# Garberville, California

Garberville is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River 52 miles (84 km) south-southeast of Eureka, at an elevation of 535 feet (163 m). The population was 913 at the 2010 United States Census. It is approximately 200 miles (320 km) north of San Francisco, California, and within a fifteen-minute drive to Humboldt Redwoods State Park and a sixty-minute drive to Eureka, the county seat. Garberville is the primary town in the area known as the Mateel Region, consisting of parts of the Mattole and Eel River watersheds in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.

## History

Prior to recorded history, the area was populated by southern Sinkyone people.
In 1853, a Spanish explorer, Antone Garcia, settled in the area near Town Gulch, which runs through modern-day Garberville. The first post office in Garberville opened in 1874. Jacob C. Garber, the town postmaster, later named the town after himself in 1879.

## Geography

Garberville is located at 40°06′01″N 123°47′42″W﻿ / ﻿40.10028°N 123.79500°W﻿ / 40.10028; -123.79500. The town is stretched out in a small forested valley bisected by U.S. Route 101, at an elevation of 535 feet (163 m). The nearby King's Peak rises to 4,087 feet (1,246 m).

### Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Csb (Mediterranean climate), characterized by cold, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.
Climate data for Garberville, California :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50 (10) | 55 (13) | 60 (16) | 64 (18) | 71 (22) | 78 (26) | 86 (30) | 87 (31) | 83 (28) | 70 (21) | 56 (13) | 49 (9) | 67 (19) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37 (3) | 38 (3) | 39 (4) | 41 (5) | 45 (7) | 50 (10) | 53 (12) | 53 (12) | 49 (9) | 45 (7) | 41 (5) | 37 (3) | 44 (7) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 13.2 (340) | 10.3 (260) | 8.9 (230) | 4.5 (110) | 1.9 (48) | 0.6 (15) | 0.1 (2.5) | 0.4 (10) | 0.9 (23) | 3.9 (99) | 9.6 (240) | 13.7 (350) | 68 (1,700) |
| Source: Weatherbase ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

Race and Ethnicity :
| Racial and ethnic composition | 2010 | 2020 |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 85.76% | 74.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 5.91% | 10.39% |
| Two or more races (non-Hispanic) | 1.97% | 7.7% |
| Asian (non-Hispanic) | 1.75% | 2.44% |
| Native American (non-Hispanic) | 3.18% | 2.08% |
| Other (non-Hispanic) | 0.11% | 2.08% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1.31% | 0.24% |
| Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) | 0.0% | 0.24% |
The 2010 United States Census reported that Garberville had a population of 913. The population density was 330.5 inhabitants per square mile (127.6/km$^2$). The racial makeup of Garberville was 815 (89.3%) White, 14 (1.5%) African American, 29 (3.2%) Native American, 17 (1.9%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 7 (0.8%) from other races, and 31 (3.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 54 persons (5.9%).
The Census reported that 785 people (86.0% of the population) lived in households, 128 (14.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 390 households, out of which 86 (22.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 102 (26.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 47 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 33 (8.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 50 (12.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 5 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 172 households (44.1%) were made up of individuals, and 49 (12.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01. There were 182 families (46.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.69.
The population was spread out, with 160 people (17.5%) under the age of 18, 85 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 258 people (28.3%) aged 25 to 44, 285 people (31.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 125 people (13.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.
There were 434 housing units at an average density of 157.1 units per square mile (60.7 units/km$^2$), of which 390 were occupied, of which 175 (44.9%) were owner-occupied, and 215 (55.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.3%. 388 people (42.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 397 people (43.5%) lived in rental housing units.

## Economy

Marijuana cultivation has replaced timber as the economic driver of Garberville and neighboring Redway. There is a Cannabis College in Garberville, and the town has been called "the marijuana heartland of the U.S." by BBC News.
Reggae on the River, an annual music festival, is held near Garberville. Nearby, the 1925 Tudor Revival Benbow Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The local economy has seen a fall as the years of cannabis legalization have seen most of the farmers of the 215 era leave and the influx of trimmigrants has dropped dramatically. Many businesses lie empty or boarded up. There is still some cannabis tourism but it is not the boon that it was once thought it would be due to regulations.
The Ganjier program is located in Humboldt County which serves to train people in the art of cannabis assessment much like a sommelier in wine. Because of their program over 150 people travel to the Garberville area to visit farms, learn about assessing cannabis, and most important; they learn about regenerative farming and the community that still remains.

## Government
### Politics

In the state legislature, Garberville is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire, and the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Chris Rogers.
Federally, Garberville is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.

### Incorporation attempts

A proposal to incorporate Garberville as a city was dropped after county supervisors declined to form a Municipal Advisory Committee due to concerns over the associated costs. A group of local residents once attempted to qualify a "Sequoia County" initiative to secede from both Humboldt and Mendocino County with Garberville as the new county seat, although the campaign ended without gathering enough signatures. A local chapter of the Green Party was formed in 2006.

## Education

The Southern Humboldt Unified School District was created from 19 separate school districts in 1948 and currently serves about 800 students in an area of 745 square miles (1,930 km$^2$). The district has five elementary, one middle school, one high school and one learning center.
* Redway School
* Whitethorn School
* Agnes Johnson School
* Casterlin School
* Ettersburg School
* Miranda Junior High School
* South Fork High School
* Osprey Learning Center

## Media

Garberville is home to the weekly Redwood Times, run by Media News Group as a sister publication of the daily Times-Standard from Eureka. A second weekly, the locally owned Humboldt Independent, was founded in 1997 and closed in 2024. Redwood Community Radio, KMUD, broadcasts from Garberville at 91.1 FM.

## Infrastructure
### Transportation

U.S. Route 101 bypasses the town, with exits 639 and 642 at Garberville and Redway, respectively.
Humboldt Transit Authority serves from Garberville as far north as Trinidad.
The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus provides daily connections to/from Garberville (with a curbside stop at 924 Redwood Drive), Martinez to the south, and Arcata to the north. Additional Amtrak connections are available from Martinez station.
Garberville Airport is a public airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of town.

### Utilities

Garberville's ZIP Code is 95542. The community is inside area code 707.
The Garberville Fire Protection District, has three engines and a utility truck, self-contained breathing apparatuses and radios. The Garberville Water Company supplies drinking water to residents and maintains 27 fire hydrants on its water lines. The Garberville Sanitary District is not the same as the water company, but provides sewers in the core of the fire district. Some releases of water have contained one or more toxins.

### Health care

The Jerold Phelps Community Hospital is administered by the Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District.
Garberville recently added a local pharmacy at the top of Sprowl Creek Road and they are working on adding a clinic at the same location.
Redwoods Rural provides health and dental care to local residents.

## Notable residents

* Major League Baseball player Marshall Brant was born in Garberville.