Ukiah ( ;

Pomo The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point. One small ...

: ''Yokaya'', meaning "deep valley") is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

and largest city of

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists whol ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, with a population of 16,607 at the 2020 census. With its accessible location along the

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

corridor, Ukiah serves as the city center for Mendocino County and much of neighboring Lake County.

History

Establishment

Ukiah is located within

Rancho Yokaya Rancho Yokaya privately owned by Sophia Charity Piceno of the Little Lake and Kon kow tribes to current date 2022, (also called "Llokaya") was a Mexican land grant in present day Mendocino County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico t ...

, one of several Spanish colonial

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

s in what was their colonists called ''

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

''. The Yokaya grant, which covered the majority of the Ukiah valley, was named for the

word meaning "deep valley." The

are the indigenous people who occupied the area at the time of Spanish colonization. Later European-American settlers adopted Ukiah as an anglicized version of this name for the city. Cayetano Juárez was granted Ukiah by Alta California. He was known to have a neutral relationship with the local Pomo people. He sold a southern portion of the grant (toward present-day Hopland) to the Burke brothers. The first Anglo settler in the Ukiah area was John Parker, a ''

vaquero The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...

'' who worked for pioneer cattleman James Black.Lyman Palmer
''History of Mendocino County, California, Comprising Its Geography, Geology, Topography, Climatography, Springs and Timber.''
San Francisco, CA: Alley, Bowen and Co., 1880; pg. 475. Black had driven his stock up the Russian River valley and took over a block of grazing land at that locale. A crude

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

was constructed for Parker so he could have shelter to protect the herd from the hostile indigenous local people, who resented the squatters on their land. The blockhouse was located just south of present-day Ukiah on the banks of what was known as Wilson Creek. The next Anglo settler was Samuel Lowry; in 1856 he built a log cabin approximately on the corner of today's East Perkins and North Main streets. Lowery sold his claim to A.T. Perkins in the spring of 1857, and the latter moved his family into the valley. They were the first Anglo-American pioneer family of the township. Six others followed to make their home there that same year. The first United States post office opened in 1858. By 1859, the population of Ukiah had grown to about 100 people, making it a community sufficient in size to serve as the

. Before this, administrative duties for

had been handled by

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

.Palmer, ''History of Mendocino County, California,'' pg. 476. Initially visitors could reach town only by

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

, or private horses. A short rail line from San Francisco terminated in Petaluma, nearly to the south. In 1870 the remainder of the trip to Ukiah took another two days by horse.Carl Purdy, "Ukiah, 1870-1890: Interesting Reminiscences; Progress Made; Products of Our Valley," ''Dispatch-Democrat'' kiah City vol. 21, no. 15 (Jan. 10, 1890), pg. 2. In subsequent years the rail line was extended further northward to Cloverdale. Although the stagecoach portion was reduced to , the community was still relatively isolated and slow to develop. Ukiah was incorporated in 1876. It was not until 1889 that the

San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) provided the first extensive standard gauge rail service to Sonoma County and became the southern end of the regional Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Although first conceived of by Asbury Harpe ...

completed its line from Cloverdale to Ukiah, linking the Mendocino County seat to the national rail network.

Economic history

Ukiah has been the hub of an agricultural and business community. Over the decades various commodity crops have been grown in the Ukiah Valley. They include pears, green beans, hops, apricots, and grapes. As part of California's

Wine Country Wine Country is the region of California, in the northern San Francisco Bay Area, known worldwide as a premier wine-growing region. The region is famed for its wineries, its cuisine, Michelin star restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury resor ...

, grapes have become the predominant agricultural product.

Hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant '' Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to w ...

were once a major crop grown around Ukiah. The beer flavoring agent was first grown there in 1868 when L.F. Long of Largo grew an initial experimental crop. The climate proved suitable for the crop and production expanded, peaking in 1885. It declined in the last years of the 1880s as prices dropped. Mendocino County remained the third-largest producer of hops in the state of California in 1890, with well over under cultivation. Production continued well into the 20th century. A refurbished hop

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

can be seen at the north end of Ukiah east of Highway 101, where many of the old fields were located. Ukiah's 20th-century population developed in relation to the lumber boom of the late 1940s. Logging of

redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world. Description The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from coasta ...

s was once a major industry. Activists have worked to preserve areas of redwood forest, which became endangered for overlogging. Young people entered the area from the 1960s, seeking alternative lifestyles and, in some cases, artisan and rural living.

Geography

Ukiah is in southeastern Mendocino County in the valley of the Russian River, a south-flowing river which reaches the Pacific in Sonoma County. Via

, Ukiah is north of

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina * Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

and south of Eureka. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city covers an area of , of which , or 0.93%, are water.

Climate

Ukiah has a hot-summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

( Köppen: ''Csa''). Average rainfall for the area is per year. Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 77.1 days per year. The greatest monthly precipitation was in January 1909 and the greatest 24-hour precipitation was on December 22, 1964. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1997 to June 1998 with and the driest from July 1976 to June 1977 with . Light snowfall occurs about every other year. The greatest recorded snowfall was on March 2, 1976, while the most in a month was in March 1896 and in January 1952. Temperatures reach on an average of 61.0 afternoons annually and on an average of 8.7 afternoons. Due to frequent low humidity, summer temperatures normally drop into the fifties at night. Freezing temperatures occur on an average 33.6 mornings per year. The record high temperature was on September 6, 2022, and the record low temperature was on January 12, 1898.

Demographics

2010

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

reported that Ukiah had a population of 16,075. The population density was . The racial makeup of Ukiah was 11,592 (72.1%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 174 (1.1%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 601 (3.7%) Native American, 412 (2.6%) Asian, 34 (0.2%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2,385 (14.8%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 877 (5.5%) from two or more races. There were 4,458

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino residents, of any race (27.7%). The Census reported that 15,301 people (95.2% of the population) lived in households, 281 (1.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 493 (3.1%) were institutionalized. There were 6,158 households, out of which 2,049 (33.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,317 (37.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 938 (15.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 356 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 484 (7.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 56 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,064 households (33.5%) were made up of individuals, and 919 (14.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48. There were 3,611 families (58.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.18. The population was spread out, with 3,981 people (24.8%) under the age of 18, 1,562 people (9.7%) aged 18 to 24, 4,184 people (26.0%) aged 25 to 44, 4,011 people (25.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,337 people (14.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. There were 6,488 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,673 (43.4%) were owner-occupied, and 3,485 (56.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 6,733 people (41.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,568 people (53.3%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, inside the city limits, there were 15,497 people in the city limits, 5,985 households, and 3,656 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 3,275/sq mi (1,265/km). There were 6,137 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.5%

, 1.0%

, 3.8% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1%

, 9.7% from

, and 4.3% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 19.3% of the population. There were 5,985 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. Fo ...

for a household in the city was $32,707, and the median income for a family was $39,524. Males had a median income of $31,608 versus $24,673 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,601. About 13.2% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. As a community, Ukiah has roughly twice the number of people (including Redwood Valley,

Potter Valley Potter Valley is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north-northeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of at the headwaters of the East Fork Russian River. The CDP population was 665 at the 2020 ce ...

, Calpella, and Talmage) as the census reports. During the business day, an average of 40,000 people work inside the city limits, or in the business and residential neighborhoods to the north and south.

Economy

Major employers in Ukiah include: *

* Ukiah Valley Medical Center * Mendocino Forest Products *

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

* Savings Bank of Mendocino County * Mendocino Community Health Clinics *

Granite Construction Granite Construction Inc. is a civil construction company and aggregate producer, a member of the S&P 600 Index based and founded in Watsonville, California , and is the parent corporation of Granite Construction Company. The company is both a ...

The Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement re ...

* Lucky

Major products

Ukiah is known for

wine production Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and w ...

