Hopland is located at the start of the North Coast or Redwood Coast region of Northern California. It is 100 miles (161 km) north of San Francisco along U.S. Route 101 and a 30-minute drive (17 miles [27 km] east along State Route 175) to California's largest natural lake, Clear Lake. Hopland is a rustic farming community situated among oak-covered coastal foothills. Summer temperatures can exceed 100 °F (38 °C).
Historic buildings in town include the old Hopland High School (c. 1923–1965),[6] as well as the Thatcher Hotel, built in the late 1800s and recently reopened[when?] after undergoing a complete renovation.
Approximately 5 mi (8 km) east of Hopland is the University of California's Hopland Research and Extension Center (formerly called the "Hopland Field Station"), a 5,300-acre (21.4 km2) research and education facility that UC has operated since 1951.
Geography
Hopland is in southeastern Mendocino County, along U.S. Route 101, which leads north-northwest 14 miles (23 km) to Ukiah, the county seat, and southeast 46 miles (74 km) to Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Hopland CDP covers an area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), 98.65% of it land and 1.35% of it water.[1] The Russian River flows southward through the eastern side of the community, separating the main village of Hopland from Old Hopland, also part of the CDP, on the eastern side of the river.
The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, or Sho-Ka-Wah, are Central Pomo people who have lived in Hopland since "the beginning of time". The Sho-Ka-Wah lived their lives hunting, gathering, making, practicing spirituality and generally living their lives. Their main village, population 1,500, was called "Shanel". After the settlers came, they were forced to move, and then to move again. Today most of the Sho-Ka-Wah people live in the Hopland reservation 5 miles (8 km) east of Hopland. They have a gambling facility and other businesses to support their community. The community also engages in spirituality, dance traditions, and caring for the land.[8][9]
Historic Hopland Cemetery in Hopland
The settlement that became Hopland was originally called "Sanel".[5] Over the years it was centered on either side of the Russian River.[5] Sanel began on the west bank of the river in 1859.[5] In 1874, the town moved to the east bank to be connected to the toll road built to there.[5] When the railroad arrived on the west side of the river, the town moved back to its original site, leaving Old Hopland (38°58′33″N123°06′01″W / 38.97583°N 123.10028°W / 38.97583; -123.10028) on the east bank.[10][5]
The Sanel post office opened in 1860, closed for a time in 1869, moved and changed its name to Hopland in 1879, reverted to its original site and name in 1890, and finally changed its name back to Hopland in 1891.[5] The town gets its name from the fact that from the 1870s to the mid-1950s, much of the region's economy was based on the growing and drying of bitter hops, a key flavoring and preservative in beer.[11] This began in 1868 when L.F. Long established the first hop farm some 4 miles (6 km) east, where the railroad station called Largo (Spanish for "long") was later located.[12][13]Downy mildew pushed hops out of the area completely by the late 1950s.[14]
The Census reported that 739 people (97.8% of the population) lived in households, 17 (2.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 263 households, out of which 94 (35.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 117 (44.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 37 (14.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 29 (11.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 28 (10.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 4 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 56 households (21.3%) were made up of individuals, and 12 (4.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81. There were 183 families (69.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.27.
The population was spread out, with 195 people (25.8%) under the age of 18, 77 people (10.2%) aged 18 to 24, 211 people (27.9%) aged 25 to 44, 216 people (28.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 57 people (7.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.6 males.
There were 287 housing units at an average density of 80.3 per square mile (31.0/km2), of which 109 (41.4%) were owner-occupied, and 154 (58.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%. 272 people (36.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 467 people (61.8%) lived in rental housing units.
^ abcdefghDurham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 79. ISBN1-884995-14-4.
