Garberville, California

Garberville is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River south-southeast of Eureka, at an elevation of . The population was 818 at the 2020 United States census. It is approximately north of San Francisco, California, and within a fifteen-minute drive to Humboldt Redwoods State Park and a sixty-minute drive to Eureka, the county seat. Garberville is the primary town in the area known as the Mateel Region, consisting of parts of the Mattole and Eel River watersheds in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.

History Prior to recorded history, the area was populated by southern Sinkyone people. According to notes by Goddard based on local Sinkyone informants, there was once a village at the current location of Garberville named sebīyedadûñ, translating to "rocks under ... ? ... place".

In 1853, a Spanish explorer, Antone Garcia, settled in the area near Town Gulch, which runs through modern-day Garberville. The first post office in Garberville opened in 1874. Jacob C. Garber, the town postmaster, later named the town after himself in 1879.

Timber was a major component of the economy before marijuana.

Marijuana began to be grown and sold in the area in the 1970s, initially by hippies among friends. The mild climate, generous rainfall and well-drained soil of the area makes it an ideal environment for marijuana cultivation, and it became rampant in the south slopes and valleys nearby. The business grew to become a major product part of the economy, exceeding even the Humboldt County timber harvest.

Garberville was recognized as the "center" of the Emerald Triangle, which is a region responsible for 30-40% of California's cannabis production.

The New York Times characterized the town's economic history as of 1988 as "a cycle of boom and bust". The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) program of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration in 1983 used Garberville as a staging area for a force of 600 officers and a number of helicopters and light planes. Persistent civil rights violations occurred, including rural homes being invaded without authorization, according to a lawsuit at the time. By 1987 a major recession had occurred in the town due to the 5-year police crackdown.

The town recovered. There is a Cannabis College in Garberville, and the town was called "the marijuana heartland of the U.S." by BBC News in 2011.

The local economy has crashed due to the decline in the cannabis market for small growers caused by cannabis legalization. Many businesses lie empty or boarded up. Pot prices have crashed by 95% in California since legalization due to production at an industrial scale. Additionally, regulations are expensive and strict, and pot farmers are not allowed to sell directly to consumers. In Southern Humboldt, the dense forest and long, winding roads useful for evading law enforcement are now sources of cost for legal businesses.

Town leaders largely plan to focus on tourism rather than try to reignite the marijuana industry.

Geography Garberville is located at . The town is stretched out in a small, forested valley bisected by U.S. Route 101, at an elevation of . The nearby King's Peak rises to .

The Garberville Fault is to the southwest and the Dean Creek fault is to the northeast. The Garberville fault trends south-southeast towards Laytonville, where it connects with the Maacama fault zone. Most of the Garberville sediments are Miocene, and the youngest sediments are probably early Pleistocene.

Climate The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Csb (Mediterranean climate), characterized by cold, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.Climate Summary for closest city on record

Demographics

Garberville first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

+ Race and Ethnicity Racial and ethnic composition 2010 2020 White (non-Hispanic) 85.76% 74.82% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 5.91% 10.39% Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 1.97% 7.7% Asian (non-Hispanic) 1.75% 2.44% Native American (non-Hispanic) 3.18% 2.08% Other (non-Hispanic) 0.11% 2.08% Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1.31% 0.24% Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0.0% 0.24%

Garberville had a population of 818 in 2020.

There were 396 households, out of which 59 (14.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 104 (26.3%) were married-couple households, 31 (7.8%) were cohabiting couple households, 131 (33.1%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 130 (32.8%) had a male householder with no partner present. 196 households (49.5%) were one person, and 81 (20.5%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.00. There were 165 families (41.7% of all households).

The age distribution was 135 people (16.5%) under the age of 18, 47 people (5.7%) aged 18 to 24, 250 people (30.6%) aged 25 to 44, 205 people (25.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 181 people (22.1%) who were 65years of age or older.

There were 456 housing units at an average density of , of which 396 (86.8%) were occupied. Of these, 212 (53.5%) were owner-occupied, and 184 (46.5%) were occupied by renters.

Culture and media Reggae on the River, an annual music festival, is held near Garberville. Nearby, the 1925 Tudor Revival Benbow Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Ganjier program is located in Humboldt County which serves to train people in the art of cannabis assessment much like a sommelier in wine. Because of their program over 150 people travel to the Garberville area to visit farms, learn about assessing cannabis, and most important; they learn about regenerative farming and the community that still remains.

The town has an annual rodeo, the 68th occurrence of which happened in 2025.

Garberville is home to the weekly Redwood Times, run by Media News Group as a sister publication of the daily Times-Standard from Eureka.Redwood Times, Media News Group, 2013 A second weekly, the locally owned Humboldt Independent, was founded in 1997 and closed in 2024. Redwood Community Radio, KMUD, broadcasts from Garberville at 91.1 FM.KMUD-FM, Redwood Community Radio Organization, 2013

Government

Politics In the state legislature, Garberville is in , and .

Federally, Garberville is in .

Incorporation attempts A proposal to incorporate Garberville as a city was dropped after county supervisors declined to form a Municipal Advisory Committee due to concerns over the associated costs. A group of local residents once attempted to qualify a "Sequoia County" initiative to secede from both Humboldt and Mendocino County with Garberville as the new county seat, although the campaign ended without gathering enough signatures. A local chapter of the Green Party was formed in 2006.Kirk, Eric, Sequoia County Greens to meet on Friday, SoHum Parlance, August 20, 2006

Infrastructure

Transportation U.S. Route 101 bypasses the town, with exits 639 and 642 at Garberville and Redway, respectively.

Humboldt Transit Authority serves from Garberville as far north as Trinidad.

The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus provides daily connections to/from Garberville (with a curbside stop at 924 Redwood Drive), Martinez to the south, and Arcata to the north. Additional Amtrak connections are available from Martinez station.

Garberville Airport is a public airport located southwest of town.Webcams and AWOS screen at Garberville Airport

Utilities Garberville's ZIP Code is 95542.USPS ZIP Code lookup tool The community is inside area code 707.Area Code Map , NANPA, 2013

The Garberville Fire Protection District, has three engines and a utility truck, self-contained breathing apparatuses and radios.Garberville Fire Protection District Municipal Service Review , September 2008, Humboldt Local Agency Formation Commission The Garberville Water Company supplies drinking water to residents and maintains 27 fire hydrants on its water lines. The Garberville Sanitary District is not the same as the water company, but provides sewers in the core of the fire district. Some releases of water have contained one or more toxins.Garberville Sanitary District, Toxic Waters, New York Times, March 2010

Health care The Jerold Phelps Community Hospital is administered by the Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District.

Garberville recently added a local pharmacy at the top of Sprowl Creek Road and they are working on adding a clinic at the same location.

Redwoods Rural provides health and dental care to local residents.

Education The Southern Humboldt Unified School District was created from 19 separate school districts in 1948Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2012 and currently serves about 800 students in an area of . The district has five elementary, one middle school, one high school and one learning center. Redway SchoolRedway School, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013 Whitethorn SchoolWhitethorn School, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013 Agnes Johnson SchoolAgnes Johnson School, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013 Casterlin SchoolCasterlin School, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013 Ettersburg SchoolEttersburg School, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013 Miranda Junior High School South Fork High SchoolSouth Fork High School, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013 Osprey Learning CenterOsprey Learning Center, Southern Humboldt Unified School District, 2013

Notable person

Major League Baseball player Marshall Brant was born in Garberville.Marshall Lee Brant, BaseballReference.com, USA Today, 2013

Garberville, California

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