. Some very large production wineries, including Brutocao, Fife, Parducci, Frey, and Bonterra have become established here since the late 20th century. Ukiah vintners are known for innovating with organic and

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

practices. Ukiah was previously a major producer of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...

s. Alex R. Thomas & Company owned hundreds of acres of

Bartlett pear The Williams' bon chrétien pear, commonly called the Williams pear, or the Bartlett pear in the United States and Canada, is the most commonly grown variety of pear in most countries outside Asia. It is a cultivar (cultivated variety) of the ...

orchards on the east side of the Ukiah Valley. For nearly 90 years, many local residents and

migrant workers A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers who work outsi ...

have been employed packing the pears for domestic and foreign consumption. On December 1, 2008, the company announced it would be shutting down major operations at the end of the year due to bankruptcy. Several acres of orchard have been torn down and replaced with vineyards since the packing shed closed its doors. As of 2011, the main facility was slated to reopen as a composting and trash-sorting facility. The Ukiah Valley is home to the Ukiah Brewing Company, a

certified organic Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products, in the European Union more commonly known as ecological or biological products.Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/ ...

brewpub Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis ...

. It used to be a center of hops cultivation in the 19th century. Craft beers are stimulating production again. Additionally, Ukiah has become home to four marijuana dispensaries, as a large town within the

Emerald Triangle The Emerald Triangle is a region in Northern California, named as such due to it being the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. The region includes three counties in an upside-down triangular configuration: * Humboldt County, ...

Cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

is produced and sold from the surrounding areas.

Arts and culture

Institutions of the arts include: * SPACE - School of Performing Arts and Cultural Education * Ukiah Players Theatre * The Mendocino Ballet * Ukiah Civic Light Opera *

Grace Hudson Museum The Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, California, is adjacent to the Sun House which artist Grace Hudson and her husband John designed and had built in 1911. They lived there until their deaths in 1936 and 1935, respectively. Today the house and museum ...

* Ukiah Symphony Orchestra * Ukiah Community Concert Association * The Spring House

Recreation

* Alex R. Thomas Plaza * Gardner Park * Giorno Park *

Great Redwood Trail The Great Redwood Trail is a proposed multi-use rail-to-trail project connecting San Francisco and Humboldt bays in Northern California. Most of the trail will be built on the rail bed of the defunct Northwestern Pacific Railroad along the Eel ...

* Low Gap Park * McGarvey Park * Oak Manor Park * Observatory Park * Orchard Park * Riverside Park * Todd Grove Park * Ukiah Skate Park * Ukiah Sports Complex * Vinewood Park

Government

Ukiah uses a council–manager form of government in which policy is set by a five-member city council, elected at-large to four-year terms. The council appoints both the mayor and the city manager. * Mayor until December 2023 - Mari Rodin (appointed by council based on seniority for a one-year term) * City council: ** Josefina Dueñas, Vice-Mayor ** Douglas Crane, Council Member ** Juan Orozco, Council Member ** Susan Sher, Council Member * City Manager - Sage Sangiacomo * City Treasurer - Allen Carter * City Clerk - Kristine Lawler (appointed) * City Attorney - David Rapport In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...

, Ukiah is in , and . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Ukiah is in . The tribal headquarters of both the Pinoleville Pomo Nation and the Potter Valley Tribe are in Ukiah.

Education

Ukiah Unified School District

Ukiah High School Ukiah High School (also referred to as UHS or "Ukiahi") is the oldest public high school in Ukiah, California, the seat of Mendocino County. Established in 1893, it is the largest school by enrollment and only four-year comprehensive high schoo ...

