| Loleta | |
|---|---|
| — census-designated place — | |
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Loleta
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Humboldt County |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 2.125 sq mi (5.504 km2) |
| • Land | 2.125 sq mi (5.504 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation[2] | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 783 |
| • Density | 368.5/sq mi (142.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP Code | 95551 |
| Area code(s) | 707 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1656137; 2611440 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Loleta, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Loleta, California | |
Loleta (formerly, Swauger and Swauger's Station) is a census-designated place[3] in Humboldt County, California.[2] It is located 5.5 miles (9 km) south of Fields Landing,[4] at an elevation of 46 feet (14 m).[2] The population was 783 at the 2010 census.
Loleta is 15 miles south of Eureka. Most of the residents live in a central community. There are, however two separate Native American reservations on the rural outskirts of Table Bluff, California.
The ZIP Code is 95551.[5] The community is inside area code 707.
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European settlement began in the early 1850s. Potato farming was the biggest agricultural use of land until the 1870s, when depleted soil and declining prices caused a turn to dairying. The town was originally known as Swauger or Swauger's Station, for local landowner Samuel A. Swauger,[4] but the town has been called Loleta since 1897. The name means "pleasant place at the end of the tide water" in the language of the original Wiyot native inhabitants. Wiyots still make up the largest single ethnic minority in Loleta, according to the 2000 US census, at 4 percent of the population. Whites make up 85.5 percent of the population of 750 (less than the 807 inhabitants the census recorded in 1880).
The Eel River and Eureka Railroad reached Swauger's Station from Humboldt Bay in 1883.[4] The Swauger post office opened in 1888, and changed its name to Loleta in 1898.[4] The Humboldt Creamery plant (originally Diamond Springs Creamery) opened in the town proper in 1893, and dairying continues to be a major economic influence. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reorganized Loleta's railroad as the San Francisco and Northwestern Railway in 1903 and then completed the Northwestern Pacific Railroad to San Francisco in 1914.[6]
In 1982 The Movie "Halloween III:Season of The Witch" was filmed in Loleta.
Located one mile from the Eel River, which drains 10 percent of the total California watershed, and four miles from the Pacific Ocean and Humboldt Bay, fishing has also been a significant economic factor in the local economy. In the early years of the 20th century, fish buyers from San Francisco congregated in Loleta every fall to bid on the salmon catch, which averaged $50,000.
The Aleutian Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia) has in recent years extended its spring staging area to Loleta. Flocks of over 400 individual birds may be seen in March.
The 2010 United States Census[7] reported that Loleta had a population of 783. The population density was 368.5 people per square mile (142.3/km²). The racial makeup of Loleta was 643 (82.1%) White, 12 (1.5%) African American, 16 (2.0%) Native American, 5 (0.6%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 65 (8.3%) from other races, and 42 (5.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 114 persons (14.6%).
The Census reported that 783 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 314 households, out of which 96 (30.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 135 (43.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 34 (10.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 12 (3.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 40 (12.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 4 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 97 households (30.9%) were made up of individuals and 21 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49. There were 181 families (57.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.17.
The population was spread out with 186 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 81 people (10.3%) aged 18 to 24, 207 people (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 241 people (30.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 68 people (8.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.
There were 341 housing units at an average density of 160.5 per square mile (62.0/km²), of which 178 (56.7%) were owner-occupied, and 136 (43.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%. 460 people (58.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 323 people (41.3%) lived in rental housing units.
Loleta is the seat of the Loleta Union School District,[8] and home of the Loleta Elementary School, a public K-8 school.[9]
Downtown Loleta consists of a grocery store, a meat market, a bakery, a realty office, and a post office. Close to the freeway is the school, Loleta Elementary, a Catholic church and a Protestant church. There is an independent media development house, Bandicoot12 Studios. The most notable building in town is the firefighter's pavilion, managed by the local volunteer firefighters.
The town is known for the Loleta Cheese Company, which ships cheese worldwide.
The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria is headquartered in Loleta, where they operate the Bear River Casino.[10]
Loleta and Eureka were locations for filming the 1982 horror movie, Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
The Northwest school mystic artist, Morris Graves lived in Loleta from 1964 until his death in 2001, in a house designed by Seattle architect Ibsen Nelson.
Season 6, Episode 2 of the hit show X-files features Loleta momentarily near the end of the episode.
In the state legislature Loleta is located in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Noreen Evans, and in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro. Federally, Loleta is located in California's 1st congressional district.
Steinberg, Brinton & Riffle, 2002. Loleta Community, Humboldt State University. Report.
Loleta Chamber of Commerce. Loleta: A Town History. Pamphlet.
Parry, M.A., 1963. The History of Loleta, Humboldt State College. Thesis.
History of Humboldt County, Historic Record Co., Los Angeles, 1915.