Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay is a community of 1,139 people in Sonoma County, California.
Why visit Bodega Bay
Townapedia lists 14 museums and landmarks, 17 parks and trails, 24 places to eat, 57 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bodega Head, Coleman Hill, Bodega Bay and Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery.
September is the warmest month, with average highs of 66°F; December lows average 44°F.
Weather in Bodega Bay
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 912 at the 2020 census. The town, located along State Route 1, is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast.
From the Wikipedia article Bodega Bay, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do5
Museums and landmarks14
Bodega Bay
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.3 mi
Inlet in California
2 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds17
Estero Americano Coast Preserve
Hiking and trails · 2.3 mi
Nature reserve in Sonoma County, California
20345 Ospery Drive, Bodega Bay
sunrise-sunset
-L1003432.jpg){kind=link}
Bodega Marine Reserve
Park · 2.6 mi
Nature and marine reserve in California
5 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes24
Bay View Restaurant
Restaurant · Italian, Seafood · 0.8 mi
800 Bay Highway, Bodega Bay
Th-Su 18:00-21:30
Fisherman's Cove
Restaurant · Seafood · 1.6 mi
1850 Bay Flat Road, Bodega Bay
Mo-Th 11:00-17:00, Fr-Su 11:00-18:00
Rocker Oysterfeller's at the Wharf
Restaurant · Seafood · 0.7 mi
595 Bay Highway, Bodega Bay
Su-Th 11:00-20:00, Fr-Sa 11:00-20:30
Sea and Sons Seafood Grill
Restaurant · Seafood · 0.8 mi
835 Bay Highway, Bodega Bay
Th-Mo 11:00-18:00
Anello Family Crab & Seafood
Restaurant · Seafood · 1.6 mi
1820 Westshore Road, Bodega Bay
Sa-Su 10:30-16:00
Captain Davey’s Coffee and Ice Cream
Restaurant · Ice Cream, Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi
537 Smith Brother Road, Bodega Bay
Fr-Mo 07:30-16:00
12 more on the map.
History
The port of Bodega was occupied for a short time, in 1793, by a Spanish garrison and four guns, which were soon removed, however, to Monterey, there being no indication of the threatened English occupation which had caused the alarm.
Bodega Bay is the site of the first Russian structures built in California, which were erected in 1809 by Commerce Counseller Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov of the Russian-American Company in the lead-up to the establishment of Fort Ross. The Russians named the Bodega Bay settlement Port Rumyantsev after the Russian Foreign Minister Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, and it served as a port to support Fort Ross and the larger Russian community known as Colony Ross.
The town is now named in honor of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, a Spanish naval officer who explored the west coast of North America as far north as Alaska during multiple voyages of discovery in the late 18th century.
The location scenes in the Alfred Hitchcock-directed film The Birds (1963) were filmed in both Bodega Bay and nearby Bodega (though both were represented as being parts of the film's Bodega Bay.) The town markets itself by using the film in many ways, including its Birds-themed visitors' center although none of the film's primary locations is found there. The church and the schoolhouse shown in the film are on the Bodega Highway in Bodega.
From the History section of Bodega Bay, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay57
Churches and places of worship2
Shopping6
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries3
Map of Bodega Bay
129 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 45°F | 5.3 in |
| Feb | 56°F | 45°F | 6.0 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 46°F | 3.9 in |
| Apr | 57°F | 46°F | 2.2 in |
| May | 58°F | 48°F | 1.2 in |
| Jun | 61°F | 49°F | 0.5 in |
| Jul | 62°F | 51°F | 0.1 in |
| Aug | 63°F | 52°F | 0.1 in |
| Sep | 66°F | 51°F | 0.2 in |
| Oct | 62°F | 49°F | 1.8 in |
| Nov | 59°F | 46°F | 2.9 in |
| Dec | 55°F | 44°F | 4.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Bodega 6 Wsw 74518 (3 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Sonoma County has had 23 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2023-04-03: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2023-03-10: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-10-16: Wildfires (Fire)
- 2020-09-27: Glass Fire (Fire)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Sonoma County Airport (STS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Occidental 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- Graton 11 mi northeast, about 18 min by car
- Sebastopol 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Forestville 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
- Guerneville 13 mi north, about 21 min by car
- Cotati 17 mi east, about 28 min by car
- Rohnert Park 18 mi east, about 29 min by car
- Santa Rosa 19 mi northeast, about 31 min by car
- Windsor 19 mi northeast, about 30 min by car
- Larkfield-Wikiup 19 mi northeast, about 31 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- BodegaBayCAEdit3194, Stepheng3 ( talk ), Public domain
- Pictures 1239, Pixistik1687, Public domain
- Wildlands Estero Americano Coast Mouth, BookOfDisquiet, CC BY-SA 4.0
- DoranBeach3189, Stepheng3 ( talk ), Public domain
- Saint Teresa of Avila Church, Bodega (2023)-L1003432, Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bodega Marine Lab 3543, Stepheng3, Public domain
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