* Calpella Elementary School * Eagle Peak Middle School (Redwood Valley) * Nokomis Elementary School * Oak Manor Elementary School * Pomolita Middle School * South Valley High School * Yokayo Elementary School * Frank Zeek Elementary School * Tree of Life Montessori Charter School * Grace Hudson Elementary School * River Oak Charter School * Ukiah Independent Study Academy * Calpella Preschool * Preschool Village * Small Wonders State Preschool * Yokayo State Preschool * Ukiah Adult School

Other K–12 schools

* Accelerated Achievement Academy * Redwood Academy of Ukiah * Deep Valley Christian School * Ukiah Junior Academy * Instilling Goodness / Developing Virtue School * St. Mary of the Angels Catholic School

Former K–12 schools

* Trinity School for Children (closed as of July 31, 2009)

Colleges

* Mendocino College *

Dharma Realm Buddhist University Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) is an American private nonprofit university located in Ukiah, California, just over 100 miles north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. It was established in 1976 by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. It is sit ...

Notable people

* AFI lead vocalist

Davey Havok David Paden Marchand (born David Paden Passaro, November 20, 1975), known professionally as Davey Havok, is an American singer and musician who is the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band AFI (band), AFI, the synth-pop band Blaqk Audio, the ...

, guitarist

Jade Puget Jade Errol Puget (born November 28, 1973) is an American musician and producer, best known as the guitarist for the rock band AFI (joined in 1998), the guitarist/writer for the straight edge hardcore band XTRMST, and the keyboardist/synthesize ...

, drummer Adam Carson, and tour managers Jake MacLachlan and Smith Puget were all raised in Ukiah, as were original-lineup guitarist Mark Stopholese and bassist Vic Chalker. *

Phoebe Bridgers Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She has released two solo albums, ''Stranger in the Alps'' (2017) and '' Punisher'' (2020), both of which received critical acclai ...

, three-time Grammy-nominated singer, spent part of her childhood in Ukiah. * Ed Burke, U.S. Olympic

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that na ...

er * Aurelius O. Carpenter, photographer *

Melissa Chaty Melissa Ivonne Chaty (born 1984) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Ukiah, California. She was Miss Mendocino is 2002, held the titles of Miss Teenage California 2003 and Miss California 2007 and finished in the top 8 at Miss Americ ...

, beauty queen, Miss California in 2008 * McKenna Faith, singer-songwriter *

Shiloh Fernandez Shiloh Thomas Fernandez (born February 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Jericho'' and ''United States of Tara'', and the films ''Deadgirl'', ''Red Riding Hood'', and the 2013 remake of ''Evil D ...

, actor, born and raised in Ukiah *

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Sprin ...

, blues guitarist, raised in Ukiah *

Sally Miller Gearhart Sally Miller Gearhart (April 15, 1931 – July 14, 2021) was an American teacher, feminist, science-fiction writer, and political activist. In 1973, she became the first open lesbian to obtain a tenure-track faculty position when she was hired ...

, feminist and lesbian author and activist, died in Ukiah *

Grace Hudson Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865–1937) was an American painter based in Northern California. She was nationally known during her lifetime for a numbered series of more than 684 portraits of the local Pomo natives. She painted the first, ''Nationa ...

, museum founder, collector of

artifacts, commercial portrait photographer The Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah is named for her and houses her collections. * Leonard Lake, serial killer, lived near Ukiah in the early 1980s * Mary McNair Mathews, (1834–1903), Nevada historian, died in Ukiah *

Darrell McClure Darrell Craig McClure (February 25, 1903 – February 27, 1987), was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for his work on the comic strip ''Little Annie Rooney'' from 1930 to 1966. The strip took its name from an 1890 song by Michael ...

, cartoonist of

Little Annie Rooney ''Little Annie Rooney'' is a comic strip about a young orphaned girl who traveled about with her dog, Zero. King Features Syndicate launched the strip on January 10, 1927, not long after it was apparent that the Chicago Tribune Syndicate had sc ...

and illustrator, born in Ukiah to painter Ethel Jameson Docker *

Don Mossi Donald Louis Mossi (January 11, 1929 – July 19, 2019) was an American major league pitcher from 1954 to 1965. He was a left-handed control pitcher whose strikeout-to-walk ratio was regularly among the league leaders (he led the league in 1961 ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher for several teams *

Holly Near Holly Near (born June 6, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist. Early years Holly Near was born in Ukiah, California, United States, and was raised on a ranch in Potter Valley, California. She was eight years ...

