In 1859, Charles V. Stuart purchased a part of the Rancho Agua Caliente land grant and in 1868 began building a house there, eventually establishing a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) vineyard he named Glen Ellen after his wife. The town that grew up around the vineyard also came to be called Glen Ellen, and Stuart's home was later renamed Glen Oaks Ranch.
In October 2017, the area was badly affected by wildfire.[5]
Geography
Glen Ellen is about 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of the city of Sonoma. The United States Census Bureau fixes the total area at 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2), 99.95% of it land and 0.05% covered by water. Sonoma Creek, the principal river of the Sonoma Valley, flows through Glen Ellen.
The Census reported that 98.3% of the population lived in households and 1.7% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 364 households, out of which 74 (20.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 172 (47.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 26 (7.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 14 (3.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 23 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 6 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 122 households (33.5%) were made up of individuals, and 34 (9.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12. There were 212 families (58.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.67.
The population was spread out, with 126 people (16.1%) under the age of 18, 37 people (4.7%) aged 18 to 24, 142 people (18.1%) aged 25 to 44, 376 people (48.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 103 people (13.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.
There were 421 housing units at an average density of 200.2 per square mile (77.3/km2), of which 60.4% were owner-occupied and 39.6% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 60.5% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 37.9% lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 992 people, 340 households, and 219 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 473 inhabitants per square mile (183/km2). There were 387 housing units at an average density of 185/sq mi (71/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.4% White, 1.9% African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. 8.5% of the population were Hispanic.
There were 340 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18, 49.4% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 25.0% of all households consisted of individuals, and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was as follows: 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,143, and the median income for a family was $54,219. Males had a median income of $50,714 versus $35,952 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,680. About 11.5% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
The site of his ranch is now Jack London State Historic Park, which contains the ruins of Wolf House, several ranch buildings, the grave of Jack and Charmian London, and a museum housed in Charmian London's "House of Happy Walls".
The Sonoma Developmental Center is located just outside Glen Ellen near the Jack London ranch. Its predecessor, the California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble Minded Children, was the setting for Jack London's story "Told in the Drooling Ward."
Glen Ellen is located in the Wine Country and is part of the Sonoma Mountain AVA. Like all the communities in Sonoma Valley, Glen Ellen is home to many vineyards and wineries including B.R. Cohn Winery, Benziger Family Winery, Mayo Family Winery, and Valley of the Moon Winery.
Quarryhill Botanic Garden, located near Glen Ellen, is a research botanical garden housing with one of the largest collections of temperate Asian plants in North America. Quarryhill's collection includes rare species such as Acer pentaphyllum, Cornus capitata, Holboellia coriacea, Illicium simonsii, and Rosa chinensis var. spontanea, all native to Sichuan, China, as well as extensive collections of various wild Asian dogwoods, lilies, magnolias, maples, oaks, roses, and rhododendrons. Quarryhill is open to the public.
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