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Willits, California facts for kids

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City of Willits
Willits Arch
Willits Arch
Location of Willits, California
Location of Willits, California
Willits, California is located in the United States
Willits, California
Willits, California
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  California
County Mendocino
Incorporated November 19, 1888
Government
 • Type Council–manager
Area
 • Total 2.82 sq mi (7.30 km2)
 • Land 2.82 sq mi (7.30 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.17%
Elevation
1,391 ft (424 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 4,888
 • Estimate 
(2019)
4,890
 • Density 1,735.89/sq mi (670.20/km2)
Time zone UTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
95490
Area code(s) 707
FIPS code 06-85600
GNIS feature ID 1652654

Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville) is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Willits is located 20 miles (32 km) north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1,391 feet (424 m). The population was 4,888 at the 2010 census, down from 5,073 at the 2000 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and at the beginning of the county's extensive redwood forests as approached by Highway 101 from the south. The Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California is headquartered just west of Willits.

An arch stands in the center of Willits featuring the slogans "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County". The Arch is the repurposed second version of the Reno Arch. Reno donated the arch to Willits in 1995.

Geography and environment

Located at the center of Mendocino County in the Little Lake Valley, 20 miles (32 km) north of Ukiah on U.S. Route 101 (otherwise known as the Redwood Highway). As of 2010, the city had a total area of 2.803 square miles (7.26 km2), 99.83% of it land.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification Willits has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (csb).

The mountains to the west along with a significant influence of mild Pacific air cause Willits to have a cool winter and hot day/cool night summer climate. Average January temperatures range from 32 °F (0 °C) to 54.9 °F (12.7 °C). Average July temperatures range from 47.3 °F (8.5 °C) to 85.3 °F (29.6 °C). There are an average of 34.5 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, and an average of 80.3 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record maximum temperature was 118 °F (48 °C) on June 30, 2005, and the record minimum temperature was 3 °F (−16 °C) on December 9, 1972.

Annual precipitation averages 51.4 inches (1,310 mm). The wettest year on record was 1983 with 91.58 inches (2,326 mm) and the driest year on record was 2013 with 16.68 inches (424 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 31.41 inches (798 mm) in December 1964. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 8.80 inches (224 mm) on December 22, 1964. There are an average of 94 days with measurable precipitation.

There are occasional snow falls in Willits each year, with an average of 3.7 inches (94 mm) of snow annually. The most snow in one month was 20.0 inches (510 mm) in December 1964.

Climate data for Willits
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 77
(25)
84.0
(28.9)
90.0
(32.2)
98.1
(36.7)
100.0
(37.8)
105.1
(40.6)
111.9
(44.4)
107.1
(41.7)
105.1
(40.6)
102.0
(38.9)
90.0
(32.2)
84.9
(29.4)
115.0
(46.1)
Average high °F (°C) 54.9
(12.7)
57.9
(14.4)
60.1
(15.6)
64.8
(18.2)
71.2
(21.8)
78.4
(25.8)
85.5
(29.7)
84.9
(29.4)
82.6
(28.1)
73.8
(23.2)
60.6
(15.9)
54.1
(12.3)
69.1
(20.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 43.9
(6.6)
46.2
(7.9)
47.8
(8.8)
50.7
(10.4)
55.9
(13.3)
61.3
(16.3)
66
(19)
65.5
(18.6)
62.2
(16.8)
56.1
(13.4)
48.4
(9.1)
43.3
(6.3)
53.9
(12.2)
Average low °F (°C) 32.7
(0.4)
34.5
(1.4)
35.8
(2.1)
36.7
(2.6)
40.5
(4.7)
44.2
(6.8)
46.9
(8.3)
46.0
(7.8)
42.1
(5.6)
38.5
(3.6)
36.0
(2.2)
32.5
(0.3)
38.9
(3.8)
Record low °F (°C) 12.0
(−11.1)
12.9
(−10.6)
10.0
(−12.2)
1.9
(−16.7)
21.0
(−6.1)
19.9
(−6.7)
25.0
(−3.9)
28.9
(−1.7)
19.9
(−6.7)
17.1
(−8.3)
12.9
(−10.6)
5
(−15)
1.9
(−16.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 9.9
(252)
8.1
(205)
7.4
(188)
3.2
(81)
1.5
(38)
0.4
(9)
0.1
(2)
0.2
(5)
0.6
(16)
3.1
(78)
7.4
(189)
10.0
(254)
51.9
(1,317)
Average precipitation days 14 12 13 9 5 2 0 1 2 7 13 14 92

History

Willits hotel rare
Willits hotel, 1903
CWR 46 and 45 at Willits June 1974xRP - Flickr - drewj1946
California Western Railroad double-header excursion train at Willits Depot, 1974

Hiram Willits arrived from Indiana in 1857 to settle in the Little Lake Valley. Kirk Brier founded the settlement on Willits' land. Willits was originally called Willitsville. Later, when the post office opened in 1861, it was called Little Lake. The name changed to Willits in 1874. Willits incorporated in 1888.

The Little Lake Election Day Shootout of 1867

Little Lake was the scene of a legendary family feud between the Frost and Coates families. The Frost family supported the South during the war, and the Coates family supported the Union. Both families were passionate in their beliefs. On October 16, 1867, Election Day, the long-running feud came to a head. A brawl turned into a shootout in front of Baechtel’s store, leaving Abraham Coates, Henry Coates, Albert Coates, Thomas Coates and Elisha Frost dead on the street. Three others were wounded.

