Fernbridge is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 at an elevation of 39 feet (11.9 m) in Humboldt County

Humboldt County, California

Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...

, 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...

, named for an historic bridge, 3 miles (4.8 km) west-northwest of Fortuna

Fortuna, California

Fortuna is a city in western-central Humboldt County, California, United States. The population was 11,926 at the 2010 census, up from 10,497 at the 2000 census. The city lies on the northeast shore of the Eel River , and is on U.S...

.

Town of Fernbridge

The unincorporated area named Fernbridge lies between the Eel River

Eel River (California)

The Eel River is a major river system of the northern Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. Approximately 200 miles long, it drains a rugged area in the California Coast Ranges between the Sacramento Valley and the ocean. For most of its course, the river flows northwest, parallel to the...

 and Highway 101 bisected by unused Northwestern Pacific Railroad

Northwestern Pacific Railroad

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional railroad serving California's North Coast. The railroad currently runs on 62 miles of the 462 mile main line, stretching from Schellville, California to Eureka, California...

 tracks. The Humboldt Creamery

Humboldt Creamery

Humboldt Creamery was formerly an agricultural marketing cooperative located on the California North Coast. Established in 1929 as a local association of 152 dairy farms, the creamery continues operation today under the ownership of Foster Farms Dairy of Modesto, California. Financial problems came...

, a roadhouse, the old railway depot, several warehouses, a fuel depot and several houses line Fernbridge Drive (Old U.S. 101) which now serves as an access road between exits 691 and 692.

Fernbridge is a stop on the Humboldt Transit Authority

Humboldt Transit Authority

Humboldt Transit Authority operates two transit services in Humboldt County, California:*Redwood Transit System*Eureka Transit Service...

 fixed route transit bus systems, served by the Redwood Transit System

Redwood Transit System

The Redwood Transit System is a commuter transit service that operates Monday-Saturday on the Highway 101 corridor between Trinidad and Garberville in Humboldt County, California, also serving Westhaven, McKinleyville, Arcata, Eureka, Fields Landing, Loleta, Fortuna, and Scotia...

 connecting north and south Humboldt along 101. Fernbridge ZIP Code is 95540 and the community is inside area code 707

Area code 707

North American area code 707 is a Californian telephone area code which covers Napa, Sebastopol, Vallejo, Benicia, Fairfield, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Fort Bragg, Crescent City, Eureka, Clearlake, Vacaville, Ukiah, and northwestern California. It was split from area code 415 on March 1, 1959...

.

The United States Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

 maintains a webcam overlooking Fernbridge, and a river gage

Stream gauge

A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...

 of water level at the bridge.

Early History

The area was first named Singley Station in 1885 after George Singley who ran a ferry across the Eel River from 1876 to 1880. As soon as the station was built, a stage ran on a regular schedule to connect to the train. By 1891, the ferry was pulled by a steam winch and a seasonal pontoon bridge was added in the summer.

The town name was changed to Fernbridge from Singley's Station about two years after the Fernbridge was built across the Eel in 1910-1911. The first post office at Fernbridge opened in 1924.

In 1934, when California numbered and marked California State Route 1

California State Route 1

State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...

, the route began in Las Cruces, California

Las Cruces, California

Las Cruces, California is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. It lies at the split between California State Route 1, which travels north to Lompoc, and U.S. Route 101, which travels north to Buellton. The community lies within area code 805.-References:...

and ended at Fernbridge, although by 1984, admitting the route was not feasible south of Ferndale, this section of Route 1 was renumbered to State Highway 211.