-five or over.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²), 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) of it is land, and 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²) of it (33.37%) is water. The town lies on the edge of Bodega Harbor. Bodega Bay
itself extends south along the coast to Tomales Bay
. North of town lies a long coastal exposure of alternating rock outcrop
s and sandy beach
es which is known as Sonoma Coast State Beach
.
The U.S. National Weather Service
provides a helpful visual aid graphing weather and climate information from the nearby Monterey sensors to display visually by month the annual typical temperatures, the past year's temperatures, and record temperatures.
, Bodega Bay is located in the 2nd Senate District
, represented by Democrat
Noreen Evans
, and in the 1st Assembly District
, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro
. Federally, Bodega Bay is located in California's 6th congressional district
.
operates a marine lab at Bodega Bay, the Bodega Marine Laboratory.
A nuclear power plant
had been planned for Bodega Bay in the 1960s but was abandoned after both local and statewide protests and the discovery of an earthquake fault across the proposed site. Excavation for the site began at Bodega Head, and when the project was abandoned the area has been referred to by locals as "The Hole in the Head."
Bodega Bay was the hometown of Nicholas Green
, the little American boy shot dead during a robbery by highwaymen in Italy where his family was on vacation. Nicholas and his family became famous when almost every harvestable organ or body part was donated to those in need following his death.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor
Bodega Harbor
Bodega Harbor is a small shallow natural harbor on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States, approximately 40 mi northwest of San Francisco...
, an inlet of Bodega Bay
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...
on the Pacific coast
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Bodega Bay is the site of the first Russian structures built in California. These were built in 1809 by Commerce Counseller Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, of the Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
in the lead up to the establishment of Fort Ross. For the Russians, the settlement in Bodega Bay was called Port Rumyantsev, named after the Russian Foreign Minister Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, and it served as a port to support Fort Ross and the larger Russian community known as Colony Ross.
The Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
-directed film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
, was filmed in Bodega Bay. The town markets itself with the film in many ways, including its Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
-themed Visitors' Center. The location was also featured in the cult horror movie Puppet Master
Puppet Master
- In fiction :* Puppet Master , featuring the following films:** Puppet Master , a 1989 film directed by David Schmoeller** Puppet Master II, a 1991 film directed by David W...
.
2010 Census data
The 2010 United States Census reported that Bodega Bay had a population of 1,077. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 86.0 people per square mile (33.2/km²). The racial makeup of Bodega Bay was 951 (88.3%) White, 2 (0.2%) African American, 4 (0.4%) Native American, 33 (3.1%) Asian, 4 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 49 (4.5%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 34 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 126 persons (11.7%).
The Census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 533 households, out of which 77 (14.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 278 (52.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 22 (4.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 14 (2.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 33 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 8 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 170 households (31.9%) were made up of individuals and 67 (12.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00. There were 314 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(58.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.48.
The population was spread out with 131 people (12.2%) under the age of 18, 52 people (4.8%) aged 18 to 24, 172 people (16.0%) aged 25 to 44, 409 people (38.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 313 people (29.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.2 years. For every 100 females there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
There were 1,060 housing units at an average density of 84.6 per square mile (32.7/km²), of which 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 23.7%. 65.3% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 33.7% lived in rental housing units.
2000 Census data
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,423 people, 669 households, and 432 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 169.7 per square mile (65.6/km²). There were 1,144 housing units at an average density of 136.4 per square mile (52.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.52% White, 0.35% African American, 1.55% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 9.07% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.18% of the population. There were 669 households out of which 14.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.47.
In the CDP the population was 12.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $56,818, and the median income for a family was $60,750. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $28,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $37,226. About 2.0% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty-five or over.
Geography
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²), 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) of it is land, and 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²) of it (33.37%) is water. The town lies on the edge of Bodega Harbor. Bodega Bay
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...
itself extends south along the coast to Tomales Bay
Tomales Bay
Tomales Bay is a long narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County in northern California in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles long and averages nearly 1.0 miles wide, effectively separating the Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainland of Marin County. It is located...
