Bolinas, California is an unincorporated community in Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population of the Bolinas CDP (Census-designated place) was 1,246 at the 2000 census. Located along the coast and accessible only via sometimes unmarked roads, Bolinas is perhaps best known for its reclusive residents; historically, any road signs pointing the way into town on Highway One have invariably been torn down by local residents [1]
Bolinas and its reclusive reputation feature in the 1981 novel Ecotopia Emerging by Ernest Callenbach.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,246 people, 486 households, and 260 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 900.6 people per square mile (348.6/km²). There were 629 housing units at an average density of 454.7/sq mi (176.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.53% White, 1.85% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.77% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 2.49% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. 5.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 486 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 40.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,188, and the median income for a family was $56,111. Males had a median income of $48,281 versus $40,417 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,973. About 5.5% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
The much larger area defined by the Census Bureau as Zip Code Tabulation Area 94924, which includes Horseshoe Hill, Dogtown, and Five Brooks, had a 2000 population of 1,560 people (see map).[4]
Bolinas is unincorporated, receiving general government services from Marin County, including law enforcement, land use planning, public health, and code enforcement. Two special districts provide local services. The Bolinas Community Public Utility District provides water and wastewater service and contracts for garbage and recycling collection.[5] The Bolinas Fire Protection District provides fire protection, emergency medical care, and disaster management services.[6]
Earthquake-damaged homes along Brighton Avenue, Bolinas, 1906.
Mary D. Barber (March 20, 1869–February 20, 1929), artist and author of Winter Butterflies in Bolinas, had a second home in Bolinas starting in 1907 and was one of two women to participate in salvage of the wreck of the R. D. Inman off Duxbury Reef[7][8][9]
Literary scenes with strong affiliations to the New American Poetry were in evidence elsewhere in California -- most notably Bolinas in the 1970s, when that somewhat remote hippie village north of San Francisco became home to many poets. In particular, the transplanted easterner and Poetry Project veteran Bill Berkson and his press Big Sky flourished there in the decade, publishing both a magazine and a series of books. Bolinas residents of the period also included Robert Creeley, Bobbie Louise Hawkins, David Meltzer, Lewis Warsh, Tom Clark, Lewis MacAdams, Philip Whalen, Aram Saroyan, Joanne Kyger, Jim Carroll, and Duncan McNaughton, among others. Ted Berrigan, Alice Notley, and Joe Brainard were among many occasional visitors, with Joe Brainard's Bolinas Journal providing an interesting record of one such extended stay.