Willits

Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville) is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located about 20 miles (32 km) north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1,391 feet (424 m) The population was 4,988 at the 2020 census. The Pomo tribe lived in the area before the settlers came, and the Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California is headquartered just west of Willits. Willits became a boomtown due to the tanbark industry. The 1970s "back to the land" homesteading movement paved the way for Willits' reputation as the solar capital of the world in the 1980s. 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 a chrome plating plant, which operated in Willits from 1964 to 1995, was responsible for a host of local health problems. By 2003, plans were in place to inject a solution into the site to neutralize the chromium and remediate the pollution. These plans successfully reduced the pollution, and further injections and a monitoring plan were implemented in 2005 and 2008. The Willits area is the final home of the racehorse Seabiscuit, who trained, recuperated, and was buried at Ridgewood Ranch, a few miles south of the city. The town was the scene of a legendary feud between the Frost and Coates families during the American Civil War.

History

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. The community incorporated in 1888. Little Lake was the scene of a legendary feud between the Frost and Coates families. The 1970s "back to the land" homesteading movement paved the way for Willits's reputation as the solar capital of the world in the 1980s. The Willits area is the final home of the racehorse Seabiscuit. The city and many residents became embroiled in lawsuits against the Whitman Corporation (later acquired by PepsiCo, Inc.) in 1996. Hexavalent chromium pollution left by a chrome plating plant from 1964 to 1995 was responsible for a host of local health problems. By 2003 plans were put into place to inject a solution into strategic wells at the site to neutralize the chromium and remediate the pollution on site. These plans successfully reduced the pollution, and further injections and a monitoring plan were implemented in 2005 and 2008. In 2011 various lawsuits were combined into a single suit involving paying for the site cleanup and payouts to affected individuals; most lawsuits were resolved in 2012. The town is home to the Ridgewood Ranch, where Sebiscuit trained, recuperated, lived out his retirement and was buried.

Geography

Willits is located 23 miles (37 km) north of Ukiah and the same distance south of Laytonville on U.S. Route 101 (otherwise known as the Redwood Highway) It is on the west side of the Little Lake Valley, a 6 by 3 miles (10 by 5 km) area surrounded by the California Coast Ranges. Willits has a dry-summer subtropical or mediterranean climate. The record maximum temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) on June 30, 2005. The wettest year on record was 1983 with 91.58 inches (2,326 mm) and the driest yearon 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 rainfall in 24 hours was 8.80 inches (224 mm) on December 22, 1964. It is located about halfway on the future Great Redwood Trail, a multi-use rail trail project project in Mendocino County. The city had a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), 99.96% of it land, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It has an average of 94 days with measurable precipitation each year. There are occasional snowfalls in Willits each year, with anAverage of 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) of snow annually. The town has a cool winter and hot day/cool night summer climate.

Culture

Every July, Willits hosts the Frontier Days & Rodeo, the oldest continuous rodeo and Independence Day celebration in California. 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 inWillits. Stagecoach bandit Charles Bolles (a.k.a. Black Bart) stole multiple Wells Fargo boxes and mail from stagecoaches traveling through Willits. Judi Bari, labor leader and environmental activist, fought to save the redwoods. Over 1,000 people attended her Willits funeral in 1997.Phil Jordon, the first National Basketball Association player ever to have played prep basketball in the Redwood Empire area (coastal Northern California & coastal Southern Oregon), did so while at Willits High School. Willits is home to the Roots of Motive Power Locomotive Museum, the Mendocino County Museum, and the Willits Center for the Arts. The North County Center of Mendocinos College is also in WillITS. The town is located on the north end of Willits, in the northern part of the county. It is located in the foothills of the San Francisco Bay Area, near the northern tip of Mount Shasta. It has a population of around 2,000. It was founded in the 17th century by settlers from Northern California and Southern Oregon. The city is located at the base of the Sierra Nevadas.

