Duncans Mills, California

Duncans Mills, California Duncanville [1]
—  unincorporated town  —
Duncans Mills, California Location within the state of California
Coordinates: 38°27′14″N 123°3′18″W / 38.45389°N 123.055°W / 38.45389; -123.055Coordinates: 38°27′14″N 123°3′18″W / 38.45389°N 123.055°W / 38.45389; -123.055
Country	United States
State	California
County	Sonoma
Elevation[1]	23 ft (7 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	175
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95430
Area code(s)	707
FIPS code	06-20130
GNIS feature ID	222722

Duncans Mills (or Duncan's Mills) is an unincorporated town located in Sonoma County, California.

Geography

Duncans Mills is located at 38°27′14″N 123°3′18″W / 38.45389°N 123.055°W / 38.45389; -123.055 on the Russian River about 4 mi (6 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It straddles State Route 116.

Climate

Monthly climate averages

Month	High (°F)	Low (°F)	Precip. (inches)
January	57	36	8.65
February	62	38	7.64
March	65	40	6.15
April	70	41	2.25
May	76	45	1.03
June	81	48	0.25
July	84	49	0.08
August	84	49	0.11
September	82	48	0.52
October	77	43	2.01
November	66	38	5.85
December	57	34	6.29

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.

Duncan's Mills often experiences blue skies when the surrounding hills are shrouded in fog or rain clouds.

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.

Attractions

There is a campground along the Russian River with facilities for RVs.

Restaurants include Gold Coast Coffee and Bakery, Blue Heron Restaurant and Bar and the Cape Fear Cafe.

Antiques, gifts, and locally-grown flowers are sold.

There are at least three art galleries: mini photos of around the world, local artists, and early Californian. Wine and cheese tastings are offered.

Many Civil War reenactments have been performed adjacent to the town.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Duncans Mills

• http://visitormags.com/sonoma/features/duncans_mills_story.html
• http://www.inn-california.com/sanfrancisco/Sonoma/Jenner/duncans-mills.html
• http://www.duncansmillscamp.com/
• http://www.weather.com/search/partner?Keywords=DUncans+Mills+weather+averages
• http://www.duncansmillscamp.com/attractions.htm