Boonville, CA

Boonville is a census-designated place in southern Mendocino County, set in Anderson Valley along State Route 128. John Bregartes founded the settlement in 1862, when it was known as The Corners; a hotel opened by Alonzo Kendall gave it another early name, Kendall's City. Anderson Creek drains the valley toward the Navarro River and the Pacific, while Route 128 links Boonville with U.S. 101 and the coast. The surrounding country is marked by farms, ranches, orchards, and vineyards.

ATTRMissvain / CC BY 4.0

Boonville's local flavor has a language of its own: Boontling grew in the Anderson Valley and remains one of the town's most recognizable cultural threads. The Anderson Valley History Museum keeps photographs, household objects, farming tools, and a one-room schoolhouse on display. Anderson Valley Unified serves local students from its Boonville base, and the fairgrounds host seasonal wine, beer, and county-fair events. Boonville sits at the center of a long valley where roads, schools, farms, and old local words all point back to the same small town.