# Knights Landing, California

Knights Landing (formerly Baltimore and East Grafton) is a census-designated place in Yolo County, California, United States, founded by William Knight. It is located on the Sacramento River around 25 miles northwest of Sacramento in the northeastern portion of the county. Knights Landing's ZIP Code is 95645 and its area code 530. It lies at an elevation of 36 feet (11 m). The 2010 census reported that Knights Landing had a population of 995.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km$^2$), all of it land.

### Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Knights Landing has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, Csa on climate maps.

## Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Knights Landing had a population of 995. The population density was 1,985.7 inhabitants per square mile (766.7/km$^2$). The racial makeup of Knights Landing was 56.3% White, 0.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 34.0% from other races, and 7.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 64.7%.
The Census reported that100% of the population lived in households; none lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and none were institutionalized.
Of the 317 households, 40.4% had children under 18 living in them, 53.9% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 5.7% were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0.6% were same-sex married couples or partnerships. About 24.0% were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.14; families were 72.9% of all households; the average family size was 3.74.
Age distribution was 26.6% under 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% were 65 or older. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 103.9 males.
The 343 housing units had an average density of 684.5 units per square mile (264.3 units/km$^2$), of which 67.2% were owner-occupied, and 32.8% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%. About 65.8% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 34.2% lived in rental housing units.

## History

Knights Landing was founded in 1843 by Dr. William Knight, a practicing physician from Baltimore, Maryland. Knight built on a mound that marked the ancient meeting place of Native Americans inhabiting the regions about Cache Creek and the Sacramento River. The site early demonstrated its importance as a steamboat landing and point of communication between the people east and west of the big central river. When the town was laid out in 1849, it was originally called Baltimore, but an agreement over the sale of the new town lots could not be amicably arranged, and the title Baltimore was lost. Knight established a ferry there, which afterwards passed to the ownership of J. W. Snowball. In those days, the ferry tolls were $1 for a man and horse; a team and wagon cost $5. In 1850, S. R. Smith kept a hotel in the settlement and in 1853, Charles F. Reed surveyed and laid out a townsite and was officially given the name of Knight's Landing. That year, J. W. Snowball and J. J. Perkins opened a large general-merchandise store on the Native American mound. On January 1, 1854, Capt. J. H. Updegraff opened his hotel with $10 tickets to a grand New Year's party. A steamer was run from Sacramento for the accommodation of guests. The establishment was called the Yolo House. In 1860, D. N. Hershey and George Glascock erected a brick hotel, which took the place of the Yolo House, that inn being retired to the status of a private residence.
On March 25, 1890, the Knight's Landing branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad was completed and ready for business, and later the completion of the bridge across the river added immensely to the prosperity of the town. The famous and now merged Southern Pacific Railroad Company once had a line from Davis, California, via Woodland, California, through Knights Landing, and the line continued to Marysville, California, via a junction in Yuba City, California. This 1879 map shows the railroad from Woodland almost to East Grafton (which contains Knights Landing): The line now stops a few miles northeast of Woodland.
Grafton Elementary was the only public school in the community. It closed June 23, 2009. The area is served by Woodland Joint Unified School District. In 2010, the Science and Technology Academy of Knights Landing opened on the former Grafton Elementary campus as a charter school.
Knights Landing Cemetery (just south of town on County Road 102) is one of several purported final resting places of stagecoach bandit Charles Bolles, alias Black Bart. If present, the grave is unmarked.