Rio Nido, California

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Rio Nido, California
other_name = Rionido
settlement_type = unincorporated town
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = right
pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of California
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = California
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Sonoma
population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 296
timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
latd = 38 |latm = 31 |lats = 16 |latNS = N
longd = 122 |longm = 58 |longs = 37 |longEW = W
elevation_footnotes = gnis|1659515|Rio Nido]
elevation_m = 23
elevation_ft = 75
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 95471
area_code = 707
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 06-60956
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1659515

Rio Nido, California is a small, unincorporated resort community on the Russian River, convert|1.3|mi|km|1|lk=on|abbr=on east of Guerneville, in Sonoma County. The town's name means "river nest" in Spanish.

Profile

Rio Nido's Post Office is a small unit on the side of its fire station. Its year-round population in 2000 was 296 persons; typical of resort communities, the population increases in the summer. There were 179 housing units. The land area is only .1 square mile (.2 square kilometers). [ [http://brainyzip.com Zip Code Lookup ] ]

Rio Nido consists of numerous summer homes and cabins, as well as a few small businesses- a bar/restaurant, public pool and a small resort hotel. Most of the homes are located in a redwood canyon which contains a small creek that flows into the Russian River, Rio Nido Creek. The main roads are named Canyons One, Two, Three, Four, Six and Seven. There is no Canyon Five, because of an accident that happened on Canyon Six (that was going to be Canyon Five).

The property comprising Rio Nido was purchased in 1908 as a single plot by the Eagle Lodge in San Francisco, and then it was broken up into parcels for Eagle Lodge members. The post office for Eaglenest, as the village was originally known, opened in 1908. The name was changed to "Rionido" in 1910. During World War II a number of facilities were added to accommodate the huge crowds of sailors on liberty and soldiers and Marines in transit to the war in the Pacific. The Big Band era was in full swing and the Russian River area was a well-known recreation area. The "Rionido" post office was changed to "Rio Nido" in 1947. The "San Francisco Chronicle" once reported the extended appearance in Rio Nido by singer-actress Betty Hutton. Rio Nido is about convert|5|mi|km|0 north of the famed Bohemian Grove.

During the 1950s and the 1960s, a footbridge crossed the river to a public beach on the south shore. A small excursion boat regularly cruised between the Rio Nido beach and Johnson's Beach in Guerneville. A snack bar was maintained on the beach. Canoe rentals were available through Bob "W.C. Bob" Trowbridge, who also served as a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy and the head of the Sonoma County & State Democratic Central Committee for 38 years. Loudspeakers were set up around the square and on the beach, playing music from KSRO in Santa Rosa. A few cabins were available for rent. On summer evenings Dick Crest, a teacher and band director at the College of San Mateo, led a small orchestra in free concerts in the town square and at dances. By 1974, the beach had been abandoned and overgrown with weeds. The pedestrian tunnel (under the county highway) leading to the path down to the river has survived, but the path itself is virtually impassable. [Eyewitness account by Robert E. Nylund]

Weather

The National Weather Service reports that Rio Nido, as well as surrounding communities in the Russian River valley, has warm, dry summers with chilly night and morning fog, and cool, wet winters. Snow is extremely rare. It snowed once in 2004 and once in 1989, most recently. January temperatures average between convert|57.0|°F|°C|abbr=on and convert|35.7|°F|°C|abbr=on. July temperatures average between convert|83.6|°F|°C|abbr=on and convert|49.3|°F|°C|abbr=on. In the summer, fog often drifts up the river from the Pacific Ocean during the late night and early morning hours; most summer afternoons are bright and very warm with light breezes. The highest recorded temperature in nearby Graton was convert|113|°F|°C|abbr=on in July 1972 and the lowest temperature was convert|14|°F|°C|abbr=on in December 1990. Average annual precipitation is convert|53.23|in|cm|1|lk=on|abbr=on. Heavy winter rains have resulted in occasional flooding of the river. [National Weather Service records]

References

ee also

* Rio Nido jazz ensemble

External links