Bonny Doon, California
Encyclopedia
Bonny Doon is a census-designated place
in Santa Cruz County
, California
. Bonny Doon sits at an elevation of 1476 feet (449.9 m). The 2010 United States census reported Bonny Doon's population was 2,678.
Boony Doon is situated northwest of Santa Cruz
in the southern Bay Area. It was founded in the 1850s as a logging camp. John Burns, a Scotsman living in Santa Cruz, named Bonny Doon after a line in Robert Burns
' song "The Banks O' Doon" ("Ye banks and braes o'bonnie Doon..."). Bonny Doon is located in Santa Cruz County
. Bonny Doon has no "city center" or shops, but features several wineries, a church, two fire stations, a lavender farm, Bonny Doon Elementary School and a private-use airport. A nude beach
of the same name is nearby. Evidence of 2,600 years of occupation by Native Americans has been found in the area.
, the CDP covers an area of 16.7 square miles (43.2 km²), all of it land.
is a short drive down Empire Grade, and Bonny Doon is popular with residents both who work there and those who work from home and telecommute in various genres of computing. Even though it is an outlying area, DSL
and Cable Modem
and television service are available; mobile phone
service, however, is very limited due to the mountainous terrain and many trees.
, a popular hiking spot located on Martin Road in Bonny Doon. The Martin Fire, as it was named, burned 520 acres (2.1 km²) and destroyed three residences and eight outbuildings. About 1,500 residents of the Bonny Doon area were evacuated as a result of the fire. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Cruz County. The blaze cost over US$5.4 million to contain and led off a busy summer of wildfires in California.
A little more than one year later, on August 12, 2009 at 7:16 pm a second fire started in the Bonny Doon area, near the Lockheed facility off Empire Grade. The Lockheed fire burned 7817 acres (31.6 km²), and destroyed 13 outbuildings. More than 2,000 residents had been evacuated as the blaze spread from Swanton south toward Bonny Doon. The blaze cost over $26.6 million and took nearly 2 weeks to be fully contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
, noted science fiction
author, and his wife Virginia
, was a resident from 1965 until just before his death in 1988, in a house he designed and built himself.
The road to Bonny Doon from State Route 1
crosses an enclosed, unmarked conveyor belt, which carries limestone from a quarry three miles (5 km) east, to the Cemex
cement plant at Davenport
. This plant supplied cement for later stages of the Panama Canal, and other large projects since its founding in 1906.
was 160.5 people per square mile (62.0/km²). The racial makeup of Bonny Doon was 2,474 (92.4%) White, 9 (0.3%) African American, 15 (0.6%) Native American, 51 (1.9%) Asian, 5 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 48 (1.8%) from other races
, and 76 (2.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 168 persons (6.3%).
The Census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 1,088 households, out of which 268 (24.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 579 (53.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 59 (5.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 49 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 76 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 17 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 264 households (24.3%) were made up of individuals and 79 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44. There were 687 families
(63.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.77.
The population was spread out with 447 people (16.7%) under the age of 18, 210 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 579 people (21.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,082 people (40.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 360 people (13.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.5 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.9 males.
There were 1,218 housing units at an average density of 73.0 per square mile (28.2/km²), of which 73.3% were owner-occupied and 26.7% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 75.7% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 23.3% lived in rental housing units.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Bonny Doon sits at an elevation of 1476 feet (449.9 m). The 2010 United States census reported Bonny Doon's population was 2,678.
Boony Doon is situated northwest of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
in the southern Bay Area. It was founded in the 1850s as a logging camp. John Burns, a Scotsman living in Santa Cruz, named Bonny Doon after a line in Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' song "The Banks O' Doon" ("Ye banks and braes o'bonnie Doon..."). Bonny Doon is located in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
. Bonny Doon has no "city center" or shops, but features several wineries, a church, two fire stations, a lavender farm, Bonny Doon Elementary School and a private-use airport. A nude beach
Nude beach
A nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
of the same name is nearby. Evidence of 2,600 years of occupation by Native Americans has been found in the area.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP covers an area of 16.7 square miles (43.2 km²), all of it land.
Description
The area is on a slope with higher elevations in redwood forest, maritime chaparral, and lower elevations descending toward the coastal zone, which is occupied by grasslands. There are ocean views from parts of the area on days when fog is not present. The University of California, Santa CruzUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
is a short drive down Empire Grade, and Bonny Doon is popular with residents both who work there and those who work from home and telecommute in various genres of computing. Even though it is an outlying area, DSL
Digital Subscriber Line
Digital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
and Cable Modem
Cable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
and television service are available; mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
service, however, is very limited due to the mountainous terrain and many trees.
Wildfires
On June 11, 2008, at 2:54 p.m. a fire broke out at the Bonny Doon Ecological ReserveBonny Doon Ecological Reserve
The Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve is a nature preserve of in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, United States. The reserve protects several rare and endangered plant and animal species within an area known as the Santa Cruz sandhills, an ancient seabed containing fossilized marine animals.The...
, a popular hiking spot located on Martin Road in Bonny Doon. The Martin Fire, as it was named, burned 520 acres (2.1 km²) and destroyed three residences and eight outbuildings. About 1,500 residents of the Bonny Doon area were evacuated as a result of the fire. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Cruz County. The blaze cost over US$5.4 million to contain and led off a busy summer of wildfires in California.
A little more than one year later, on August 12, 2009 at 7:16 pm a second fire started in the Bonny Doon area, near the Lockheed facility off Empire Grade. The Lockheed fire burned 7817 acres (31.6 km²), and destroyed 13 outbuildings. More than 2,000 residents had been evacuated as the blaze spread from Swanton south toward Bonny Doon. The blaze cost over $26.6 million and took nearly 2 weeks to be fully contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Notable sites
Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
, noted science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author, and his wife Virginia
Virginia Heinlein
Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein , born Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld, was the third wife of Robert A. Heinlein, a prominent and successful author once known as one of the "Big Three" of science fiction .Born to George and Jeanne Gerstenfeld, Virginia was raised in Brooklyn and had one brother, Leon...
, was a resident from 1965 until just before his death in 1988, in a house he designed and built himself.
The road to Bonny Doon from State Route 1
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
crosses an enclosed, unmarked conveyor belt, which carries limestone from a quarry three miles (5 km) east, to the Cemex
Cemex
CEMEX is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
cement plant at Davenport
Davenport, California
Davenport is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California. Davenport sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Davenport's population was 408.-Situation:...
. This plant supplied cement for later stages of the Panama Canal, and other large projects since its founding in 1906.
Murder of Jasmine Fiore
Bonny Doon was briefly in the spotlight in 2009 when model Jasmine Fiore was murdered. Jasmine grew up in Bonny Doon and attended the local elementary, where she was known as Jasmine Lepore.Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Bonny Doon had a population of 2,678. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 160.5 people per square mile (62.0/km²). The racial makeup of Bonny Doon was 2,474 (92.4%) White, 9 (0.3%) African American, 15 (0.6%) Native American, 51 (1.9%) Asian, 5 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 48 (1.8%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 76 (2.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 168 persons (6.3%).
The Census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 1,088 households, out of which 268 (24.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 579 (53.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 59 (5.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 49 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 76 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 17 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 264 households (24.3%) were made up of individuals and 79 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44. There were 687 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(63.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.77.
The population was spread out with 447 people (16.7%) under the age of 18, 210 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 579 people (21.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,082 people (40.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 360 people (13.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.5 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.9 males.
There were 1,218 housing units at an average density of 73.0 per square mile (28.2/km²), of which 73.3% were owner-occupied and 26.7% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 75.7% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 23.3% lived in rental housing units.