Occidental, California Howards[1]
Occidental, California post office
Location in Sonoma County and the state of California
Coordinates: 38°24′27″N 122°56′54″W / 38.4075, -122.94833
Country	United States
State	California
County	Sonoma
Area [2]
- Total	4.98 sq mi (12.9 km²)
- Land	4.98 sq mi (12.9 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)  0%
Elevation [1]	594 ft (181 m)
Population (2000)[2]
- Total	1,272
- Density	255/sq mi (98.5/km²)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95465
Area code(s)	707
FIPS code	06-53266
GNIS feature ID	277568

Occidental is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,272 at the 2000 census.^[2]

Geography

Occidental is located at 38°24′27″N, 122°56′54″W (38.4074146, -122.9483307)^[3]. The CDP has a total area of 4.98 sq mi (12.9 km²), all land.^[2]

Climate

The cooperative National Weather Service station reports that Occidental has cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers.

Average January temperatures range from 41.8°F to 54.5°F and average July temperatures range from 51.4° to 77.9°F. The record highest temperature was 103°F on July 22, 2006, and the record lowest temperature was 28°F on March 11, 2006. There an average of 12.8 days with highs of 90°F (32°C) or higher and an average of 2.1 days with lows of 32°F (0°C) or lower.

Average annual rainfall is 55.19 inches. The wettest year was 1983 with 111.21 inches and the dryest year was 1976 with 20.75 inches. The most rainfall in one month was 36.62 inches in January 1995. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.51 inches on January 5, 1966. Average annual snowfall is only 0.2 inch. The maximum snowfall was 11.0 inches in January 1974.^[4]

History

Starting in the 1870's, Occidental was a stop on the North Pacific Coast Railroad connecting Cazadero to the Sausalito ferry. In return for donating right-of-way to the railroad, a local landowner named "Dutch Bill" Howards received a lifetime railway pass, and the station was named after him.^[5]

The railway caused a rapid expansion of the timber industry, and by 1877 there were six sawmills in the Occidental area. Trains also brought vacationers from San Francisco.^[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 1,272 people, 524 households, and 319 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 255/sq mi (99/km²). There were 632 housing units at an average density of 127/sq mi (49/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.77% White, 0.55% African American, 0.79% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 1.57% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.64% of the population.

There were 524 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,000, and the median income for a family was $71,375. Males had a median income of $46,806 versus $29,306 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,970. About 7.9% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Occidental is located in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Pat Wiggins, and in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Patty Berg. Federally, Occidental is located in California's 6th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +21^[7] and is represented by Democrat Lynn Woolsey.

Gathering place

Occidental is unique for its high concentration of visionaries and famous artists throughout its recent history, and was the hub of community-centered social movements in the late 1960s and early 1970s, giving rise to nearby communes such as Morningstar, Wheeler Ranch, and Star Mountain.

There was a point in the early 1990s when the town was also a center of the "neo-hippie" movement in Sonoma County, but high property prices and other economic pressures have since driven out the young families that fed this movement.

For many years Occidental has been known for its Italian restaurants, which serve generous family-style dinners for a fixed price (following the European custom).^[8] The two main Italian restaurants today are the Union Hotel (founded in 1879) at 3703 Main Street and Negri's at 3700 Bohemian Highway.^[9]

Notable natives and residents

• Les Claypool
• Mickey Hart
• Alicia Bay Laurel
• Terence McKenna
• Tom Waits
• Max Thieriot lived here prior to moving into his own home in Manhattan Beach.
• KitarÅ�

External links

• Occidental, California is at coordinates 38°24′27″N 122°56′54″W / 38.4074146, -122.9483307 (Occidental, California)Coordinates: 38°24′27″N 122°56′54″W / 38.4074146, -122.9483307 (Occidental, California)
• Occidental Chamber of Commerce

References

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Sonoma County, California County seat: Santa Rosa Cities and towns Cloverdale | Cotati | Healdsburg | Petaluma | Rohnert Park | Santa Rosa | Sebastopol | Sonoma | Windsor CDPs Bodega Bay | Boyes Hot Springs | El Verano | Eldridge | Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente | Forestville | Glen Ellen | Graton | Guerneville | Larkfield-Wikiup | Monte Rio | Occidental | Roseland | Temelec Unincorporated communities Asti | Bloomfield | Bodega | Camp Meeker | Cazadero | Duncans Mills | Freestone | Geyserville | Guernewood Park | Jenner | Kenwood | Lakeville | Mark West | Mark West Springs | Penngrove | Rio Dell | Rio Nido | Salmon Creek | Sea Ranch | Two Rock | Valley Ford

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