Rio Dell, California
Rio Dell, California | |
|---|---|
| City of Rio Dell | |
 Wildwood Avenue, Rio Dell | |
 Location in Humboldt County and the state of California | |
  Rio Dell, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 40°29′57″N 124°06′23″W / 40.49917°N 124.10639°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Humboldt |
| Incorporated | February 23, 1965[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.42 sq mi (6.26 km2) |
| • Land | 2.28 sq mi (5.91 km2) |
| • Water | 0.14 sq mi (0.35 km2) 5.61% |
| Elevation | 161 ft (49 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,368 |
| • Estimate (2018)[4] | 3,390 |
| • Density | 1,494.08/sq mi (576.85/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 95562 |
| Area code | 707 |
| FIPS code | 06-60900 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277614, 2410951 |
| Website | cityofriodell |
Rio Dell (formerly Rio Del, Wildwood and Eagle Prairie)[5] is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Rio Dell is located on the west bank of the Eel River 1 mile (2 km) north of Scotia,[5] at an elevation of 161 feet (49 m).[3] The population was 3,363 at the 2010 census, up from 3,174 at the 2000 census.
Rio Dell was first thought to be named "Tokemuk" and, perhaps owing to its location at the convergence of multiple tribal territories, was home to members of the Wiyot, Nogatl and Mattole tribes. The Native American presence in Tokemuk ended as part of the larger coordinated attack known as the Indian Island Massacre in 1860 started in nearby Eureka. Shortly after the massacre the area became known as Eagle Prairie, but was renamed to Rio Dell in 1890. The name Rio Dell comes from settler Alonzo Painter's 1870's era hotel and is Mr. Painters poetic merger of the Spanish word for "river" and English word for "a small valley among trees." [6]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), of which, 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (5.61%) is water.
Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rio Dell has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[7]
| Climate data for Rio Dell | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) |
82 (28) |
86 (30) |
90 (32) |
97 (36) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
96 (36) |
98 (37) |
97 (36) |
81 (27) |
73 (23) |
102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 55.3 (12.9) |
57.4 (14.1) |
58.5 (14.7) |
60.3 (15.7) |
63.2 (17.3) |
66.3 (19.1) |
69.1 (20.6) |
70.3 (21.3) |
70.9 (21.6) |
67.3 (19.6) |
60.5 (15.8) |
55.6 (13.1) |
62.9 (17.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 47.8 (8.8) |
49.5 (9.7) |
50.4 (10.2) |
52.3 (11.3) |
55.5 (13.1) |
58.7 (14.8) |
60.9 (16.1) |
61.7 (16.5) |
60.9 (16.1) |
57.6 (14.2) |
52.4 (11.3) |
48.3 (9.1) |
54.7 (12.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 40.3 (4.6) |
41.6 (5.3) |
42.6 (5.9) |
44.3 (6.8) |
47.7 (8.7) |
51.1 (10.6) |
52.8 (11.6) |
53.1 (11.7) |
50.9 (10.5) |
47.8 (8.8) |
44.2 (6.8) |
41.1 (5.1) |
46.4 (8.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 20 (−7) |
23 (−5) |
29 (−2) |
32 (0) |
33 (1) |
40 (4) |
40 (4) |
41 (5) |
37 (3) |
28 (−2) |
27 (−3) |
17 (−8) |
41 (5) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 8.8 (220) |
7.5 (190) |
6.5 (170) |
3.5 (89) |
1.7 (43) |
0.6 (15) |
0.1 (2.5) |
0.2 (5.1) |
0.6 (15) |
3.0 (76) |
6.4 (160) |
9.2 (230) |
48.1 (1,220) |
| Average precipitation days | 16 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 117 |
| Source: [8] | |||||||||||||
History
The first post office at Rio Dell opened in 1876.[5] Rio Dell was connected to Scotia by a ferry provided by the lumber mill.[9] After the first bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1905, a ferry carried mill workers from Rio Dell upstream to Scotia; and a second ferry carried mill workers downstream to Metropolitan[10] until a suspension bridge was built to Scotia in 1914.[9] Many Italian immigrants lived in part of Rio Dell known at the time as Little Italy.[10] This part of town became popular with some mill workers seeking moonshine, gambling, and prostitution unavailable in the company towns where they were employed. Men came from as far away as Eureka to enjoy these illegal entertainments, or to engage in recreational fighting; and the place became known as Wildwood. Rio Dell's main street still carries the name Wildwood Avenue. In 1928 buildings on both sides of this street were engulfed by a fire started by a moonshine still.[11] The fire endangered the bridge to Scotia and prevented the Scotia Fire Department from crossing the bridge to help extinguish the fire.[10]
Rio Dell became home to the workforce for one of the largest lumber mills in the world, Pacific Lumber. It was often the first home of immigrants to the United States and Humboldt County, particularly for the Italian and Portuguese immigrant workforce of the early 20th century. In response to changing demographics, a post-war population expansion and the reluctance of the local Sheriff to provide law enforcement services to what was perceived as a dangerous community, Rio Dell was incorporated in 1965. The primary motivation for incorporation being a city's ability to deploy its own police department under local control. The department totaled 14 sworn officers shortly after obtaining city status. Following the City's incorporation in 1965 a series of events led to the economic decline of the community, including the opening of a new freeway bypass and the eventual demise of Pacific Lumber as an employer.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 213 | — | |
