Little River, California
Encyclopedia
Little River is a small census-designated place
in Mendocino County
, California
. It lies at an elevation of 66 feet (20 m). It is located two miles (3 km) south of the town of Mendocino
and running along the Pacific Ocean
coast on State Route 1
. The town is home to several hundred people and takes its name from nearby Little River
. The town center sits on a scenic bluff overlooking the mouth of Little River and hosts a grocery store, two gas pumps, a post office, and a restaurant within a single structure. The population was 117 at the 2010 census.
with its mile-long runway.
The ZIP Code is 95456. The community is inside area code 707
.
and Big River Wagon Road (1966 GLO
Plat). This road was likely widened and altered over the years until it was eventually added to the State Highway System.
Th Little River post office opened in 1865, changed its name to Littleriver in 1894, closed in 1929, and re-opened as Little River in 1930.
starring Alan Alda
and Ellen Burstyn
.
, the CDP covers an area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²), all of it land.
was 70.0 people per square mile (27.0/km²). The racial makeup of Little River was 113 (96.6%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 1 (0.9%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 0 (0.0%) from other races
, and 3 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2 persons (1.7%).
The Census reported that 117 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 69 households, out of which 6 (8.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25 (36.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 3 (4.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1 (1.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 35 households (50.7%) were made up of individuals and 14 (20.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.70. There were 29 families
(42.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.38.
The population was spread out with 11 people (9.4%) under the age of 18, 5 people (4.3%) aged 18 to 24, 23 people (19.7%) aged 25 to 44, 49 people (41.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 29 people (24.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.7 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
There were 112 housing units at an average density of 67.0 per square mile (25.9/km²), of which 40 (58.0%) were owner-occupied, and 29 (42.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 7.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 67 people (57.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 50 people (42.7%) lived in rental housing units.
Little River is located in the 2nd Senate
District, represented by Democrat
Noreen Evans
, and in the 1st Assembly
District, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro
. Federally, Little River is located in California's 1st congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +10 and is represented by Democrat Mike Thompson
.
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 Mendocino County
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
, 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...
. It lies at an elevation of 66 feet (20 m). It is located two miles (3 km) south of the town of Mendocino
Mendocino, California
Mendocino is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. Mendocino is located south of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 154 feet...
and running along the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast on 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...
. The town is home to several hundred people and takes its name from nearby Little River
Little River (Mendocino County)
Little River is a westward-flowing stream in Mendocino County, California which empties into the Pacific Ocean in Van Damme State Park near the town of Little River, California. Big River enters the Pacific about farther north....
. The town center sits on a scenic bluff overlooking the mouth of Little River and hosts a grocery store, two gas pumps, a post office, and a restaurant within a single structure. The population was 117 at the 2010 census.
Economy
Little River is home to several boutique inns and bed & breakfasts, making it a popular tourist stop along the Pacific Coast. The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek is the oldest resort in the Mendocino area, dating back to 1932 and the opening of State Highway 1, then known as the Shoreline Highway. The Cottages at Little River Cove is the newest inn on the Mendocino Coast, and is located just across from the grocery store. The Little River Area has two state parks, lots of ocean access and diverse recreational opportunities. Little River is also home to Little River AirportLittle River Airport
Little River Airport is a small county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Little River, in Mendocino County, California, United States.Although most U.S...
with its mile-long runway.
The ZIP Code is 95456. The community is inside area code 707
Area code 707
North American area code 707 is a Californian telephone area code which covers Napa, Sebastopol, Vallejo, Benicia, Fairfield, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Fort Bragg, Crescent City, Eureka, Clearlake, Vacaville, Ukiah, and northwestern California. It was split from area code 415 on March 1, 1959...
.
History
Little River was first settled by Lloyd and Samuel Bell, and the Moore Brothers. Shortly after, in 1856, W.H. Kent purchased the Bell tract and until 1862 the place was known as Bell’s Harbor and Kent’s Landing. In that year Ruel Stickney, Silas Coombs, and Tapping Reeves built a mill here, which provided the stimulus for the formation the town of Little River. This coastal mill town grew with the success of the mill so that eventually a schoolhouse, post house, shipyard, hotels, stores and blacksmith shops all established themselves here. Little River prospered in a similar way to many other towns on the Mendocino Coast until the nearby inland timber stands faltered. In the case of Little River, the mill closed in 1893. The loss of the mill shrunk the town and since that time it has served mainly as a tourist destination due to its beaches and Van Damme State Park, which the Little River runs through. The first road that ran through this area was the Anderson ValleyAnderson Valley
Anderson Valley is a sparsely populated region in western Mendocino County in Northern California. Located approximately 100 miles north of San Francisco, the name "Anderson Valley" applies broadly to several rural, unincorporated communities in or near the alluvial terraces along Anderson Creek...
and Big River Wagon Road (1966 GLO
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
Plat). This road was likely widened and altered over the years until it was eventually added to the State Highway System.
Th Little River post office opened in 1865, changed its name to Littleriver in 1894, closed in 1929, and re-opened as Little River in 1930.
Film Industry
The Heritage House Inn, a bed and breakfast in Little River (now closed), was the location for the film Same Time, Next YearSame Time, Next Year
Same Time, Next Year is 1975 comedy play by Bernard Slade. The plot focuses on two people, married to others, who meet for a romantic tryst once a year for two dozen years.-Plot:...
starring Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
and Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
.
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 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Little River had a population of 117. 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 70.0 people per square mile (27.0/km²). The racial makeup of Little River was 113 (96.6%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 1 (0.9%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 0 (0.0%) 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 3 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2 persons (1.7%).
The Census reported that 117 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 69 households, out of which 6 (8.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25 (36.2%) 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, 3 (4.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1 (1.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4 (5.8%) 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 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 35 households (50.7%) were made up of individuals and 14 (20.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.70. There were 29 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...
(42.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.38.
The population was spread out with 11 people (9.4%) under the age of 18, 5 people (4.3%) aged 18 to 24, 23 people (19.7%) aged 25 to 44, 49 people (41.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 29 people (24.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.7 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
There were 112 housing units at an average density of 67.0 per square mile (25.9/km²), of which 40 (58.0%) were owner-occupied, and 29 (42.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 7.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 67 people (57.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 50 people (42.7%) lived in rental housing units.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Little River is located in the 2nd Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Noreen Evans
Noreen Evans
Noreen Evans is an American politician in the California State Senate. She is a Democrat representing the 2nd district, encompassing Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties, as well as parts of Sonoma and Solano counties....
, and in the 1st Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro
Wesley Chesbro
Wesley P. Chesbro is a Democratic politician from California. He is currently the Assembly member for the 1st Assembly district in California. Previously, Chesbro served as a State Senator from California's 2nd district from 1998 until 2006...
. Federally, Little River is located in California's 1st congressional district
California's 1st congressional district
California's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California and presently consists of the northern coastline and includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties and parts of Sonoma and Yolo counties.The district is currently...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +10 and is represented by Democrat Mike Thompson
Mike Thompson
Michael C. Thompson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as well as parts of Yolo and Sonoma Counties....
.