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Boyes Hot Springs, California

Coordinates: 38°18′40″N 122°29′2″W / 38.31111°N 122.48389°W / 38.31111; -122.48389
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boyes Hot Springs
Census designated place
Location in Sonoma County and the state of California
Location in Sonoma County and the state of California
Boyes Hot Springs is located in the United States
Boyes Hot Springs
Boyes Hot Springs
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°18′40″N 122°29′2″W / 38.31111°N 122.48389°W / 38.31111; -122.48389[1]
Country United States
State California
CountySonoma
Area
[2]
 • Total
1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2)
 • Land1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation
[3]
135 ft (41 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
6,215
 • Density5,863.21/sq mi (2,262.97/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
95416 (PO boxes), 95476 (Street addresses)
Area code707
FIPS code06-07848
GNIS feature ID1658122

Boyes Hot Springs (also called Boyes Springs or The Springs[4]) 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

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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.[5] In 1889, property was being sold in the area as being near the "celebrated old Indian Medicine Spring."[4] Henry Ernest Boyes discovered hot springs in 1895 in the central part of the area. He and his wife called the area Agua Rica.[4][6] and started the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel, now the site of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.[6] The area became popular with tourists, with over 70,000 visiting each year. A railroad serviced the area during this period.[7]

A wildfire in September 1923 destroyed the settlement.[8][9]

During the Great Depression, the area's tourism business stopped and the hotel closed.[6] During that period, the Oakland Oaks and San Francisco Seals did their spring training in Boyes Hot Springs.[4] Tourism became the region's main economic focus again later in the 1930s, then during World War II it was taken over by the United States Navy, who sent sailors to the area for recreation.[6] Railroad service stopped in 1942.[4]

Today, the area is primarily residential with a large Latino population. Boyes Hot Springs is part of an area called "The Springs", which also includes Fetters Hot Springs and Agua Caliente.[7]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all land. Boyes Hot Springs is known for, and named after, the hot springs that run 1,100 feet below the surface. Today, the springs are accessible through the Fairmont Hotel and Spa located in the area. The springs run at 135 degrees.[10]

Infrastructure

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Transportation

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Sonoma County Transit runs bus services through the Boyes Springs area.[11]

Geography

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Climate

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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.[12]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20006,665—
20106,656−0.1%
20206,215−6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1850–1870[14][15] 1880-1890[16]
1900[17] 1910[18] 1920[19]
1930[20] 1940[21] 1950[22]
1960[23] 1970[24] 1980[25]
1990[26] 2000[27] 2010[28]

2020

[edit]

The 2020 United States census reported that Boyes Hot Springs had a population of 6,215. The population density was 5,863.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,263.8/km2). The racial makeup of Boyes Hot Springs was 49.9% White, 0.3% African American, 1.8% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 23.3% from other races, and 22.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.6% of the population.

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.

There were 2,306 households, out of which 32.0% included children under the age of 18, 45.5% were married-couple households, 9.1% were cohabiting couple households, 28.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 24.7% of households were one person, and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69. There were 1,511 families (65.5% of all households).

The age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.0% aged 18 to 24, 26.8% aged 25 to 44, 26.1% aged 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males.

There were 2,478 housing units at an average density of 2,337.7 units per square mile (902.6 units/km2), of which 2,306 (93.1%) were occupied. Of these, 53.5% were owner-occupied, and 46.5% were occupied by renters.[29][30]

2023 estimates

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In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 60.6% of the population were born in California, 10.8% were born in a different state, 3.9% were born in a US territory or abroad to an American parent, and 24.8% were born outside US jurisdiction. Of those aged 5 or older, 56.3% spoke only English at home, 42.6% spoke Spanish, 0.8% spoke other Indo-European languages, 0.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 80.8% were high school graduates and 24.8% had a bachelor's degree.[31]

The median household income was $89,568, and the per capita income was $43,990. About 10.0% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line.[32]

Economy

[edit]

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.[33]

Tourism and food

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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.[6][7] The Italian restaurant Mary's Pizza Shack opened its first restaurant in Boyes Hot Springs.[4] Boyes Hot Springs is also known for having one of the first Michelin Guide star rated restaurants in the area, Santé, which is located in the Fairmont.[34]

Government

[edit]

In the California State Legislature, Boyes Hot Springs is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire, and in the 4th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.[35]

In the United States House of Representatives, Boyes Hot Springs is in California's 4th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mike Thompson.[36]

Education

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The school district is Sonoma Valley Unified School District.[37]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "Boyes Hot Springs". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kathleen Thompson Hill; Gerald Hill (July 1, 2005). Sonoma Valley: The Secret Wine Country. Globe Pequot Press. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-7627-3444-3.
  5. ^ Acker, Michael (2017). The Springs: Resort Towns of Sonoma Valley. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. ISBN 9781467124300. OCLC 962233334.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Hotel History". Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Fairmont. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Sweet, Carey (April 26, 2013). "Travel: Boyes Hot Springs' water draws visitors". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  8. ^ Lynch, Bill (September 14, 2015). "The firestorm that destroyed Boyes Springs". Sonoma Index-Tribune.
  9. ^ Lynch, Bill (2017). My Sonoma: Valley of the Moon. New York: Page. p. 84. ISBN 9781635683646.
  10. ^ Rodriguez, Suzie (March 23, 2012). "Feel the heat of Agua Caliente's mineral waters". Sonoma. Press-Democrat. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  11. ^ "Sonoma County Transit". Sonoma County Transit. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  12. ^ "Boyes Hot Springs, California Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015.
  13. ^ "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ^ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  15. ^ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  16. ^ "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  20. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  21. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  22. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^ "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  24. ^ "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  25. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  26. ^ "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  27. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  28. ^ "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  29. ^ "Boyes Hot Springs CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  30. ^ "Boyes Hot Springs CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  31. ^ "Boyes Hot Springs CDP, California; CP02: Comparative Social Characteristics in the United States - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  32. ^ "Boyes Hot Springs CDP, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  33. ^ Walter Wadsworth Bradley; California State Mining Bureau (1915). Mines and mineral resources of the counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo. California State Printing Office. pp. 163–164.
  34. ^ Inc. Staff Fodor's Travel Publications (November 1, 2009). California 2010. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 560. ISBN 978-1-4000-0859-9.
  35. ^ "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  36. ^ "California's 4th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  37. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sonoma County, CA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2024. - Text list
  38. ^ "Vision statement". Sonoma Sun. September 17, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
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