Inverness, California
Encyclopedia
Inverness is an unincorporated community and census-designated place
(CDP) located in western Marin County, California
. Inverness is located on the southwest shore of Tomales Bay
3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Point Reyes Station
, at an elevation of 43 feet (13 m). In the 2010 census, the population was 1,304. The community is named after Inverness
in Scotland
by a Scots landowner.
Inverness is north of San Francisco
, on a bay of the Pacific Ocean
.
, which runs southeast along the line of the San Andreas Fault
. Surrounded by Point Reyes National Seashore
, it is primarily a residential community, with little industry other than tourism. It has a small downtown area with a general store, post office, library, two restaurants, one gift shop and a coffee shop. A third restaurant is located a short way north of downtown. There are also a number of hotels and inns spread throughout the town.
One aspect of the town is a concentration of recreational (and some commercial) boating. There is a small public marina, a few private piers, and the Inverness Yacht Club
.
Portions of the John Carpenter film The Fog
as well as most of his film Village of the Damned
were shot in and around Inverness.
The town is a 15 miles or so from Drake's Bay on the Pacific Ocean, named after Sir Francis Drake, who explored the coast in the 17th Century. Although Drake's official log was lost, the ship's doctor's log described landing in an area that reminded him of the White Cliffs of Dover
. Drake's Bay is backed by similar-looking cliffs, leading many to believe this is where the ship landed.
The region became the property of James Shafter, who began to develop the property in the 1890s. It became a summer resort where people from San Francisco and Oakland came to camp, hike and swim in Tomales Bay. Many built small summer cabins that still exist today. Small steamboats took day trippers down the bay to secluded beaches. They left from Brock Schreiber's boathouse, which has been preserved and is a prominent local landmark with its prominent sign "Launch for Hire".
The first post office opened in 1897.
In 1995, Inverness Ridge was the site of the Mt. Vision Fire, which burned a large area of Point Reyes National Seashore
and a number of homes built on the ridge. The town itself was threatened but was saved by helicopters dipping water from Tomales Bay to drop on the Bishop pine forest between the town and the burning ridgetop.
Inverness is located at 38°06′04"N 122°51′25"W.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.6 km²), of which, 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (6.38%) is water.
The town is adjacent to the San Andreas Fault
.
Inverness is spread out along approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) of the western shore and valleys of Tomales Bay
on the Point Reyes Peninsula, it provides services to visitors to the Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park
.
Other nearby towns include Point Reyes Station
, Inverness Park
, Olema, and Marshall
.
was 190.8 people per square mile (73.7/km²). The racial makeup of Inverness was 1,212 (92.9%) White, 15 (1.2%) African American, 8 (0.6%) Native American, 16 (1.2%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 19 (1.5%) from other races
, and 32 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 79 persons (6.1%).
The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.
There were 697 households, out of which 90 (12.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 300 (43.0%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 33 (4.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 14 (2.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 48 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 9 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 278 households (39.9%) were made up of individuals and 109 (15.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87. There were 347 families
(49.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.46.
The population was spread out with 139 people (10.7%) under the age of 18, 35 people (2.7%) aged 18 to 24, 226 people (17.3%) aged 25 to 44, 553 people (42.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 351 people (26.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.3 years. For every 100 females there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.
There were 1,130 housing units at an average density of 165.3 per square mile (63.8/km²), of which 451 (64.7%) were owner-occupied, and 246 (35.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 65.7% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 34.3% lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 1,421 people, 707 households, and 364 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 237.9 people per square mile (91.9/km²). There were 999 housing units at an average density of 167.3 per square mile (64.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP in 2010 was 89.9% non-Hispanic White
, 0.8% non-Hispanic Black
or African American
, 0.4% Native American
, 1.2% Asian
, 0.2% from other races
, and 1.5% from two or more races. 6.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
of any race.
There were 707 households out of which 16.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples
living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.56.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 14.5% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 41.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $78,398. Males had a median income of $42,448 versus $37,321 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $37,340. About 5.5% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
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) located in western Marin County, California
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
. Inverness is located on the southwest shore of 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...
3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Point Reyes Station
Point Reyes Station, California
Point Reyes Station is small unincorporated town located in western Marin County, California. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is located along State Route 1 and is a gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore, an extremely...
, at an elevation of 43 feet (13 m). In the 2010 census, the population was 1,304. The community is named after Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
by a Scots landowner.
Inverness is north of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, on a bay of the Pacific Ocean
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...
.
Community
Inverness is located on the west shore of Tomales BayTomales 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...
, which runs southeast along the line of the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
. Surrounded by Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...
