Mendocino County, California

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The Beauty of Mendocino County, California

We recently had the privilege of housesitting in Mendocino County, California. We've traveled extensively throughout the United States and have visited California many times but had never stayed this far north in California.

It was a wonderful experience and I'll attempt to convey the essence of this unique part of the country.

This is a photo of the rugged shoreline near the village of Elk. All the photographs are mine taken with a Canon PowerShot A720.

A Short History of Mendocino County 

Cape Mendocino was discovered by a Spanish explorer in the year 1542 but it wasn't until about 300 years later that the first permanent non-Spanish settlers settled in the Big River area. The California state legislature created Mendocino County in 1850.

Logging and fishing were the original industries in the area. This part of the United States is still famous for it's towering redwood trees and it's lush forests.

The Gold Rush brought hundreds of miners to Mendocino County, as well. It's said that after a ship wreck on the Mendocino coast, the survivors discovered the redwood trees and the lumber industry was born.

During the 1960's Mendocino became a gathering place for artists and the generation known as "flower children" aka hippies! The essence of that era still remains. It's like a step back in time in many ways.




There are many websites that are dedicated to Mendocino County. One of the most comprehensive sites is Discover Mendocino County

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The Village of Mendocino 

Perched on a scenic bluff on the Mendocino coastline

Mendocino sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean about four hours north of San Francisco. If you drive along the coast road, it'll take closer to six hours but it's a spectacular journey and well worth the time.

The town has its architectural roots in New England because of the "homesick" pioneers who came here to be part of the lumber boon in the 1850's. There are cottages and Victorian homes with abundant gingerbread filigree mouldings, steep gables and picket fences.

The village of Mendocino was designated as a National Historic Preservation District in 1971. It's small and quaint but by no means deserted. We were there in March which isn't exactly tourist season and yet the shops and museums were bustling with visitors.


There are so many activities in this area that I'm recommending that you visit a website called Mendocino Fun. It's truly a comprehensive guide to visiting Mendocino. Here is the link: MendocinoFun.Com

Mendocino Photo Gallery 

Favorite pictures from my personal travel album

Mendocino - A Popular Setting for Television and Movies. 

This pretty little town was the location used for much of the filming of the hit television series "Murder She Wrote" (1984 - 1989) starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher. It was supposedly set on the East coast in a small New England town called Cabot Cove. In fact, nine of the episodes were filmed almost in their entirety in Mendocino.

Blair House (pictured) is a bed and breakfast inn which was used as Jessica Fletcher's home in the series.

It's also been the setting for more than 40 movies since 1904. A few classic movies that were filmed here include "Frenchman's Creek (1943), "Johnny Belinda" (1947), "East of Eden" (1954), "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" (1965), and "Cujo" (1982). Who knew??

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse 

Beautiful music and pictures...

Mendocino Ca. photo slideshow

Photos of Mendocino Ca. and the Point Cabrillo Light Station.

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More Scenes from Mendocino 

From my personal travel album

The Water Towers of Mendocino 

When Mendocino was first established, two and three storied water towers were the only sources of fresh water. They operated on a gravity system. Even though the fresh water supplies are now through water wells that are run by electric pumps, many of the old water towers remain.

The oldest water tower built in Mendocino was built for the Carlson City Hotel in 1857. The hotel burned to the ground during a fire in 1870 but surprisingly the water tower did not!

Some of the water towers have been "recycled" into other uses. One, for example, serves as a stairway to a restaurant! Another has been turned into a guest cottage.




For more precise information on Mendocino and all that it has to offer you'll want to visit the official website at MENDOCINO.com - Hotels, Restaurants and Activity Guide

The Artists of Mendocino County 

Be sure to visit the wonderful artists and artisans living & working in Mendocino County

Buy at Art.com




Mendocino County is famous for it's artists-in-residence. I really can't adequately describe the beauty of the world class art created in Mendocino County and I highly recommend that you visit the Mendocino Artists and Artisans website. You will be amazed.

The Mendocino Climate 

Not too hot, not too cold!

Mendocino County is blessed with a very mild climate simply because it's situated on the northern California coast and the Pacific Ocean protects the area from extreme highs and lows. The temperatures primarily remain between the 60's and the 70's on the coast but can drop to the 50's in the winter. The inland areas may experience summer temps in the 90's on occasion.

Mendocino County, California according to Wikipedia 

You'll find lots more information about Mendocino County including additional interesting links on Wikipedia.

Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of 2000, the population was 86,265. The county seat is Ukiah.

The county is noted for its distinctive Pacific Ocean coastline, Redwood forests, wine production, microbrews, and liberal views on marijuana.

The notable historic and recreational attraction of the "Skunk Train" connects Fort Bragg with Willits in Mendocino County via steam-locomotive trains and other vehicles.

Mendocino County - Calendar and Poster 

New! A 2010 Calendar of Mendocino County & A Peace Poster

Each month of this pretty calendar features one of the photographs from my journey to this beautiful and historic part of the United States.



The Peace Flag poster is especially reminiscent of Mendocino County's past as a haven for the Flower Children of the 1960's.
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More Favorite Mendocino Scenery 

From my personal photo album

Mendocino County Wines 

There are some amazing vinyards in Mendocino County. Here are some examples of the wines they produce.

Blogs with a Mendocino Focus 

See what others have to say about this beautiful part of California

DA race underway for June election
"I think that I can create a more efficient and very consistent prosecution team for Mendocino County," Finnegan said. He continued, "For me the consistency ...
Retail sales remain sluggish: County/city sales tax receipts down
... Staff Writer The California Bureau of Equalization notified about two-thirds of all cities and counties, including Willits and Mendocino County, ...
New railroad company to take over Union Pacific's county line
... almost all of it in California. Its parent company, Sierra Railroad, also runs tourist trains like the Skunk Train in Mendocino County. ...

Beautiful Books about Mendocino County 

A Journey in Time: Mendocino County Wildflowers

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009) Buy Now

Squidoo Links to Mendocino County & California 

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Traveling to Mendocino County 

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by CherylK

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I love gardening, reading, watching sunsets on our lake, turtles, traveling, art galleries, feng shui, photography, cooking, espre... (more)

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