Alderpoint
census-designated place
Alderpoint is located in California
Alderpoint
Alderpoint
Location in California
Alderpoint is located in the United States
Alderpoint
Alderpoint
Alderpoint (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°10′35″N 123°36′42″W / 40.17639°N 123.61167°W / 40.17639; -123.61167
CountryUnited States
State California
CountyHumboldt County
Area
[1]
 • Total2.43 sq mi (6.29 km2)
 • Land2.43 sq mi (6.29 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation
[2]
472 ft (144 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total137
 • Density56.43/sq mi (21.79/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
95511[3]
Area code707
GNIS feature IDs2611374; 1657909
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alderpoint, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alderpoint, California

Alderpoint (formerly, Alder Point)[4] is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California at an elevation of 472 feet (144 m),[2] 11 miles (18 km) east-northeast of Garberville.[4] Its population is 137 as of the 2020 census, down from 186 from the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 95511 and its area code is 707.

History

The town, named after the abundance of alder trees,[5] began in 1910 as a center for construction of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad.[4] The first post office at Alderpoint opened in 1911.[4]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2010186—
2020137−26.3%
US Census[6]
Race and Ethnicity
Racial and ethnic composition 2010[7] 2020[8]
White (non-Hispanic) 87.1% 62.77%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 5.38% 16.06%
Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 2.15% 9.49%
Native American (non-Hispanic) 4.84% 8.76%
Asian (non-Hispanic) 0.54% 1.46%
Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0.0% 0.73%
Other (non-Hispanic) 0.0% 0.73%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 0.0% 0.0%

The 2010 United States Census[9] reported that Alderpoint had a population of 186. The population density was 76.6 inhabitants per square mile (29.6/km2). The racial makeup of Alderpoint was 170 (91.4%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 9 (4.8%) Native American, 1 (0.5%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 1 (0.5%) from other races, and 5 (2.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10 persons (5.4%).

The Census reported that 186 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 80 households, out of which 19 (23.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 29 (36.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 10 (12.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 9 (11.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 9 (11.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 29 households (36.3%) were made up of individuals, and 3 (3.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33. There were 48 families (60.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.83.

The population was spread out, with 32 people (17.2%) under the age of 18, 11 people (5.9%) aged 18 to 24, 43 people (23.1%) aged 25 to 44, 75 people (40.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 25 people (13.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.5 males.

There were 93 housing units at an average density of 38.3 per square mile (14.8/km2), of which 80 were occupied, of which 58 (72.5%) were owner-occupied, and 22 (27.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 144 people (77.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 42 people (22.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Climate

Climate data for Alderpoint
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 53.6
(12.0) 		59.1
(15.1) 		62.3
(16.8) 		68.2
(20.1) 		74.4
(23.6) 		81.4
(27.4) 		90.9
(32.7) 		90.3
(32.4) 		86.7
(30.4) 		74.8
(23.8) 		61.3
(16.3) 		53.7
(12.1) 		71.4
(21.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 35.4
(1.9) 		37.9
(3.3) 		38.8
(3.8) 		41.2
(5.1) 		45.4
(7.4) 		49.4
(9.7) 		52.4
(11.3) 		52.2
(11.2) 		48.6
(9.2) 		44
(7) 		40.5
(4.7) 		36.3
(2.4) 		43.5
(6.4)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 10.6
(270) 		7.8
(200) 		5.8
(150) 		3.2
(81) 		1.6
(41) 		0.5
(13) 		0
(0) 		0.4
(10) 		0.8
(20) 		3.6
(91) 		7.3
(190) 		9.4
(240) 		50.9
(1,290)
Source: Weatherbase[10]

Politics

In the state legislature, Alderpoint is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire,[11] and the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Jim Wood.[12]

Federally, it is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.[13]

Notable people

Historic "Murder Mountain"

The Rancho Sequoia area of Alderpoint[14][15] is called "Murder Mountain" from the actions of the Carson serial killers (Michael Bear Carson and Suzan Carson), including the murder of 26-year-old Clark Stephens on May 17, 1982,[16] and for other disappearances, murders and rumored murders.[17]

Two high-profile missing persons are Robert "Bobby" Tennison, a 38-year-old father of four, missing since January 2009,[18][19] and Garret Rodriguez, a 29-year-old from San Diego, California, who was reported missing on April 25, 2013, by his father.[20] In their last conversation in December 2012, Rodriguez told his father, Val Rodriguez, he was headed to "Murder Mountain" to work on a marijuana grow.[21] After he went missing, his truck was found in June 2013.[22][23] On November 28, 2013, human remains were found in a grave on a private property on Jewett Road, one day after a group of locals forced the admission from the suspect known to have committed the murder, about the exact location of a grave believed to be Rodriguez's.[24] On December 17, the remains were identified as Rodriguez's, and he was confirmed a victim of a homicide.[25] It is suspected that the anonymous tip came from a confession extracted from the man responsible for the murder,[24] who gave up the information after being kidnapped, shot twice, and threatened by a group of eight local vigilantes on Thanksgiving Day.[26] In 2018, Rodriguez and "Murder Mountain" were featured in the Netflix documentary series Murder Mountain.[27]