, it is primarily a residential community, with little industry other than tourism. It has a small downtown area with a general store, post office, library, two restaurants, one gift shop and a coffee shop. A third restaurant is located a short way north of downtown. There are also a number of hotels and inns spread throughout the town.
One aspect of the town is a concentration of recreational (and some commercial) boating. There is a small public marina, a few private piers, and the Inverness Yacht Club
Inverness Yacht Club (California)
The Inverness Yacht Club or IYC is a small pleasure boating club located in Inverness, California, on the western shore of Tomales Bay, in Marin County, California.The IYC was first formed in 1912, and the current boathouse was completed in 1914....
.
Portions of the John Carpenter film The Fog
The Fog
The 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...
as well as most of his film Village of the Damned
Village of the Damned (1995 film)
John Carpenter's Village of the Damned is a 1995 science fiction-horror film directed by John Carpenter. It is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name which is based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. The 1995 remake is set in the United States, while the book and original film...
were shot in and around Inverness.
History
White cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to , owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint...
. Drake's Bay is backed by similar-looking cliffs, leading many to believe this is where the ship landed.
The region became the property of James Shafter, who began to develop the property in the 1890s. It became a summer resort where people from San Francisco and Oakland came to camp, hike and swim in Tomales Bay. Many built small summer cabins that still exist today. Small steamboats took day trippers down the bay to secluded beaches. They left from Brock Schreiber's boathouse, which has been preserved and is a prominent local landmark with its prominent sign "Launch for Hire".
The first post office opened in 1897.
In 1995, Inverness Ridge was the site of the Mt. Vision Fire, which burned a large area of Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...
and a number of homes built on the ridge. The town itself was threatened but was saved by helicopters dipping water from Tomales Bay to drop on the Bishop pine forest between the town and the burning ridgetop.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
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 6.8 square miles (17.6 km²), of which, 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (6.38%) is water.
The town is adjacent to the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
.
Inverness is spread out along approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) of the western shore and valleys of 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...
on the Point Reyes Peninsula, it provides services to visitors to the Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park
Tomales Bay State Park
Tomales Bay State Park is a California state park in Marin County, California. It consists of approximately 2,000 acres divided between two areas, one on the west side of Tomales Bay and the other on the east side. The main area, on the west, is part of the Point Reyes peninsula, and adjacent to...
.
Other nearby towns include Point Reyes Station
Point Reyes Station, California
Point Reyes Station is small unincorporated town located in western Marin County, California. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is located along State Route 1 and is a gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore, an extremely...
, Inverness Park
Inverness Park, California
Inverness Park is a small unincorporated community in Marin County, California. It is located west-southwest of Point Reyes Station, at an elevation of 148 feet .Inverness Park is located between the communities of Point Reyes Station and Inverness...
, Olema, and Marshall
Marshall, California
Marshall is an unincorporated community in Marin County, California. It is located on the northeast shore of Tomales Bay south of Tomales, at an elevation of 23 feet .Marshall is located on the east shore of Tomales Bay...
.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Inverness had a population of 1,304. 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 190.8 people per square mile (73.7/km²). The racial makeup of Inverness was 1,212 (92.9%) White, 15 (1.2%) African American, 8 (0.6%) Native American, 16 (1.2%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 19 (1.5%) 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 32 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 79 persons (6.1%).
The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.
There were 697 households, out of which 90 (12.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 300 (43.0%) 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, 33 (4.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 14 (2.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 48 (6.9%) 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 9 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 278 households (39.9%) were made up of individuals and 109 (15.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.87. There were 347 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...
(49.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.46.
The population was spread out with 139 people (10.7%) under the age of 18, 35 people (2.7%) aged 18 to 24, 226 people (17.3%) aged 25 to 44, 553 people (42.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 351 people (26.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.3 years. For every 100 females there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.
There were 1,130 housing units at an average density of 165.3 per square mile (63.8/km²), of which 451 (64.7%) were owner-occupied, and 246 (35.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 65.7% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 34.3% lived in rental housing units.
2000
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 1,421 people, 707 households, and 364 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 237.9 people per square mile (91.9/km²). There were 999 housing units at an average density of 167.3 per square mile (64.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP in 2010 was 89.9% non-Hispanic White
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...
, 0.8% non-Hispanic Black
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...
or African American
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...
, 0.4% Native American
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...
, 1.2% Asian
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...
, 0.2% 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 1.5% from two or more races. 6.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
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...
of any race.
There were 707 households out of which 16.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% 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, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.4% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.56.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 14.5% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 41.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $78,398. Males had a median income of $42,448 versus $37,321 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 $37,340. About 5.5% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.