Demographics

The 2010 U.S. Census reported that Willits had a population of 4,888. The racial makeup of the city was 4,247 (83.72%) White, 32 (0.63%) African American, 179 (3.53%) Native American, 59 (1.2%) Asian, 2 (0.04%) Pacific Islander, 359 (7.08%) from other races, and 195 (3.84%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race numbered 745, or 14.69% of the population. 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 is 4.3%. The median income for a household in the city in the 2010 Census was $26,283, and the median family income was $22,193. The city's population dispersal was 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. In the city, the median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

Economy

Major employers in Willits include the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital and METALFX. Willits is located on the north shore of Lake Willits. The town has a population of about 2,000 people. It is located near the town of Willits, which is on the lake's north shore. The city's economy is largely based on the mining industry. It also has a large number of non-mining related jobs, such as trucking and trucking. It has a small population of people who live in the Willits area of the lake. The majority of the town's residents are from Willits and the surrounding area, with about 1,000 residents living in the city of Wawasee, which lies to the south. The population is about 3,500 people, with the majority of them living in Wawaree County, where the town is located. The economy is based on mining, with most of the city's employment being in the mining sector. The unemployment rate is about 2.5 per cent, and the city has a high unemployment rate of about 10 per cent. The average household income is about $30,000, with many residents earning more than $50,000 a year. The area is home to a number of businesses, including METALfx. and Willits Medical Center, which provides medical care and other services to the community. It's also home to an array of schools, including Willits High School, Willits Middle School, Wawasawasauk High School and Wawausauk Elementary School.

Government

Willits uses a councilmanager form of government with a city council consisting of five council members. As of December 2022, the current mayor of Willits is Saprina Rodriguez. Willits has a population of 2,000. It is located on the shores of Lake Willits. The city's name is derived from the word "Willits" which means "lake" or "river" in Spanish. The town's nickname is "The Willits" and its name means "the Willits River" in English. It was named after the town's founder, William Willits, who was born in Willits in 1881. The current mayor is Sapina Rodriguez, who has been in office since 2002. The mayor's office is located in the city's downtown area. It has a total of 5,000 residents. The population is 2,200. It uses a city manager form ofgovernment with a council of five members. It also has a mayor-to-council ratio of 1:5. The council has a city mayor- to-citizen ratio of 2:1. The Mayor-to councillor ratio is 1:2. The City Council has five members, with the mayor being the head of the city council for the majority of the time, and the mayor for the second half of the year. The Willits City Council is made up of the mayor and four members of the City Council. In addition to the mayor, the council has four members who serve as city administrators.

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. 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, enters the city on South Main Street, and then heads west, running parallel to and several miles south of the Skunk Train's route. The Willits Bypass project opened to traffic on November 3, 2016, despite the controversy related to its route through protected wetlands. It is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the city, especially on all of Main Street. The city is home to a number of wineries, including Willits Winery, which was founded in 1875. The town also has a winery that opened in 1883, and a winemaking company that was established in 1885, which is based in Willits. It has been the site of numerous wineries and other businesses since the early 20th century.

Politics

In the state legislature, Willits is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire, and the 2nd Assembly District. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Willits area is in California's 2nd congressional district. The district is represented by Democrats Jared Huffman and Tom Perriello. Willits has a population of about 1,000. The town is located in the northern part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located on California's Central Coast, near San Francisco and the San Joaquin River. The city's population is around 1,200. It was founded in the early 1900s and was named after a local pioneer, William Willits, who moved to the area in the late 1800s. It has a history of being home to a number of notable people, including John F. Kennedy, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. It also has been known as the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in 1864. The Willits River runs through the town and is a popular tourist destination. It's also known for its natural beauty, with many scenic overlooks and views of the city's canyons and mountains. The community has been home to many celebrities, including Bob Hope, Bob Greene, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Bob Greene's son, Bobbie, who served as mayor of Willits in the 1980s and 1990s. The village is also known as "the birthplace of the California Democratic Party" and the California Republican Party, which began in the 1950s.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Willits, Mendocino County, California = 99. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 38. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 89. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Willits = 5.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 4,988 individuals with a median age of 35.8 age the population dropped by -1.36% in Willits, Mendocino County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,770.7 residents per square mile of area (683.7/km²). There are average 2.54 people per household in the 1,919 households with an average household income of $31,092 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.60% of the available work force and has dropped -5.79% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.82%. The number of physicians in Willits per 100,000 population = 211.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Willits = 50.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 3.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 93. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 220. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 32.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 68, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Willits, Mendocino County, California which are owned by the occupant = 44.20%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 43 years with median home cost = $259,970 and home appreciation of -15.85%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.16 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,133 per student. There are 18.6 students for each teacher in the school, 2174 students for each Librarian and 1208 students for each Counselor. 6.87% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 7.84% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.72% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).