Ukiah, California | |
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 .jpg)  .jpg) Clockwise, from top left: Ukiah Civic Center,Mendocino County Courthouse,Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, historic downtown Post Office (closed 2012[1]) | |
 Seal | |
 Location inMendocino County andCalifornia | |
  Ukiah  Ukiah | |
| Coordinates:39°09′01″N123°12′28″W / 39.15028°N 123.20778°W /39.15028; -123.20778 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mendocino |
| Incorporated | March 8, 1876[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council/Manager[3] |
| • Mayor | Douglas Crane[4] |
| • City manager | Sage Sangiacomo[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.83 sq mi (12.5 km2) |
| • Land | 4.78 sq mi (12.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2) 1.11% |
| Elevation | 633 ft (193 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 16,607 |
| Demonym | Ukiahan |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 95482, 95418 |
| Area code | 707, 369 |
| FIPS code | 06-81134 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277623,2412125 |
| Website | www |
Ukiah (/juːˈkaɪə/yoo-KY-ə;Pomo:Yokáya, meaning "deep valley" or "south valley")[8][9] is thecounty seat of and the largest city inMendocino County, in theNorth Coast region ofCalifornia. Ukiah had a population of 16,607[7] at the2020 census. With its accessible location along theU.S. Route 101 corridor, Ukiah serves as the city center for Mendocino County and much of neighboringLake County.
The region has been inhabited by thePomo for thousands of years.[10] The modern area of Ukiah derives its name from the Pomo village (band) of Yokáya, meaning "deep valley" or "south valley".[9][11][12]
Russian American company led by commander Ross visited Ukiah and the Russian River in 1750, during their exploration of the Alaskan Northwest and Hawaii. Eventually Point Cabrillo was visited and named by the Spanish explorers, althoughCabrillo only visitedSan Diego Bay and never visited the point. The land was inhabited by Pomo natives who lived as hunter gatherers until the time. Some Chinese explorers visited as well during the early times of Chinatown San Francisco and the building of the railroad lines.
Ukiah is located withinRancho Yokaya, one of severalSpanish colonialland grants in what their colonists calledAlta California. The Yokaya grant, which covered the majority of the Ukiah valley, was named for thePomo word meaning "deep valley."[13] ThePomo are the indigenous people who occupied the area at the time of Spanish colonization.
Later European-American settlers adopted "Ukiah" as an anglicized version of this name for the city.[14]
Cayetano Juárez was granted Ukiah by Alta California. He was known to have a neutral relationship with the local Pomo people. He sold a southern portion of the grant (toward present-dayHopland) to the Burke brothers. The first Anglo settler in the Ukiah area was John Parker, avaquero who worked for pioneer cattleman James Black.[15] Black had driven his stock up theRussian River valley and took over a block of grazing land at that locale. A crudeblockhouse was constructed for Parker so he could have shelter to protect the herd from the hostile indigenous local people, who resented the squatters on their land.[15] The blockhouse was located just south of present-day Ukiah on the banks of what was known as Wilson Creek.[15] Following theU.S. Conquest of California, the region passed from Mexican to American sovereignty.
In 1865, Samuel Lowry built a log cabin approximately on the corner of today's East Perkins and North Main streets.[15] Lowery sold his claim to A.T. Perkins in the spring of 1857, and the latter moved his family into the valley. They were the first Anglo-American pioneer family of the township.[15] Six others followed to make their home there that same year.[15] The first United States post office opened in 1858.[8] By 1859, the population of Ukiah had grown to about 100 people, making it a community sufficient in size to serve as thecounty seat. Before this, administrative duties forMendocino County had been handled bySonoma County.[16]
Initially visitors could reach town only bystagecoach, or private horses. A short rail line from San Francisco terminated inPetaluma, nearly 80 miles (130 km) to the south. In 1870 the remainder of the trip to Ukiah took another two days by horse.[17] In subsequent years the rail line was extended further northward toCloverdale. Although the stagecoach portion was reduced to 30 miles (48 km), the community was still relatively isolated and slow to develop.[17]
Ukiah was incorporated in 1876.[8] It was not until 1889 that theSan Francisco and North Pacific Railroad completed its line from Cloverdale to Ukiah, linking the Mendocino County seat to the national rail network.[18]
Ukiah has been the hub of an agricultural and business community. Over the decades various commodity crops have been grown in the Ukiah Valley. They include pears, green beans, hops, apricots, and grapes. As part of California'sWine Country, grapes have become the predominant agricultural product.
