- Fieldbrook, California
Fieldbrook is a small (population roughly 200) unincorporated town located in Humboldt County on California's
North Coast , approximately 300 miles (480km) north ofSan Francisco and 65 miles (100km) south of theOregon state line. Located on the edge of the dense redwood forest, the area was once the domain of the thriving lumbering companies, as is the case with the rest of the forest. Fieldbrook is six miles (10km) east of the larger unincorporated seaside town ofMcKinleyville (population 15,000), site of theEureka-Arcata Airport (a regional airport with more than twenty daily flights toSacramento , San Francisco,Portland, Oregon , andLos Angeles ) approximately ten miles (16km) northeast of the harbor city ofArcata (population 18,000), home ofHumboldt State University , and about thirty miles (50km) north of the city ofEureka (population 28,000), the HumboldtCounty seat . This puts Fieldbrook at the northern edge of the McKinleyville-Arcata-Eureka-Fortuna corridor alongUS Highway 101 , where about eighty percent of rural Humboldt County's population lives and most of its businesses are located. The ZIP Code is 95519. The community is insidearea code 707 .Fieldbrook is located at the right-angle bend where Murray Road becomes Fieldbrook Road. In the mid-1990s Fieldbrook was a stereotypical sleepy country hamlet, with junk cars sitting in weedy yards along the main road in one block and
goats grazing alongside a church in the next. With the decline of the local timber industry, the diaspora oftelecommuting professionals, and the sudden emergence of the North Coast as aretirement destination, Fieldbrook with its mild weather (summer temperatures seldom exceed 75F/24C and winter nights rarely drop below 38F/4C) has recently been undergoinggentrification . Sprawlingranch-style (single-story) homes on isolated five-acre lots wedged between timber tracts are selling for $500,000, and at least one 40-acre timber tract has become agated community .The few blocks of paved and unpaved roads that comprise Fieldbrook proper include modest homes, an
elementary school and two churches, as well as ageneral store , awinery and an apple orchard that host public events. Larger residences whose owners identify with the Fieldbrook community continue south along Fieldbrook Road as it heads inland and uphill 6 miles (10km) to the small city ofBlue Lake (population 1,200) at the foot of theCoast Range . The road connects there with State Highway 299, a rather adventurous winding route that crosses the mountains and connects withInterstate Highway 5 inRedding , about 90 miles (150km) east.Fieldbrook is very nearly on the north bank of the
Mad River , which flows into thePacific Ocean between Arcata and McKinleyville. Although the Mad River supplies the water to much of Humboldt County's population, that small population does not have a significant impact on the river's flow. Thewater table is very high in its vicinity and very little land is suitable for building--as suggested by the name "Field-brook." The north side of Fieldbrook Road issecond-growth (multiple thinner trunks sprouting from the stumps of harvested trees) redwood forest with the occasional clearing for a house, and the logging rules allow the forest canopy to maintain a height of 200-300 feet (65-100m). A narrow zone adjacent to the road is maintained as an unlogged buffer, presenting the illusion of virgin forest to tourists, but even on the north side of the buffer, in any given year the majority of the timber tracts have been growing for at least seven years, comprising a wilderness if not exactly parkland. The region abounds with wildlife and residents routinely finddeer andelk grazing in their yards,foxes andraccoons digging through their garbage, the occasionalblack bear checking for an unlocked pantry, or acougar prowling for a tasty little dog.Politics
In the state legislature Fieldbrook is located in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat
Pat Wiggins , and in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Patty Berg. Federally, Fieldbrook is located inCalifornia's 1st congressional district .References
External links
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