Boyes Hot Springs (also called Boyes Springs or The Springs) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 6,215 people at the 2020 census. Resorts in Boyes Hot Springs, El Verano, Fetters Hot Springs, and Agua Caliente were popular health retreats for tourists from San Francisco and points beyond until the middle of the 20th century because of the geothermic hot springs that still well up from deep within the Earth.
History
The area was first occupied by Indigenous peoples, who discovered and used the hot springs that the area is named after. Under Mexican rule, in July 1840, Lazaro Piña was deeded 50,000 acres as Rancho Agua Caliente. Sometime in 1849 Thaddeus M. Leavenworth acquired 320 acres of the Rancho in what became present-day Agua Caliente, Fetters Hot Springs, Boyes Hot Springs, and part of Maxwell Farm. In 1889, property was being sold in the area as being near the "celebrated old Indian Medicine Spring." and started the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel, now the site of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.
A wildfire in September 1923 destroyed the settlement.
During the Great Depression, the area's tourism business stopped and the hotel closed.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Sonoma County Transit runs bus services through the Boyes Springs area.
Geography
Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers, with average summer temperatures between 85 and 110 degrees. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Boyes Hot Springs has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Boyes Hot Springs had a population of 6,215 and a population density of . The median age was 39.8 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 8.0% were aged 18 to 24, 26.8% were aged 25 to 44, 26.1% were aged 45 to 64, and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males age 18 and over.
The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,478 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,306 (93.1%) were occupied and 6.9% were vacant. Of occupied units, 53.5% were owner-occupied and 46.5% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.4%.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
2010 census
The 2010 United States census reported that Boyes Hot Springs had a population of 6,656. The population density was . The racial makeup of Boyes Hot Springs was 4,505 (39.1%) White, 48 (0.7%) African American, 91 (1.4%) Native American, 84 (1.3%) Asian, 9 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,674 (25.2%) from other races, and 245 (3.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6784 persons (67.7%)
The Census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households and 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 2,322 households, out of which 888 (38.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,082 (46.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 267 (11.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 162 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 190 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 28 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 598 households (25.8%) were made up of individuals, and 195 (8.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86. There were 1,511 families (65.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.46.
The population was spread out, with 1,763 people (26.5%) under the age of 18, 654 people (9.8%) aged 18 to 24, 1,957 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 1,664 people (25.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 618 people (9.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.
There were 2,508 housing units at an average density of , of which 53.7% were owner-occupied and 46.3% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.6%. 46.6% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 53.3% lived in rental housing units.
Economy
Historically, tourism has been a major economic factor for the area, focusing around the attraction of the naturally occurring hot springs. The springs were not only used for bathing, but, also for bottling. Electricity ran bottling plants, which bottled carbonated and still water for consumption.
Boyes Hot Springs is the site of the third Fairmont Hotel and Resorts property in Northern California, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. The high end hotel is located on a historic hotel site that served as a popular getaway for tourists in the 1920s who used the hot springs located in the area. The spa on-site uses the hot springs that the area is named after.
Government
In the California State Legislature, Boyes Hot Springs is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives, Boyes Hot Springs is in .
Education
The school district is Sonoma Valley Unified School District<!--UNI 37200-->.
Notable people
- Shotsie Gorman, tattoo artist, painter, sculptor and poet
- Duffy Lewis, major league outfielder, chiefly with the Boston Red Sox