| 1950 | 1,862 | — | |
| 1960 | 3,222 | 73.0% | |
| 1970 | 2,817 | −12.6% | |
| 1980 | 2,687 | −4.6% | |
| 1990 | 3,012 | 12.1% | |
| 2000 | 3,174 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 3,368 | 6.1% | |
| 2018 (est.) | 3,390 | [4] | 0.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
2010
The 2010 United States Census[13] reported that Rio Dell had a population of 3,368. The population density was 1,393.2 people per square mile (537.9/km²). The racial makeup of Rio Dell was 2,894 (85.9%) White, 13 (0.4%) African American, 125 (3.7%) Native American, 25 (0.7%) Asian, 3 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 140 (4.2%) from other races, and 168 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 384 persons (11.4%).
The Census reported that 3,347 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 21 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,367 households, out of which 440 (32.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 560 (41.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 199 (14.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 85 (6.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 131 (9.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 13 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 409 households (29.9%) were made up of individuals and 139 (10.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45. There were 844 families (61.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.99.
The population was spread out with 803 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 309 people (9.2%) aged 18 to 24, 824 people (24.5%) aged 25 to 44, 989 people (29.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 443 people (13.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
There were 1,442 housing units at an average density of 596.5 per square mile (230.3/km²), of which 1,367 were occupied, of which 774 (56.6%) were owner-occupied, and 593 (43.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.8%. 1,952 people (58.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,395 people (41.4%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 3,174 people, 1,221 households, and 830 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,684.2 people per square mile (651.9/km²). There were 1,434 housing units at an average density of 760.9 per square mile (294.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.63% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 3.88% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.73% from other races, and 4.19% from two or more races. 10.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,221 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city, the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,254, and the median income for a family was $36,464. Males had a median income of $30,410 versus $19,688 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,569. About 18.5% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Rio Dell has a City Council - City Manager form of government. The City Council sets policy while the City Manager carries out the day-to-day business of the City. The Mayor is selected by the City Council and serves as the presiding officer at city council meetings and as the official head of the city for legislative and ceremonial purposes.
As of 2015, the Rio Dell City Council consisted of Mayor Mike Mazzocco, Gordon Johnson, Sue Strahan, Frank Wilson, and Clout God. The City Manager is Kyle Knopp. [15]
State and federal representation
In the state legislature, Rio Dell is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire,[16] and the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Jim Wood.[17]
Federally, Rio Dell is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.[18]
See also
References
- ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on February 21, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
- ^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 28, 2017.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rio Dell, California
- ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 132. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ Capace, Nancy (1999). Encyclopedia of California. North American Book Dist LLC. Page 390. ISBN 9780403093182.
- ^ Climate Summary for Rio Dell, California
- ^ "Rio Dell, California". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ a b Hawk, Diane (2004). Touring the old redwood highway : Humboldt County. Arcata, Calif.: Hawk Mountaintop Pub. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-9672162-4-9.
- ^ a b c Rovai, Julio J. (1979). Rio Dell-(Wildwood) as I saw it in the early twenties. Santa Rosa, California: Julio J. Rovai.
- ^ Garrison, Jim. "The Company's Town: An Examination of the Longevity and Legacy of Scotia, California" (PDF). Humboldt State University. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Rio Dell city". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Warm Hearted City". City of Rio Dell. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
External links