, singer-songwriter, born in Ukiah *

Nick 13 Kearney Nick Jones, better known by his stage name Nick 13, is the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of psychobilly band Tiger Army, as well as a solo artist in the Americana/ country genre. Career Tiger Army Tiger Army was sign ...

, lead singer of

Tiger Army Tiger Army is an American psychobilly band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1996 in Berkeley, California, and its only constant member is singer, guitarist, and lead songwriter Nick 13. The band has released six studi ...

, raised in Ukiah * Hal Perry, professional basketball player and civil-rights lawyer, raised in UkiahHarold Leonard Perry Sr.
Inside Bay Area from May 3–4, 2009, accessed October 10, 2013 *

Bay Raitt Bay Leaf Raitt is an American digital modeler and animator. He has worked for Image Comics, providing computer-image modeling for Steve Oliff to use with "Spawn", "The Pitt", and "The Maxx". He later worked at Protozoa, providing 3D animation co ...

, animator and video game designer known for developing Gollum's facial modeling in the ''Lord of the Rings'' films and various other works *

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to t ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

quarterback, spent four years of his childhood in Ukiah * Carl Sassenrath, architect of operating systems and computer languages, created the Amiga computer operating system in 1985, later worked at

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

, subsequently moved to and runs his own company at his Ukiah ranch * William Harrison Standley,

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

and later

U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union The ambassador of the United States of America to the Russian Federation is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the Russian Federation. Since September 4, 2022, Elizabeth Rood is serving as the ...

, born in Ukiah *

Gary Scott Thompson Gary Scott Thompson (born October 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. Scott is notable for his work on ''The Fast and the Furious'' starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, the sequel ''2 Fast 2 Furious'', '' Ho ...

, television and film screenwriter and producer, graduated from Ukiah High School in 1977 *

Rick Warren Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American Southern Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in Lake Fo ...

, pastor, author and Ukiah High School graduate

In popular culture

* "Ukiah" is the name and subject of a song on the 1973 Doobie Brothers album ''

The Captain and Me ''The Captain and Me'' is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on March 2, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. It features some of their most popular hits including "Long Train Runnin'", " China Gr ...

''. * "Ukiah" is the name and subject of the fifth song from Robert Francis' album ''Heaven''. * Ukiah is featured prominently in C.D. Payne's novel '' Youth in Revolt''. * Ukiah is one of six original locations of an

International Latitude Observatory __NOTOC__ The International Latitude Service was created by the International Geodetic Association in 1899 to study variations in latitude caused by polar motion, precession, or "wobble" of the Earth's axis. The original ''International Latitu ...

. * Some Ukiah-area soils are likely to contain

naturally occurring asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

(NOA), as do many other parts of California. * Competing in the men's Division III club level bracket, the Mendocino Steam Donkeys Rugby Football Club

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

team, based in the Ukiah area, are the first official NCRFU team in the county. * The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, located just east of Ukiah in Talmage, is one of the largest

Mahayana Buddhist ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bran ...

communities in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

, covering . north of Ukiah is Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, a community in the

Thai Forest Tradition The Kammaṭṭhāna Forest Tradition of Thailand (from pi, kammaṭṭhāna meaning Kammaṭṭhāna, "place of work"), commonly known in the West as the Thai Forest Tradition, is a Parampara, lineage of Theravada Buddhist monasticism. The ...

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

. * Ukiah was the initial home in California of

Peoples Temple The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978. Founded in Indianapolis, Ind ...

. * Ukiah's newspaper is the '' Ukiah Daily Journal''. * Ukiah was named one of the "Top 18 Spots for Fall Color" according to Sunset.com. * Ukiah was named in the 1987 '' Dragnet'' film as being where Frank Smith, Joe Friday's partner, moved to after quitting the force and buying a goat farm.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1876 establishments in California Cities in Mendocino County, California County seats in California Incorporated cities and towns in California Logging communities in the United States Populated places established in 1856 Populated places established in 1876