. North of town lies a long coastal exposure of alternating rock outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
s and sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es which is known as Sonoma Coast State Beach
Sonoma Coast State Beach
Sonoma Coast State Beach is a State of California property in Sonoma County consisting of public access use on lands adjoining the Pacific Ocean. This extent of beach runs from a coastal point about north of Jenner and continues for approximately to the south to terminate at Bodega Head...
.
The U.S. National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
provides a helpful visual aid graphing weather and climate information from the nearby Monterey sensors to display visually by month the annual typical temperatures, the past year's temperatures, and record temperatures.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
, Bodega Bay is located in the 2nd Senate District
California's 2nd State Senate district
California's 2nd State Senate District is one of 40 Senate Districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Noreen Evans of Santa Rosa.-District profile:...
, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Noreen Evans
Noreen Evans
Noreen Evans is an American politician in the California State Senate. She is a Democrat representing the 2nd district, encompassing Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties, as well as parts of Sonoma and Solano counties....
, and in the 1st Assembly District
California's 1st State Assembly district
California's 1st State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro of Arcata.-District profile:...
, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro
Wesley Chesbro
Wesley P. Chesbro is a Democratic politician from California. He is currently the Assembly member for the 1st Assembly district in California. Previously, Chesbro served as a State Senator from California's 2nd district from 1998 until 2006...
. Federally, Bodega Bay is located in California's 6th congressional district
California's 6th congressional district
California's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that stretches up the Pacific coast north of the San Francisco Bay...
.
Film locations
Bodega Bay has served as a location for several major films:- The BirdsThe Birds (film)The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
(1963) Except for a short sequence at the beginning filmed in San Francisco, involving purchase of a pair of love birds and a brief on-screen appearance by Hitchcock led by two white Sealyham terriers (his own pets), the film was filmed entirely around the two towns of Bodega (a small inland village) and Bodega Bay (a larger village on the bay). Special sites used for shooting included Potter School, the Bay, the two towns which were made to appear as one, and the home and barn across the bay from the town of Bodega Bay. - The PackThe Pack (1977 film)The Pack is a 1977 horror film about a pack of abandoned dogs who turn against humans in Seal Island.-Plot:A pack of feral dogs are attacking the people on Seal Island. One of the islanders, Jerry , must stop them....
(1977) Filmed around Bodega Bay. - The FogThe FogThe Fog is a 1980 horror film directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay and composed the music for the film. It stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins and Janet Leigh...
(1980) - The GooniesThe GooniesThe Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...
(1985) Some scenes filmed along the Sonoma Coast, Bodega Bay (and Astoria OR, and Cannon Beach OR). - Puppet MasterPuppet Master (film)Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller...
(1989) Setting is Bodega Bay for the first two, fourth and fifth films. - SleepwalkersSleepwalkers (film)Sleepwalkers is a 1992 American horror film based on an original screenplay by Stephen King and directed by Mick Garris.-Plot summary:...
(1992) Opening scene filmed in Bodega Bay.
Other facilities
A branch of the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
operates a marine lab at Bodega Bay, the Bodega Marine Laboratory.
A nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
had been planned for Bodega Bay in the 1960s but was abandoned after both local and statewide protests and the discovery of an earthquake fault across the proposed site. Excavation for the site began at Bodega Head, and when the project was abandoned the area has been referred to by locals as "The Hole in the Head."
Notable residents
Nicholas Green
Nicholas Green was an American boy who was shot and killed in an attempted automobile robbery while vacationing with his family in Southern Italy. After he died, his parents chose to donate his organs. Five people received his major organs, and two received a cornea transplant...
, the little American boy shot dead during a robbery by highwaymen in Italy where his family was on vacation. Nicholas and his family became famous when almost every harvestable organ or body part was donated to those in need following his death.