Cloverdale

History

Cloverdale began as an early stagecoach stop, known as Markleville, on the Rancho Rincon de Musalacon Mexican grant. In 1856, R.B. Markle and W.J. Miller bought , which included the present site of the town, from Johnson Horrell. In 1859, James Abram Kleiser bought Markle's interest, and the town was laid out. The town was incorporated when the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad arrived in 1872. By 1878, the railroad service provided three trains a day between Cloverdale and Ferries of San Francisco Bay. In 1881, Jules Leroux and Armand Dehay established a colony south of Cloverdale named "Icaria Speranza", based on the French Utopian movement, the Icarians. The settlement ended in 1886 and today, there is a marker south of town where the schoolhouse was located. Cloverdale Citrus Fair began in 1892. The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is run by the Cloverdale Citrus Fair. Since 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle has been its title sponsor. Cloverdale suffered severe economic hardship, losing 500 to 600 manufacturing jobs between 1988 and 1994, with the closing of a fire equipment factory and the shrinking of the logging industry. On July 6, 2005, Cloverdale began its economic reform with the "RTB" (Real-Estate Transfer Bureau) plan granting money for businesses and commerce to return to the city. This plan fell through as the grant was moved to Los Altos, California and changed to the "1750" plan. In 1993, 300 jobs were eliminated alone when Louisiana-Pacific closed its lumber mill. In 1994, Highway 101, which formerly bisected the town, was rerouted around town with a bypass. Some businesses closed, and many natives believed the bypass radically changed the town's character. Since the bypass, signs of civic revival have occurred with the…

Geography

Cloverdale is located in the northern portion of Sonoma County, approximately 85 miles (135 km) north of San Francisco; it is both the northernmost and westernmost city of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city has a total area of , all land. Cloverdale is located in Wine Country, being part of the Alexander Valley AVA. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cloverdale has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. Temperatures in Cloverdale can exceed and it is known for having hot, dry summers relative to the rest of Sonoma County.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Acorn Woodpecker

  Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  750
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  702
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  660
• Oak Titmouse

  Baeolophus inornatus (Gambel, 1845) · Aves
  531
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  525
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  463
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  409
• Western Bluebird

  Sialia mexicana Swainson, 1832 · Aves
  408

Largest nearby schools

• Jefferson Elementary
  Elementary · Cloverdale · 500 students · 23.8:1 ratio
• Washington
  Middle · Cloverdale · 401 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• Cloverdale High
  High · Cloverdale · 390 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Geyserville New Tech Academy
  High · Geyserville · 106 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Geyserville Elementary
  Elementary · Geyserville · 96 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Johanna Echols-Hansen High (Continuation)
  High · Cloverdale · 20 students
• Buena Vista High
  High · Geyserville · 9 students
• Eagle Creek
  Other · Cloverdale