Hops were once a major crop grown around Ukiah. The beer flavoring agent was first grown there in 1868 when L.F. Long of Largo grew an initial experimental crop.[17] The climate proved suitable for the crop and production expanded, peaking in 1885. It declined in the last years of the 1880s as prices dropped.[17] Mendocino County remained the third-largest producer of hops in the state of California in 1890, with well over 900 acres (3.6 km2) under cultivation.[19] Production continued well into the 20th century. A refurbished hopkiln can be seen at the north end of Ukiah east of Highway 101, where many of the old fields were located.
Ukiah's 20th-century population developed in relation to the lumber boom of the late 1940s. Logging ofredwoods was once a major industry. Activists have worked to preserve areas of redwood forest, which became endangered due to overlogging.[20] Young people entered the area from the 1960s, seeking alternative lifestyles and, in some cases, artisan and rural living.
Ukiah is in southeastern Mendocino County in the valley of theRussian River, a south-flowing river which reaches the Pacific in Sonoma County. ViaU.S. Route 101, Ukiah is 60 miles (97 km) north ofSanta Rosa and 158 miles (254 km) south ofEureka. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 4.8 square miles (12 km2), of which 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2), or 0.93%, are water.[5]
Ukiah has a hot-summerMediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa). Average rainfall for the area is 38.90 inches (988 mm) per year. Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 77.1 days per year. The greatest monthly precipitation was 30.75 inches (781.0 mm) in January 1909 and the greatest 24-hour precipitation was 6.18 inches (157.0 mm) on December 22, 1964. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1997 to June 1998 with 72.74 inches (1,847.6 mm) and the driest from July 1976 to June 1977 with 14.20 inches (360.7 mm). Light snowfall occurs about every other year. The greatest recorded snowfall was 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) on March 2, 1976, while the most in a month was 5 inches (13 cm) in March 1896 and January 1952. Temperatures reach 90 °F (32.2 °C) on an average of 61.0 afternoons annually and 100 °F (37.8 °C) on an average of 8.7 afternoons. Due to frequent low humidity, summer temperatures normally drop into the fifties at night. Freezing temperatures occur on an average 33.6 mornings per year. The record high temperature was 117 °F (47.2 °C) on September 6, 2022, and July 6, 2024. The record low temperature was 12 °F (−11.1 °C) on January 12, 1898.[21]
| Climate data for Ukiah, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 86 (30) | 93 (34) | 98 (37) | 106 (41) | 114 (46) | 117 (47) | 114 (46) | 117 (47) | 107 (42) | 92 (33) | 84 (29) | 117 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 68.7 (20.4) | 74.1 (23.4) | 80.6 (27.0) | 86.9 (30.5) | 94.1 (34.5) | 101.9 (38.8) | 104.6 (40.3) | 104.0 (40.0) | 102.8 (39.3) | 93.1 (33.9) | 78.4 (25.8) | 67.1 (19.5) | 107.4 (41.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.9 (13.8) | 60.2 (15.7) | 64.8 (18.2) | 69.6 (20.9) | 76.3 (24.6) | 82.8 (28.2) | 91.1 (32.8) | 90.6 (32.6) | 87.0 (30.6) | 76.7 (24.8) | 62.8 (17.1) | 55.6 (13.1) | 72.9 (22.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 47.1 (8.4) | 49.2 (9.6) | 52.3 (11.3) | 56.0 (13.3) | 61.8 (16.6) | 67.3 (19.6) | 73.4 (23.0) | 72.4 (22.4) | 69.1 (20.6) | 61.1 (16.2) | 51.4 (10.8) | 45.9 (7.7) | 58.9 (15.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.4 (3.0) | 38.3 (3.5) | 39.7 (4.3) | 42.4 (5.8) | 47.3 (8.5) | 51.9 (11.1) | 55.6 (13.1) | 54.2 (12.3) | 51.3 (10.7) | 45.5 (7.5) | 40.0 (4.4) | 36.2 (2.3) | 45.0 (7.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 29.0 (−1.7) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 34.0 (1.1) | 38.8 (3.8) | 44.7 (7.1) | 49.8 (9.9) | 49.1 (9.5) | 43.2 (6.2) | 36.3 (2.4) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 25.8 (−3.4) | 23.8 (−4.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 12 (−11) | 18 (−8) | 22 (−6) | 23 (−5) | 28 (−2) | 35 (2) | 39 (4) | 38 (3) | 30 (−1) | 24 (−4) | 19 (−7) | 13 (−11) | 12 (−11) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 7.39 (188) | 6.98 (177) | 5.33 (135) | 2.81 (71) | 1.71 (43) | 0.41 (10) | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.05 (1.3) | 0.20 (5.1) | 1.95 (50) | 4.11 (104) | 7.96 (202) | 38.90 (988) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 12.5 | 11.9 | 10.2 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 9.8 | 13.7 | 77.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA[22] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[21] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 624 | — | |
| 1870 | 966 | 54.8% | |
| 1880 | 933 | −3.4% | |
| 1890 | 1,627 | 74.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,850 | 13.7% | |
| 1910 | 2,136 | 15.5% | |
| 1920 | 2,305 | 7.9% | |
| 1930 | 3,124 | 35.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,731 | 19.4% | |
| 1950 | 6,120 | 64.0% | |
| 1960 | 9,900 | 61.8% | |
