Fieldbrook, California


Fieldbrook is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California. It is located north-east of Arcata, at an elevation of. The population was 827 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Fieldbrook is located on California's North Coast, approximately north of San Francisco and south of the Oregon state line. Located on the edge of dense redwood forest, the area was once home to thriving lumber companies. Fieldbrook is east of the larger, unincorporated, seaside town of McKinleyville and the Arcata-Eureka Airport, approximately northeast of the harbor city of Arcata, and about north of the city of Eureka, the Humboldt County seat. Fieldbrook is at the northern edge of the McKinleyville-Arcata-Eureka-Fortuna corridor along US Highway 101, where about eighty percent of Humboldt County's population lives and most of its businesses are located. The ZIP Code is 95519. The community is inside area code 707.
Fieldbrook is located at the right-angle bend where Murray Road becomes Fieldbrook Road. In the mid-1990s, Fieldbrook was a stereotypical sleepy country hamlet, with junk cars sitting in weedy yards along the main road in one block and goats grazing alongside a church in the next. With the decline of the local timber industry, the increase of remote working professionals, and the emergence of the North Coast as a retirement destination, Fieldbrook with its mild weather at the foot of the Coast Range. The road connects there with State Highway 299, a winding route that crosses the mountains and connects with Interstate 5 in Redding, about east.
Fieldbrook is on the north bank of the Mad River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. Although the Mad River supplies the water to much of Humboldt County's population, the small population does not have a significant impact on the river's flow. The north side of Fieldbrook Road is second-growth redwood forest with the occasional clearing for a house, and the logging rules allow the forest canopy to maintain a height of. A narrow zone adjacent to the road is maintained as an unlogged buffer, presenting the illusion of virgin forest to tourists. On the north side of the buffer, in any given year the majority of the timber tracts have been growing for at least seven years, comprising a wilderness if not exactly parkland. The region is rich with wildlife and animals like deer, elk, foxes, raccoons, and the occasional black bear or cougar are found.

History

A post office operated in Fieldbrook from 1902 to 1932. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, much of Fieldbrook was owned by lumber companies. Railroad lines ran through Fieldbrook to the Humboldt Bay.

Education

Fieldbrook is the seat of the Fieldbrook Elementary School District, and home of the Fieldbrook School, a public K-8 school.

Demographics

Fieldbrook first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.
The 2020 United States census reported that Fieldbrook had a population of 827. The population density was. The racial makeup of Fieldbrook was 685 White, 7 African American, 19 Native American, 5 Asian, 3 Pacific Islander, 14 from other races, and 94 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46 persons.
The whole population lived in households. There were 344 households, out of which 80 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 178 were married-couple households, 27 were cohabiting couple households, 62 had a female householder with no partner present, and 77 had a male householder with no partner present. 93 households were one person, and 36 were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.4. There were 215 families.
The age distribution was 145 people under the age of 18, 35 people aged 18 to 24, 178 people aged 25 to 44, 221 people aged 45 to 64, and 248 people who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 51.6years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males.
There were 377 housing units at an average density of, of which 344 were occupied. Of these, 279 were owner-occupied, and 65 were occupied by renters.

Government

In the state legislature, Fieldbrook is in, and.
Federally, Fieldbrook is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Jared Huffman.