Penngrove, California
Penngrove is a census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States, situated between the cities of Petaluma and Cotati, at the foot of Sonoma Mountain. It is part of the North Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,522 at the 2010 census.
The area is the site of a historic grove called Penn's Grove; it was formerly a freight station on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad and a center of egg and chicken farming.
Geography
Penngrove's downtown consists of Main Street, a street linking Old Redwood Highway to Adobe Road. Penngrove School is located at the corner of Adobe Road, where Main Street becomes Petaluma Hill Road.Lichau Creek flows southward through the town, paralleling the railway. The creek feeds into the Petaluma River, which flows to San Pablo Bay.
Due to the Sonoma Mountain's ancient volcanism, Penngrove is rich with obsidian and petrified wood. Its soil is unique, composed mainly of clay-like adobe, which has been used for centuries as building material. A prime example of adobe architecture is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a State Historic Park in nearby Petaluma.
Penngrove enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 4.0 square miles, all of it land.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Penngrove had a population of 2,522. The population density was 626.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Penngrove was 2,212 White, 19 African American, 24 Native American, 54 Asian, 2 Pacific Islander, 112 from other races, and 99 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 292 persons.The Census reported that 99.6% of the population lived in households and 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 1,040 households, out of which 260 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 483 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 117 had a female householder with no husband present, 65 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 80 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 285 households were made up of individuals and 83 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42. There were 665 families ; the average family size was 2.89.
The population was spread out with 442 people under the age of 18, 244 people aged 18 to 24, 585 people aged 25 to 44, 889 people aged 45 to 64, and 362 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.
There were 1,120 housing units at an average density of 278.3 per square mile, of which 61.5% were owner-occupied and 38.5% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.1%. 64.6% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 35.0% lived in rental housing units.
History
Originally home of the Coast Miwok native people, the Mexican government granted Rancho Cotate to Captain Juan Castaneda in July 1844 for his military services in the region. The grant encompassed present-day Penngrove, Cotati and Rohnert Park. Cotate Rancho is a part of Vallejo Township which encompasses the plain between Sonoma Mountain and Petaluma Creek, San Pablo Bay, with an east–west line dividing the tract from Santa Rosa Township."Rancho Cotate was sold in 1849 to Dr. Thomas S. Page, of Cotati, and eventually broken up and sold off piecemeal to incoming settlers.
The first European settlers in the Penngrove area were David Wharff, W.J. Hardin, and J.M. Palmer who arrived in 1852.
In October 1870, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad completed the first railroad from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, running through Penngrove.
Culture
Every summer on the Sunday closest to July 4, Penngrove celebrates the 4th of July with a parade sponsored by the Penngrove Social Fireman. On Saturday at the Penngrove Fire Station, located at the corner of Main Street and Old Redwood Highway, the Rancho Adobe Firefighters' Association sponsors a breakfast.Name
The naming of Penngrove is uncertain; there are three main "histories" of the name's origin.Ruth Anderson, the famous "Bell-Lady" of Penngrove, recalls,
"In the late 1860s, two brothers by the name of Penn came out from Pennsylvania and bought of land in this area. They planted the area with olive trees, but when the trees matured it was found that the olives were not edible. The Penn brothers tore out many of the groves, sold the land and moved away. However, while they were here, they named their place Penn's Grove. Later it was changed to Penn grove, and still later, because our mail got confused with that of Pine Grove, the U.S. Postoffice Department changed the name to one word—Penngrove."
Other accounts state that there was another town with the name of Penn's Grove in New Jersey, which is why the Postoffice changed the name. Others claim that the Woodward family, who came from Pennsylvania, named their property Penn's Grove in honor of their home state.
Community development
Along with the chicken and egg industry, Penngrove was a source of basalt paving stones, which were used to pave the streets of major cities in the Bay Area, including San Francisco. Harris notes that 200 men were employed at the three major cobblestone quarries at the end of the 19th century, and that quarry scars can still be seen dotting the hills between East Railroad Ave. and Roberts Road. When the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was completed in 1870, the paving stone industry kept Penngrove station busy. After the turn of the century, Penngrove became the "second largest egg and poultry producing area in the country. Only Petaluma outdid this area". Apparently, according to The San Francisco Examiner, chickens paid better than gold mines. To this day, many dilapidated chicken houses dot old farms and country roads in the area.Notable landmarks
Penngrove Community Church
One of the oldest buildings in Penngrove, the old Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1898 at the corner of Formschlag Lane and Petaluma Hill Road. In 1910, the church was moved on wooden rollers to its present location at 9970 Oak Street. The original building now serves as a fellowship hall, while a newer structure, built in 1955-7, now serves as the main sanctuary. The original structure is still used by Girl Scouts of the USA, Boy Scouts of America, 4-H, and various other community organizations.Penngrove School
The first classes were taught in a small building on Peters' Ranch. In 1876, the first school was built at the southwest corner of Adobe Road and Main Street. It was named the Eagle School after the Eagle Hotel located across Main Street and shown on Thompson's map of Sonoma County. In 1906 after construction of the second Eagle School, the old school was used as a teacher's residence. It was later moved about south to its current location and reconfigured into an ell. The second Eagle School was built between Main and Oak streets. The original structure no longer exists, and a private home now stands on that property, however, the steps leading to "Eagle School" from Main Street are still visible. Some of building materials were recycled for construction of the Community Center and a small building in Penngrove Park. In 1926 a beautiful mission-style school house was built and named Penngrove School, Eagle District. Penngrove School joined the Petaluma City School District in 1962. In 1963, the present multi-purpose room was constructed and newer wings were developed between it and the older portion of the school. The multi-purpose room was expanded with a stage in 2006. The 1926 school building is now primarily used for offices and the school library.Post Office
"The Post Office at Penn's Grove was established on October 30, 1882. A series of name changes occurred because of mail mix-ups with Penn's Grove, New Jersey and Pine Grove. In May 1895 the Petaluma paper reported: 'The Penngrove Post Office has had its name changed again and is now officially known by its former and best known title, Penn's Grove.' In 1908 the name was changed back to Penngrove and has remained so since".The first Post Office was located in the Edwards Building and was then moved into the Terribilini Building on the East side of Main Street. It was then moved next to Penngrove Market and a new structure for the Post Office was built in the 1980s on Main Street across from Penngrove Market.