Willits, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willits, California
City
Top: Masonic Temple (left) and Gateway to the Redwoods (right); Carnegie Library (left) and Mendocino County Museum (right)
Location in Mendocino County and California
Willits, California Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Mendocino
Incorporated	November 19, 1888
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	2.82 sq mi (7.3 km2)
• Land	2.82 sq mi (7.3 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0 km2)  0.17%
Elevation	1,391 ft (424 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,988
• Density	1,770.7/sq mi (683.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	95490
Area code(s)	707
FIPS code	06-85600
GNIS feature ID	1652654

Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. It was once known as Little Lake and Willitsville. Willits is about 20 miles north of Ukiah. It sits at an elevation of 1,391 feet. In 2020, about 4,988 people lived there. Willits is in the middle of Mendocino County. It is also where the county's huge redwood forests begin. You can see them when you drive on Highway 101 from the south.

A special arch stands in the center of Willits. It says "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County." This arch used to be in Reno, Nevada. Reno gave it to Willits in 1995.

History of Willits

Willits hotel in 1903

California Western Railroad trains at Willits Depot, 1974

Hiram Willits came from Indiana in 1857. He settled in the Little Lake Valley. Kirk Brier started the town on Willits' land. At first, the town was called Willitsville. In 1861, when the post office opened, it was named Little Lake. The name changed back to Willits in 1874. Willits officially became a city in 1888.

The Little Lake Election Day Event of 1867

Little Lake was the site of a famous family disagreement. This was between the Frost and Coates families. The Frost family supported the South during the American Civil War. The Coates family supported the Union. Both families felt very strongly about their beliefs.

On October 16, 1867, which was Election Day, their long-running feud became a big fight. It turned into a shootout in front of Baechtel’s store. Several people from both families died on the street. Three others were also hurt.

Seabiscuit's Home

The famous racehorse Seabiscuit lived his final years near Willits. Ridgewood Ranch is a few miles south of the city. This is where Seabiscuit trained and got better after races. He also lived out his retirement there and was buried on the ranch.

Geography of Willits

Willits is in the middle of Mendocino County. It is in the Little Lake Valley. Willits is about 23 miles north of Ukiah. It is also 23 miles south of Laytonville. You can find it on U.S. Route 101, also called the Redwood Highway. The city is on the west side of the Little Lake Valley. This valley is about 6 miles long and 3 miles wide. It is surrounded by the California Coast Ranges.

The city covers about 2.8 square miles. Almost all of this area is land. Willits is also located along the future Great Redwood Trail. This will be a path for walking and biking.

Willits Climate

Willits has a mediterranean climate. This means it has dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Mountains to the west and air from the Pacific Ocean affect Willits' weather. This makes winters cool and summers hot during the day but cool at night. In January, temperatures are usually between 32°F and 55°F. In July, they are usually between 47°F and 85°F.

Willits has about 27 days a year when it gets 90°F or hotter. It also has about 95 days when it gets 32°F or colder. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 112°F on July 24, 1902. The coldest was 5°F on December 9, 1972.

The city gets about 49 inches of rain each year. The most rain in one year was 86.60 inches, from July 1903 to June 1904. The least was 28.08 inches, from July 1990 to June 1991. In December 1964, 31.41 inches of rain fell, which was the most in one month.

Willits gets a small amount of snow each year, about 3.6 inches on average. The most snow in one month was 20.0 inches in December 1964.

Willits Population

In 2010, Willits had a population of 4,888 people. This means there were about 1,744 people living in each square mile. Most people in Willits live in homes, not in group places.

About 26% of the people were under 18 years old. About 15% were 65 years or older. The average age in Willits was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, there were about 91 males.

There were 1,914 homes in Willits. About 35% of these homes had children under 18. Many homes were families, but many people also lived alone. About 44% of homes were owned by the people living in them. The rest were rented.

Economy of Willits

Willits has some important employers. These include the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital. Another major employer is METALfx, a manufacturing company.

Arts and Culture in Willits

Noyo Theatre in Willits

Willits High School is at the north end of the city. The North County Center of Mendocino College is also in Willits. This college offers classes for older students.

Every July, Willits holds its Frontier Days & Rodeo. This is the oldest continuous rodeo and Independence Day celebration in California. It's a big event with lots of fun activities.

Willits is also home to several interesting places. You can visit the Roots of Motive Power Locomotive Museum. There is also the Mendocino County Museum and the Willits Center for the Arts.

Media in Willits

Willits has local and regional newspapers. It also has a community radio station called KLLG. This station is run out of the Little Lake Grange. Local newspapers include The Mendocino Voice, Willits News, and Willits Weekly.

Willits Infrastructure

Willits Fire Station 54 built in 2022

Transportation in Willits

Willits is the start of the California Western Railroad. This train is also known as the "Skunk Train." It travels through the Coast Redwood forests to Fort Bragg on the coast. The old redwood Willits Depot was built in 1915. It is a historic building.

The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus stops in Willits every day. You can take it south to Martinez or north to Arcata. From Martinez, you can connect to other Amtrak trains.

Willits Municipal Airport is a public airport. It is also called Ells Field. It has one runway and is about 3 miles northwest of the city.

U.S. Route 101 is the main highway through the Little Lake Valley. It passes just east of Willits. This highway connects Eureka to the north and San Francisco to the south. State Route 20 also starts near Willits. It goes through the city and then heads west towards Fort Bragg.

A project called the Willits Bypass opened in 2016. It helps reduce traffic in the city, especially on Main Street.

Notable People from Willits

Many interesting people have connections to Willits.

• Judi Bari was a labor leader and environmental activist. She worked hard to protect the redwood trees. Over 1,000 people attended her funeral in Willits in 1997.
• Tré Cool, the drummer for the band Green Day, lived in Willits when he was a teenager in the 1980s.
• Mona Gnader, the bass player for Sammy Hagar, also lived in Willits.
• Charles Bolles, also known as Black Bart, was a stagecoach bandit. He stole from stagecoaches traveling through Willits.
• Phil Jordon was the first National Basketball Association (NBA) player from the Redwood Empire area. He played basketball at Willits High School.
• Edith Ceccarelli, who was once the oldest person in the United States, was born in Willits.

See also

In Spanish: Willits para niños