Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a town in
Sonoma County,
California, approximately 52 miles north of
San Francisco. The population was 7,774 at the 2000 census. It is about a 20 minute drive from the
Pacific Ocean, between
Santa Rosa and
Bodega Bay, and is known for its progressive politics and
small-town charm. It was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing region;
wine grapes are now predominant. World-famous horticulturist
Luther Burbank had gardens in this fertile region. The city hosts an annual Apple Blossom Festival and
Gravenstein Apple Fair, and is the home of
publisher O'Reilly Media, which publishes books on open-source software.
Encyclopedia
Sebastopol is a town in
Sonoma County,
California, approximately 52 miles north of
San Francisco. The population was 7,774 at the 2000 census. It is about a 20 minute drive from the
Pacific Ocean, between
Santa Rosa and
Bodega Bay, and is known for its progressive politics and
small-town charm. It was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing region;
wine grapes are now predominant. World-famous horticulturist
Luther Burbank had gardens in this fertile region. The city hosts an annual Apple Blossom Festival and
Gravenstein Apple Fair, and is the home of
publisher O'Reilly Media, which publishes books on open-source software. Former Primus lead singer/bassist
Les Claypool, singer/songwriter
Tom Waits and actor
Peter Krause currently reside in the area. Sebastopol is home to Analy High School, Laguna High School, Brook Haven Junior High School, Gravenstein Elementary School, Hillcrest Middle School, Twin Hills Middle School and Pine Crest Elementary. It is also the sister city of Chihirin,
Ukraine, and Yamauchi-Machi,
Japan.
History
The area's first known inhabitants were the native
Coast Miwok and Pomo peoples. The town of Sebastopol formed in the 1850s with a
U.S. Post Office and as a small trade center for the farmers of the surrounding
agricultural region. As California's population swelled after the westward migration and the
Gold rush of the 1850s, more and more settlers drifted into the fertile California valleys north of
San Francisco to try their hand at farming.
The name of Sebastopol first came into use in the late 1850s as a result of a prolonged and lively
fist fight in the newly formed town, which was likened to the long British siege of the Russian seaport of
Sevastopol during the then-raging
Crimean War. At one time four other California towns were also named Sebastopol .
Sebastopol became known as the
Gravenstein Apple Capital of the World. The apple industry brought a steady rural prosperity to the town. In 1890 the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad opened a branch to Sebastopol. The town was incorporated in 1902 with schools, churches, hotels, canneries, mills, wineries, and an opera house to its credit. The 1906 earthquake reduced most of these early buildings to rubble, but as elsewhere in the county, the town was rebuilt.
In the second half of the Twentieth Century, the apple industry struggled to compete with other apple producing regions and has gradually declined in economic significance. With greater personal mobility and the rise of larger shopping centers in other Sonoma County communities, many residents now often commute to work and shop in the neighboring towns of
Rohnert Park or
Santa Rosa, while Sebastopol maintains a small town charm.
It is often incorrectly stated that until the 1990s, Sebastopol was the last remaining town in Northern California that still had working railroad tracks going down Main Street. The tracks were actually removed in the late 1980s long after the trains stopped running to the area. The canneries have disappeared from downtown, while vineyards and new housing developments have replaced some of the apple orchards eliminating the need for a train service to town.
It is often also incorrectly stated that the tracks were removed in the 1990s when the downtown area was redesigned with two one-way streets to enhance traffic along Gravenstein Highway . Main Street and Sebastopol Avenue were actually designated one-way streets in 1985.
Some famous residents of Sebastopol include: the horticulturist
Luther Burbank who established a 18-acre Gold Ridge Environmental Farm in the township in the late 1800's; Willard Libby inventor of
carbon dating; the actress Karen Valentine; and the musician
Jerry Garcia.
Hyphy
The town is known for it's large support of the Hyphy Movement, created by Andre Hicks, AKA Mac Dre, who even recorded songs with the Analy High School graduate now known as Smoov E. Many people who are from the town have their own beliefs about Eli's talent and his music, although that probably had a main role in the reason Mac Dre played at the Sebastopol Community Center. The community center's video clips showed up multiple times in Treal TV later .
Geography
Sebastopol is located at . Its downtown is at the intersection of state highways 12 and 116 , approximately 9 miles west of
U.S. Highway 101.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 km² , all land.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 7,774 people, 3,250 households, and 1,953 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,596.6/km² . There were 3,321 housing units at an average density of 682.0/km² . The racial makeup of the city was 89.85%
White, 0.66%
African American, 0.78% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 3.86% from
other races, and 3.23% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.26% of the population.
There were 3,250 households out of which 31.8% included children under the age of 18 in the house, 41.5% were married couples living together, 14.2% were led by a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were other living arrangements. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,436, and the median income for a family was $55,792. Males had a median income of $40,538 versus $32,399 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,881. About 4.7% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
The majority of Sebastopol city council members belong to the Green Party. The remaining council members are Democrats. In 1986, the citizens approved an initiative declaring Sebastopol a "Nuclear Free Zone".
External links