Across the valley from Rancho Sequoia on Pratt Mountain, in 1973, 24-year-old Dirk Dickenson was shot in the back by Federal agent Lloyd Clifton during a military-style federal raid which arrived at his property by helicopter.[28][29] Dickenson was found blameless by a Federal Department of Justice investigation; charges against his killer were moved to federal court and ultimately dismissed.[30] Dickenson was posthumously featured on the cover of Rolling Stone[31] and is recognized as the first victim of the U.S. war on drugs.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alderpoint, California
  3. ^ "USPS ZIP Code lookup tool". zip4.usps.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 8. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  5. ^ Turner, Dennis W. and Gloria H. (2010). Place Names of Humboldt County, California: A Compendium 1542–2009. Orangevale, Ca: Dennis W & Gloria H. Turner. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-9629617-2-4.
  6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
  7. ^ "2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
  8. ^ "2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". US Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Alderpoint CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  10. ^ "Historical Weather for Alderpoint, California". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  11. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  12. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  13. ^ "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  14. ^ Morey, Dave. "Location: Alderpoint". Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  15. ^ Stover, Franklin (December 25, 2013). "Missing persons coverage uneven". Eureka Times-Standard. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  16. ^ “‘Religious Reasons’ Cited – Murder Suspects Admit Slayings”, The Press-Courier, Oxnard, California, April 28, 1983, p. 31, accessed July 13, 2013
  17. ^ McDonough, Elise, Humboldt County: Murder, Mayhem and Marijuana, Huffington Post, November 6, 2013, accessed December 23, 2013
  18. ^ Stover, Franklin, Robert 'Bobby' Tennison still missing in SoHum; holidays heighten painful loss, Humboldt Beacon, November 25, 2009, accessed July 13, 2013
  19. ^ Stover, Franklin, Robert 'Bobby' Tennison still missing Last seen in Alderpoint area two years ago Humboldt Beacon, February 2, 2011, accessed July 13, 2013
  20. ^ Man believed to be in Humboldt to work on marijuana farm reported missing Archived December 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Eureka Times-Standard, April 30, 2013, accessed July 13, 2013
  21. ^ Father reports son missing after talk of 'Murder Mountain' Archived May 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Eureka Times-Standard, May 1, 2013, accessed July 13, 2013
  22. ^ Chalmers, Colleen, Family seeks answers in disappearance of SoCal man headed to 'Murder Mountain'; Private investigator: His truck was found in Garberville area Archived June 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, The Willits News, June 22, 2013, accessed July 13, 2013
  23. ^ Williams, Linda, Where have all the missing persons gone? Archived December 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Ukiah Daily Journal, September 28, 2013, accessed December 23, 2013
  24. ^ a b Kemp, Kym, Private Investigator Chris Cook Reveals Sources May Have Heard Confession of Garret Rodriguez’s Murder, Lost Coast Communications, December 6, 2013, accessed December 20, 2013
  25. ^ Greenson, Thaddeus, Body on Humboldt County's 'Murder Mountain' is that of missing California man, San Jose Mercury News, December 18, 2013, accessed December 23, 2013
  26. ^ Kemp, Kym, Humboldt Co. Sheriff’s Office Unready to Confirm Connection in Recent SoHum Cases to Garret Rodriguez, Lost Coast Communications, December 5, 2013, accessed December 20, 2013
  27. ^ Leon, Melissa (January 1, 2019). "Netflix's 'Murder Mountain': Where Marijuana Can Kill". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  28. ^ Michael Woodiwiss (2001). Organized Crime and American Power: A History. University of Toronto Press. pp. 275–. ISBN 978-0-8020-8278-7. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  29. ^ Petition of Lloyd Clifton for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, Petitioner-Appellee, v. Gene Cox, Sheriff of Humboldt County, California, Respondent-Appellant Archived May 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, 549 F.2d 722 No. 75-1585, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, March 4, 1977, accessed July 13, 2013
  30. ^ 10 police raids gone wrong: 1972: Dirk Dickenson, ABA Journal, American Bar Association, 2013, accessed July 13, 2013
  31. ^ RS135: Dirk Dickenson, Nark Crime Victim, Illustration by James McMullan, Rolling Stone, May 24, 1973, accessed July 13, 2013
  32. ^ Moskos, Peter, Lockdown Nation, Pacific Standard, July 9, 2013, accessed July 13, 2013

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