Cazadero, California

History

Cazadero was the northern terminus of the North Pacific Coast Railroad, originally laid as narrow-gauge track in the 1870s. This railhead was fed by several smaller-gauge systems dedicated to logging and networks of logging roads and trails which brought trees to Duncans Mill for processing and shipment south to San Francisco. Local legend holds that much of San Francisco was rebuilt after the disastrous April 1906 earthquake and fire using redwood and other lumber from the Cazadero area. Cazadero timbers are also known to have been used in pilings sunk to support the old eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (which was replaced by a new span in 2013; the old eastern span was subsequently demolished.) The sawmills in Cazadero had faced financial hardship in the 1990s and currently there is only one sawmill still in operation as of 2026.

Geography

Many creeks in Cazadero join Austin Creek as it makes its way to the Russian River. The principal tributary in the area is Kidd Creek, which finds its source on the southeast slopes of Pole Mountain which rises to approximately 2204 ft just a few miles from the Pacific coastline. Kidd Creek flows west to east in two main forks which join near the CazSonoma Inn before flowing into Austin Creek about 3 mi south of town. The rapid rise in elevation from the coast to mountains west of Cazadero ensures that the area receives substantial rainfall as Pacific storms come onshore in spring and winter, releasing rain from clouds saturated with ocean moisture. Cazadero receives an average of 85 in of rain a year, and is reputed to be the second-wettest town in California, after Gasquet.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 7.1 mi2, 99.98% of it land and 0.02% of it water. The ZIP Code covers about 216 mi2.

Climate

This region includes both coastal cool and coastal warm microclimates. Coastal cool has summer highs in the 70s °F, and winter lows in the 40s °F. Coastal warm has summer highs in the 80s and 90s °F.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

The 2020 United States census reported that Cazadero had a population of 298. The population density was 41.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Cazadero was 258 (86.6%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 6 (2.0%) Native American, 2 (0.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 5 (1.7%) from other races, and 27 (9.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19 persons (6.4%).

The whole population lived in households. There were 146 households, out of which 17 (11.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 62 (42.5%) were married-couple households, 17 (11.6%) were cohabiting couple households, 29 (19.9%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 38 (26.0%) had a male householder with no partner present. 49 households (33.6%) were one person, and 28 (19.2%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.04.

The age distribution was 45 people (15.1%) under the age of 18, 12 people (4.0%) aged 18 to 24, 65 people (21.8%) aged 25 to 44, 89 people (29.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 87 people (29.2%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 53.8years. For every 100 females, there were 78.4 males.

There were 245 housing units at an average density of 34.4 /mi2, of which 146 (59.6%) were occupied. Of these, 104 (71.2%) were owner-occupied, and 42 (28.8%) were occupied by renters.

The Cazadero zip code, 95421, has a population of about 1,592, and a housing density of 7 people per square mile.

Parks and recreation

The area is home to a number of camps, including BSA Camp Royaneh, Camp Cazadero, and the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp.

Education

The school districts are Montgomery Elementary School District and West Sonoma County Union High School District.

The Montgomery district has one school, Montgomery Elementary School.

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{Gnis. 220749. Cazadero
3. "CARVING OUT A NICHE IN LUMBERSMALL FAMILY-OWNED SAWMILL BUSINESS IN CAZADERO PRIDES ITSELF AS STEWARD OF THE LAND". [[The Press Democrat]].
4. Freedman, Wayne. (2006-04-05). "Rainiest Town In The Bay Area Up For Sale". [[KGO-TV]] News.
5. [https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/95421/ Cities in ZIP code 95421]
6. "University of California, Davis, Sonoma County Climatic Zones".
7. "ACS Survey Population Estimate 2021".
8. "Decennial Census by Decade".
9. "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County".
10. "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County".
11. "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions".
12. "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions".
13. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California".
14. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
15. "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California".
16. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
17. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
18. "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California".
19. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
20. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
21. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
22. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
23. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
24. "2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
25. "2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
26. "Cazadero CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
27. "Cazadero CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
28. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sonoma County, CA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
29. "Montgomery Elementary Schools in this District". [[National Center for Education Statistics]].