Boonville (formerly The Corners and Kendall's City) in Mendocino County, California, United States. at an elevation of 381 feet (116 m).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Boonville had a population of 1,018. The population density was , and the whole population lived in households.

The median age was 41.0 years. There were 210 people (20.6%) under the age of 18, 83 people (8.2%) aged 18 to 24, 271 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 242 people (23.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 212 people (20.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.8 males age 18 and over.

There were 400 housing units at an average density of . Of the 400 housing units, 357 (89.3%) were occupied and 43 (10.8%) were vacant. Of occupied units, 165 (46.2%) were owner-occupied and 192 (53.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.1%, and the rental vacancy rate was 0.0%.

Education

thumb|Historic Boonville schoolhouse

Elementary school students in Boonville attend Anderson Valley Elementary School. Middle and high school students attend Anderson Valley Junior-Senior High School. Both schools are located in Boonville.

Politics

In the state legislature, Boonville is in , and .

Federally, Boonville is in .

Culture

thumb|Anderson Valley Brewing Company's tap room

Boonville is best known as the source of the Boontling folk language. Bottles from the local Anderson Valley Brewing Company are labeled with the motto "Bahl Hornin which means "It's good drinkin in Boontling.

An Alsatian Varietals wine festival is held at the fairgrounds each February. In early spring (April or May), the annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival is held at the fairgrounds, featuring beers from about 50 craft breweries. A Pinot Noir Festival is held in May. In July, the Wool-growers' Barbecue and Sheepdog Trials is held at the fairgrounds. Boonville hosts the annual Mendocino County Fair in September. Boonville also hosted the long-running Sierra Nevada World Music Festival every summer solstice weekend in June. Since the summer of 2024, the festival has no longer happened in Anderson Valley due to funding.

The apple cultivar known as Sierra Beauty is attributed to have been located on a mountainside by itself. Cuttings were made and grafted allowing the cultivar to survive. The Gowan family was one of the early growers that helped save this cultivar from extinction.

Boonville, despite its small population, has a minor reputation among political leftists in the United States for countercultural ideals, including promotion of organic food. The town serves as the setting for the novel Boonville (2001) by Robert Mailer Anderson and is mentioned in Sourdough (2017) by Robin Sloan. Some commentators believe Boonville may be the setting for the novel Vineland (1990) by Thomas Pynchon.

The town is known to Unificationists as the site of the successful but ill-fated Creative Community Project.

The ZIP Code is 95415. The community is inside area code 707.

The 2008 American science fiction action horror thriller film Pig Hunt is set and shot in Boonville.

The 2016 Western film Boonville Redemption is set in Boonville in 1906.

Boonville is home of the Boonville stomp, a dance invented by a forestry worker named Maudie in the early 1900s. Les Claypool has a song called "Boonville Stomp" on his album Of Fungi and Foe which was also featured in the film Pig Hunt and includes a shout-out to the film's producer and writer Robert Mailer Anderson.

Notable residents

  • Robert Mailer Anderson, novelist, screenwriter, playwright and activist; 1987 graduate of Anderson Valley High School
  • René Auberjonois, Emmy award-nominated actor, former resident
  • Gabriela Lena Frank, award-winning composer (Latin Grammy, Guggenheim, USA Artist) and Grammy-nominated pianist
  • Martin Tevaseu, football player for the Indianapolis Colts
  • In the spring of 1968 a number of Manson Family members lived for a few months in a residence between Boonville and Philo. Due to drug accusations the residence was raided on June 24 and the inhabitants were arrested. Among the accused were Mary Brunner, Ella Jo Bailey, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel. After the Boonville raid they left the area.

See also

  • Boontling
  • Boont ale

References

  • The Anderson Valley Advertiser - the weekly newspaper of Anderson Valley