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Point Arena, California

Cities in Mendocino County, CaliforniaIncorporated cities and towns in CaliforniaPopulated coastal places in CaliforniaUse mdy dates from July 2023
Point Arena Lighthouse August 2019
Point Arena Lighthouse August 2019

Point Arena, formerly known as Punta Arena (Spanish for "Sandy Point") is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located 32 miles (51 km) west of Hopland, at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m). The population was 460 at the 2020 census, making it one of the smallest incorporated cities in the state. Its main street is part of State Route 1, California's coastal artery. Along with a number of other Mendocino County coastal communities, Point Arena was associated with the hippie and subsequent counterculture groups. The economy is largely geared toward serving the summertime tourist industry. The city is near the headquarters of the tribal lands of the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria and adjacent to the recently formed Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands National Monument. Hiking trails with coastal prairie and ocean views can be accessed from Point Arena City Hall. At Arena Cove Historic District and pier, huge oceanfront bluffs show the power of the interface of tectonic plates.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Point Arena, California (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Point Arena, California
Port Road,

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Wikipedia: Point Arena, CaliforniaContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.908888888889 ° E -123.69305555556 °
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Address

Port Road 22
95468
California, United States
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Point Arena Lighthouse August 2019
Point Arena Lighthouse August 2019
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Nearby Places

LeGrand Morse House

The LeGrand Morse House, at 365 Main St. in Point Arena in Mendocino County, California was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.It was built in the 1870s for LeGrand Morse, a local teacher, clerk, lawyer and legislator. It has some elements of vernacular Greek Revival style.It is an east-facing one-story house with a U-shaped plan, with three gable-roofed segments. The front door is inside the U, under a shed-roofed porch. The house, surrounded by a picket fence, is in a residential area north of the town's commercial center. Its National Register nomination provides this interesting explanation of its importance:This house is associated with one of Point Arena's founding families and is the only building directly linked with one of its early leading citizens. Dr. J. G. Morse arrived in Point Arena in 1858; his son Le Grand followed a year later. Le Grand Morse had a career of increasing prominence, beginning as a teacher and store clerk, moving into the sales of drugs and general merchandise, and finally becoming a lawyer and state legislator. It is unclear whether he had the house built for himself or moved into it sometime after its construction. In any case, he lived there during the most productive years of his life. His career ended on a sad note when he was arrested and imprisoned for accidentally poisoning his mother in 1898. (He was trying to murder his brother.) Morse, one of the last of the town's original settlers, died in 1907. The house itself is a curious example of residential building in the 1870s. The construction materials all date from that era, but the irregularly shaped U—plan appears as if the elements of the building were somehow pieced together after construction. The house shows that leading citizens of Point Arena did not require pretentious dwellings.

Garcia River

The Garcia River is a river on the northern coast of California, in southern Mendocino County. The river's watershed covers 144 square miles (370 km2) and its mainstem is 44 miles (71 km) long. The watershed receives 45 inches (1,100 mm) of precipitation per year near the coast and 75 inches (1,900 mm) inland. The watershed's elevation ranges from sea level near the ocean to 2,470 feet (750 m) in the Coast Range. The Garcia River empties into the Pacific Ocean just north of Point Arena. This place is called P'da Hau in the Native California Indians' language who reside on the outlet of the coast. It is named for the settler Rafael Garcia who was granted ownership of the land in 1844.The river provides recreation, agricultural and industrial water supply for the community of Point Arena, California, and wildlife habitat including cold freshwater habitat for fish migration and spawning. Excessive erosion caused by logging, grazing and gravel mining is the most serious issue facing the Garcia River. Logging in the area began in the 19th century, but the most damage occurred in the decades after World War II. During this time, modern machinery was available, increasing production, but environmental regulations and industry good practices had not yet been developed. The river and its tributaries were often clogged with logging slash. In addition, skidding the logs over streams destroyed their protective vegetation. The streams were eventually cleared of this debris, naturally and through human efforts. Unfortunately, there is now a lack of large woody debris in the streams because of the extensive logging. This debris is needed for salmonid reproduction, to help prevent erosion and to create pool habitat for aquatic organisms. About 80 percent of the land in the watershed is privately owned. Coast Forestlands is the largest landowner in the area, followed by Louisiana Pacific and Mailliard Ranch. There are several more large landowners that own the bulk of the rest. However, some land of the land consists of private residences and small ranches and farms. Public access to the river and the rest of the watershed is limited due to this private ownership.