Forestville, California (1909), 1909
Forestville’s story
154 years in pictures
Census counts: 84 in 1880, 3,264 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 4 maps from 1942 on.
- 1872Forestville is settled
ForestvilleCA
A town of 3,717, settled in 1872.
Photo: Stepheng3 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
3,717
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$619K
+0.1% in a year
Household income
$116K
median
Median age
45.2
years
Jobs based here
475
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#268 of 841 in CA
Is Forestville a good place to live?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Overall it grades C+, 268th of 841 graded towns in California. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $618K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Santa Rosa metro’s $105K median household income. Forestville’s midsummer high is 80°F, below both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). The biggest park or preserve is Steelhead Beach Regional Park, at 45 acres.
What makes Forestville stand out
Where Forestville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Forestville for work
Where Forestville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
475jobs based in Forestville
5%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Forestville grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Forestville is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →HealthSutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital 7.5 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →SchoolsBOpen →Jobs & income$116K median household incomeBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.8 of 20; 1.6% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 81° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market33 days on market–Open →Who lives here–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 169 attractions →Fort Ross and 29 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Forestville. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Ancient siteFort Ross
36 mi LakeLake Berryessa
17 mi National SeashorePoint Reyes National Seashore2.4M visitors a year
9 mi MuseumCharles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center
16 mi Ancient siteBodega Bay
18 mi National Recreation AreaGolden Gate National Recreation Area15.7M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fort Ross: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Berryessa: Unknown, Public domain · Point Reyes National Seashore: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center: BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bodega Bay: Pixistik1687, Public domain · Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Forestville: who provides what
Forestville is unincorporated, so Sonoma County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterForestville Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSonoma CountySonoma County provides services here
SchoolsWest Sonoma County Union High School DistrictForestville Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Forestville; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereSonoma County Registrar of VotersSonoma County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2026
ZIP code9543695436 100%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 Forestville.
Forestville has home values still below their peak, has commutes shorter than most of California and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of California.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Forestville, with inland flooding at the top
Federal aid has come to Forestville households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2020. FEMA puts just over three fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 26% to earthquakes.
98risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesDrought
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB
Public schools in Forestville beat 61% of California districts
The Forestville Union Elementary school district runs its public schools. Two of its 5 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The 4 public schools in Forestville teach 306 students between them.
61%of CA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestville AcademyLargest public middle schoolGrades 2–8 | Grades 2–8 | 152 | – |
| Laguna HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 57 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthA
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, fewer of Forestville’s adults feel lonely
Among adults in Forestville, 10% have diabetes. CDC measures, 32 in all: Forestville beats California on 14 and trails on 2. In Forestville, 25% of adults have obesity, and 17% get no exercise outside work.
90%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Forestville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. California
14 better16 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Forestville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 6.4% |
Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital
7.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
84th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Forestville has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The average commute for its 1,317 working residents takes 20.6 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Forestville dropped by 36, to 475. Just 5% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The mean commuting time locally is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Santa Rosa (22%), Sebastopol (4%) and San Francisco (4%).
5%work in town
| Forestville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Forestville5%
Santa Rosa22%
Sebastopol4%
San Francisco4%
Petaluma4%
11 mi
median commute distance
475
jobs based in Forestville
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Forestville than in California
For adults 25 and older in Forestville, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 39%. Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 25% of residents (16% statewide). The midpoint age for Forestville comes to 45.2 years.
45.2median age · CA 37.9
| Forestville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.2 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 29% | 29% |
ForestvilleCaliforniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school18%
Some college28%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s22%
Graduate18%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.5 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Forestville | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.4% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.1% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
In Forestville, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
The Graton weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 240 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 78% of California places with climate records.
For Forestville, the January low is 39°F.
81°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–59°
Spring44–68°
Summer51–80°
Fall46–74°
Nov 13
typical first frost
Mar 20
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
81°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade D
A typical Forestville home is worth about $619K
The typical value, about $619K, is 8% below its May 2024 peak.
Forestville’s midpoint rent is $1,833 a month. In Forestville, 72% of households own their home. A home in Forestville typically sold within 33 days of listing.
$619KZillow home value
| Forestville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,833 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Forestville$619K
California$762K
Market temperature
33
days on market
100.4%
sale-to-list price
+0.1%
value change, 1 year
6
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsB
Conserved land covers 4.2% of Forestville
Walkers can cover 2.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. In Forestville, the concentration of trails is 0.5 miles per square mile.
#548for trails in CA
| Forestville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
4.2%
conserved · 141 of 3,347 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Steelhead Beach Regional Park | 0.8 mi | 45 |
| 2. Forestville Youth Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Forestville Downtown Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Forestville
17pages on Forestville
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Forestville
About 7 of every 100 Forestville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Forestville
Census-designated place in California, United States
Forestville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. It was settled during the late 1860s and was originally spelled Forrestville after one of its founders; the spelling was soon standardized with one "r". The population was 3,264 at the 2020 census, down from 3,293 at the 2010 census. By 1900, the community was known for attracting writers and artists and had a bohemian reputation. The small town has a limited number of businesses.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 171 ft
- ZIP code
- 95436
Questions about Forestville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forestville, CA a good place to live?
Forestville grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #268 of 841 in California. It grades A for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Forestville, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.