| 1970 | 10,095 | 2.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,035 | 19.2% | |
| 1990 | 14,599 | 21.3% | |
| 2000 | 15,497 | 6.2% | |
| 2010 | 16,075 | 3.7% | |
| 2020 | 16,607 | 3.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 16,067 | [23] | −3.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[24]1870 Census[25] | |||
| Racial and ethnic composition | 2000[26] | 2010[27] | 2020[28] |
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 72.4% | 62.87% | 54.04% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 19.31% | 27.73% | 32.78% |
| Two or more races (non-Hispanic) | 2.57% | 2.84% | 5.56% |
| Asian (non-Hispanic) | 1.64% | 2.46% | 3.0% |
| Native American (non-Hispanic) | 3.03% | 2.75% | 2.9% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 0.89% | 0.98% | 1.04% |
| Other (non-Hispanic) | 0.06% | 0.19% | 0.54% |
| Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) | 0.09% | 0.16% | 0.16% |
The2020 United States census reported that Ukiah had a population of 16,607. The population density was 3,471.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,340.3/km2). The racial makeup of Ukiah was 58.8%White, 1.1%African American, 4.2%Native American, 3.1%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 18.1% fromother races, and 14.5% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.8% of the population.[29]
The census reported that 96.2% of the population lived in households, 1.7% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2.1% were institutionalized.[29]
There were 6,584 households, out of which 30.9% included children under the age of 18, 34.9% were married-couple households, 8.2% werecohabiting couple households, 36.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 35.5% of households were one person, and 18.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43.[29] There were 3,753families (57.0% of all households).[30]
The age distribution was 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% aged 18 to 24, 27.4% aged 25 to 44, 22.6% aged 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males.[29]
There were 6,952 housing units at an average density of 1,453.2 units per square mile (561.1 units/km2), of which 6,584 (94.7%) were occupied. Of these, 42.7% were owner-occupied, and 57.3% were occupied by renters.[29]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 13.3% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 73.9% spoke only English at home, 21.9% spokeSpanish, 1.3% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 2.9% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 84.4% were high school graduates and 22.9% had a bachelor's degree.[31]
The median household income was $67,122, and theper capita income was $36,541. About 10.7% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[32]
Major employers in Ukiah include:[33]
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Ukiah is known forwine production. Some very large production wineries, includingBrutocao, Fife, Parducci, Frey, and Bonterra, have become established here since the late 20th century.
Ukiah was previously a major producer ofpears. Alex R. Thomas & Company owned hundreds of acres ofBartlett pear orchards on the east side of the Ukiah Valley. For nearly 90 years, many local residents andmigrant workers have been employed packing the pears for domestic and foreign consumption. On December 1, 2008, the company announced it would be shutting down major operations at the end of the year due to bankruptcy.[34] Several acres of orchard have been torn down and replaced with vineyards since the packing shed closed its doors. As of 2011, the main facility was slated to reopen as a composting and trash-sorting facility.[34]
Institutions of the arts include:
Ukiah uses a council–manager form of government in which policy is set by a five-member city council, elected at-large to four-year terms. The council appoints both the mayor and the city manager.[36]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Ukiah is inthe 2nd senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Mike McGuire,[40] andthe 2nd Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Chris Rogers.[41]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Ukiah is inCalifornia's 2nd congressional district, represented byDemocrat Jared Huffman.[42]
The tribal headquarters of both thePinoleville Pomo Nation and thePotter Valley Tribe are in Ukiah.[43]
TheAmtrak Thruway 7 bus provides daily connections to/from Ukiah (with a curbside stop at 397 North Orchard Avenue) andMartinez to the south, to/fromArcata to the north. AdditionalAmtrak connections are available from Martinez station.[44]
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The Ukiah resident
Places adjacent to Ukiah, California | |
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Municipalities and communities ofMendocino County, California,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities |
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| Indian reservations | ||
| Former settlements | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
