Country United States County Sonoma FIPS code 06-20130 Elevation 7 m Population 175 (2000) Area code 707 | State California Time zone PST (UTC-8) GNIS feature ID 222722 Zip code 95430 Local time Tuesday 4:41 PM | |
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Weather 13°C, Wind W at 5 km/h, 67% Humidity | ||
Duncans Mills (or Duncan's Mills) is an unincorporated community located in Sonoma County, California.
Contents
Map of Duncans Mills, CA 95450, USA
Geography
Duncans Mills is located at 38°27′14″N 123°3′18″W on the Russian River about 4 mi (6 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It straddles State Route 116.
Climate
The record high was 113 °F (45 °C) on July 14, 1972, and the record low was 14 °F (−10 °C) on December 23, 1990.
Demographics
According to the 2000 census, about 175 people live in Duncans Mills. There are around 42 family households and 31 non-family households. Each household has an average of 2-3 people. In Duncans Mills, there are 129 houses, and 56 of them are vacant and 52 of them are seasonal, recreational, of occasional use.
History
Duncans Mills was once part of the Rancho Muniz Mexican land grant.
In 1877, Alexander Duncan established a sawmill in what is today Duncans Mills. The mills sent lumber to the growing city of San Francisco.
The town was founded in the 1870s. It featured two hotels, a general store, a saloon, a meat market, blacksmith, livery stable, and a notion shop.
Starting in the 1870s, the narrow-gauge North Pacific Coast Railroad ran through Duncans Mills on its way from Cazadero, California to Sausalito. After being sold several times, the railroad ceased operation in the 1930s. The town slowly faded, until a 1976 restoration project, associated with the celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial, brought about a period of building restoration and business re-vitalization.
Today, Duncans Mills resembles the way it was originally built. It has an authentic Northwestern Pacific Railroad Depot and several original cars from the old railroad line. A California State Park Ranger Station is located in one of the old railroad buildings as the California State Park Store with a selection of books and maps about the area. The Blue Heron Restaurant has served as the destination entertainment center of the town for decades.