Forestville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. It was settled during the late 1860s and was originally spelled Forrestville after one of its founders; the spelling was soon standardized with one "r". The population was 3,264 at the 2020 census, down from 3,293 at the 2010 census.
By 1900, the community was known for attracting writers and artists and had a bohemian reputation. The small town has a limited number of businesses.
History and features
thumb|left|Forestville, 1909
<nowiki>Forestville's unofficial motto is "Forestville, The Good Life." This phrase appears on license plate holders sold at the local hardware store. The major road through town is Front Street for the length of the town, a distance of about three blocks, between Covey Road and Mirabel Road. It has been made part of Highway 116. The "downtown" blocks were first developed during the 1870s and 1880s. A fire destroyed many of the older structures, and existing buildings date mostly to the early 20th century. According to </nowiki>Sonoma State University professor Jonah Raskin, Forestville "was a gathering place for bohemians and writers and artists, circa 1900."
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Race and Ethnicity
! Racial and ethnic composition
! 2000
! 2010
! 2020
|-
! White (non-Hispanic)
| 83.29%
| 82.05%
| 76.13%
|-
! Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
| 10.0%
| 12.33%
| 13.91%
|-
! Two or more races (non-Hispanic)
| 2.62%
| 2.06%
| 6.16%
|-
! Asian (non-Hispanic)
| 1.6%
| 1.55%
| 1.38%
|-
! Native American (non-Hispanic)
| 0.93%
| 0.7%
| 0.95%
|-
! Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 1.1%
| 0.91%
| 0.67%
|-
! Other (non-Hispanic)
| 0.3%
| 0.21%
| 0.67%
|-
! Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)
| 0.17%
| 0.18%
| 0.12%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Forestville had a population of 3,264 and a population density of . The age distribution was 15.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% aged 18 to 24, 22.1% aged 25 to 44, 29.4% aged 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
The whole population lived in households. There were 1,400 households, of which 21.1% included children under the age of 18. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 20.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.4% of households were one person households, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33. There were 846 families (60.4% of all households).
There were 1,535 housing units at an average density of . Of these, 8.8% were vacant and 91.2% were occupied. Of occupied units, 75.9% were owner-occupied and 24.1% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.
Income and poverty
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $105,139, and the per capita income was $51,717. About 3.0% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census
At the 2010 census Forestville had a population of 3,293. The population density was . The racial makeup of Forestville was 2,914 (88.5%) White, 32 (1.0%) African American, 36 (1.1%) Native American, 53 (1.6%) Asian, 6 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 153 (4.6%) from other races, and 99 (3.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 406 people (12.3%).
The census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 1,429 households, 335 (23.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 617 (43.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 124 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 63 (4.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 127 (8.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 37 (2.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 446 households (31.2%) were one person and 110 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28. There were 804 families (56.3% of households); the average family size was 2.92.
The age distribution was 581 people (17.6%) under the age of 18, 242 people (7.3%) aged 18 to 24, 682 people (20.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,325 people (40.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 463 people (14.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 47.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.
There were 1,605 housing units at an average density of , of which 70.2% were owner-occupied and 29.8% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 70.4% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 28.5% lived in rental housing units.
Education
The school districts are Forestville Union Elementary School District<!--ELM 14010--> and West Sonoma County Union High School District<!--SEC 02670-->.
Forestville has two schools: Forestville Elementary School and El Molino High School. The high school provides 9–12 grade education to the majority of students in the Russian River area. During the 2017–18 school year, enrollment was 595 students. With the start of the fall semester in 2021, the El Molino High School campus was permanently closed and its entire student body transferred to Analy High School in downtown Sebastopol. The West Sonoma County Union High School District office and Laguna High School, a continuation school, were relocated to the former El Molino campus.
Infrastructure and transport
Forestville's main road is California State Route 116, known locally as the Pocket Canyon Highway, Front Street, and as the Gravenstein Highway. To the north of downtown is River Road, itself connecting the northern part of Forestville to the coastal community of Jenner in the west and access roads to both U.S. Route 101 and the Sonoma County Airport, the closest air link with commercial service to Forestville, to the east.
Sonoma County Transit bus route 20 serves Forestville.
Government
Forestville is represented by the following elected officials:
- Sonoma County Board of Supervisors: Lynda Hopkins (Nonpartisan)
- California State Assembly:
- California State Senate:
- United States Senate: Alex Padilla and Adam B. Schiff
Notable people
- James Walker Benét, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED, veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War
- Rosemary Gladstar, founder of an herbal school bearing her name
- Ben McKee, bassist of the band Imagine Dragons
- Catherine Yronwode, editor of comic books and non-fiction trading cards, author and graphics designer