Calpella - March 2021 - Sarah Stierch, 2021
Calpella’s story
166 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2021.
- 1860Calpella is settled
CalpellaCA
Photo: Missvain · CC BY 4.0
Population
474
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$581K
Census ACS
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
50.0
years
Jobs based here
166
A commuter town
Is Calpella a good place to live?
Calpella’s average commute is 35 minutes, against 28 minutes in California’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Of the 848 California towns we compare, none has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Calpella. Calpella’s trail network density is 2.0 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest place to walk is Lake Mendocino Recreation Area, 250 acres with 1.3 miles of trail. Calpella has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Calpella stand out
Where Calpella beats most towns.
Small town
474 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Calpella: who provides what
Calpella is unincorporated, so Mendocino County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCalpella County Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMendocino CountyMendocino County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMendocino County Clerk-ElectionsMendocino County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP codes95482, 9547095482 99% · 95470 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Calpella.
Natural hazards
Very high risk in Calpella, with inland flooding at the top
For Calpella, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 98 of 100. Nearly two thirds of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 29%. One declared disaster, in 2005, has brought federal aid to Calpella households.
98risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Calpella’s kids attend
Public schools: the Ukiah Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Calpella’s only public school teaches 475 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calpella ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 475 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most of Calpella’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Jobs in Calpella fell by 129 from 2013 to 2023, to 166. For most workers, Calpella is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. The top destinations are Ukiah (27%), Santa Rosa (3%) and San Francisco (3%). The median commute is under 9 miles.
2%work in town
Where working residents work
In Calpella2%
Ukiah27%
Santa Rosa3%
San Francisco3%
Willits3%
9 mi
median commute distance
166
jobs based in Calpella
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter36–57°
Spring42–70°
Summer52–89°
Fall44–76°
Nov 20
typical first frost
Mar 19
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Calpella is
14% of adults smoke cigarettes in Calpella. Two figures for adults here: 19% report frequent mental distress, 25% say their health is fair or poor.
| Calpella | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 19% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better26 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Calpella | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.6% | 5.1% |
| More smokers | 14% | 10.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 6.6% | 5.6% |
Adventist Health Ukiah Valley
5.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
$1.24Mmedian sale price
0
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,636 acres
5.2 mi
of trails · 2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Mendocino Recreation Area | 1.3 mi | 250 |
| 2. Oak Grove Day Use Area Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Calpella
17pages on Calpella
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Calpella
Mendocino CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ukiah3.6 mi$1,423 in-state tuitionDHARMA REALM BUDDHIST UNIVERSITYUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ukiah7.1 mi
About 10 of every 100 Calpella residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Calpella for work
Where Calpella’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
166jobs based in Calpella
2%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Calpella
Census-designated place in California, United States
Calpella (Pomo: Kalpela, meaning "Mussel bearer") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located on the Russian River, 6 miles (10 km) north of Ukiah. It is situated within the Ukiah Valley, at the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and State Route 20. The population was 799 at the 2020 census, up from 679 in 2010. The small town is the site of the Mendocino Redwood Company mill and offices, which controls ten percent of the private land in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 682 ft
- ZIP code
- 95418
- Area code
- 707
Questions about Calpella
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Calpella, CA a good place to live?
Calpella has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.