Seabiscuit

The Willits area is the final home of the racehorse Seabiscuit. Ridgewood Ranch, where Seabiscuit trained, recuperated, lived out his retirement and was buried, is located a few miles south of the city.

Culture

Willits High School is located on the north end of Willits. There is also a branch of Mendocino College.

Every July, Willits hosts the Frontier Days & Rodeo, the oldest continuous rodeo and Independence Day celebration in California. It is also home to the Roots of Motive Power Locomotive Museum, the Mendocino County Museum, and Willits Center for the Arts.

Some notable names from Willits include Judi Bari, labor leader and environmental activist, who fought to save the Redwoods. Over 1,000 people attended her Willits funeral in 1997. Tré Cool, drummer for Green Day, lived in Willits during his teen years in the 1980s. Mona Gnader, the bass player for Sammy Hagar also resided in Willits. The folk singer Jeff Buckley spent a year at Willits High School.

During the 1950s, seascape painter Marshall Merritt maintained a studio in Willits.

Five miles east of Willits, the San Francisco Bay Area Council of the Boy Scouts Of America operates a 2,200-acre (8.9 km2) camp named Wente Scout Reservation. Previously known as Willits Scout Ranch, the camp in 1984 "saved" the town of Willits during an emergency water crisis by releasing 20,000 acre-feet (25,000,000 m3) of water from their private lake into the town's water system.

Willits is also home to classical guitar luthier Gregory Byers.

Environmental pollution

Beginning in 1996, the city and many residents became embroiled in lawsuits against the Whitman Corporation (later acquired by PepsiCo, Inc.), alleging that hexavalent chromium pollution left by the Remco Hydraulics chrome plating plant, which was owned by Bob Harrah and Whitman and operated in Willits from 1964–1995, is responsible for a host of local health problems. Litigator Erin Brockovich, known for the eponymous movie about her work in a similar case, participated in a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs. As of 2012 it appeared that the last remaining lawsuits were nearing final resolution.

According to this report there were 20 sites.

Dumping now has been reported at twenty locations:

  • 934 South Main St.
  • Page Pits
  • Berry Creek (off Page Pits)
  • Bob Peters' property (Shell Lane)
  • Collie's pond
  • Brooktrails Community
  • 475 San Francisco St.
  • 175 Lenore St.
  • City sewer
  • The open field behind Valley Oaks Trailer Park
  • The open field behind Page Pits
  • West Hwy 20 Bridge near KOA campground
  • Under freeway south Hwy 101 where two lanes turn to four
  • Ponds on Muir Mill Road
  • Quadrio property
  • Sherwood Rancheria Indian Land
  • Baechtel Creek
  • Pond near Nolans' property
  • Well on Luna's property
  • Willits Rail Yard

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 431
1870 946 119.5%
1880 153 −83.8%
1890 815 432.7%
1900 791 −2.9%
1910 1,153 45.8%
1920 1,468 27.3%
1930 1,424 −3.0%
1940 1,625 14.1%
1950 2,691 65.6%
1960 3,410 26.7%
1970 3,091 −9.4%
1980 4,008 29.7%
1990 5,027 25.4%
2000 5,073 0.9%
2010 4,888 −3.6%
2019 (est.) 4,890 0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1870 Census

2010 Census data

The 2010 United States Census reported that Willits had a population of 4,888. The population density was 1,743.7 people per square mile (673.3/km2). The racial makeup of Willits was 3,862 (79.0%) White, 34 (0.7%) African American, 216 (4.4%) Native American, 68 (1.4%) Asian, 5 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 479 (9.8%) from other races, and 224 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,008 persons (20.6%).

The Census reported that 4,794 people (98.1% of the population) lived in households, 52 (1.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 42 (0.9%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,914 households, out of which 667 (34.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 693 (36.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 320 (16.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 143 (7.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 163 (8.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 11 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 609 households (31.8%) were made up of individuals, and 281 (14.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50. There were 1,156 families (60.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.13.

The population dispersal was 1,270 people (26.0%) under the age of 18, 412 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 1,191 people (24.4%) aged 25 to 44, 1,273 people (26.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 742 people (15.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. There were 2,073 housing units at an average density of 739.5 per square mile (285.5/km2), of which 843 (44.0%) were owner-occupied, and 1,071 (56.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%. 2,215 people (45.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,579 people (52.8%) lived in rental housing units.

Transportation

Willits is the eastern terminus of the California Western Railroad (otherwise known as the "Skunk Train"), running through the Coast Redwood forests to coastal Fort Bragg. The old redwood Willits Depot was built in 1915 by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific. It is registered as a National Historic Place.

Willits Municipal Airport (also known as Ells Field) is a public general aviation airport with one runway, located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the city.

U.S. Route 101 is the major highway through the Little Lake Valley, passing just east of the Willits city limits, connecting Eureka to the north and San Francisco to the south. State Route 20 forks off of US 101 at a point just south of Willits, follows South Main Street and then heads west, running parallel to and several miles south of the Skunk Train's route, to Fort Bragg. To reduce traffic congestion in the city, especially on all of Main Street, the Willits Bypass project opened to traffic on November 3, 2016, despite the controversy related to its route through protected wetlands.

Sister towns

 Djibouti, Ali Sabieh

Economy

Major employers in Willits include the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital and METALfx.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Willits para niños

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