Forestville’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Forestville. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusForestville 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.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 3,293 people in 2010, 3,264 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1966.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Forestville yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Forestville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Forestville’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewForestville, California (1909), 1909: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Forestville
See all 18 →
Forestville, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Forestville is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Forestville has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Hicks House in Graton, 3.4 miles away.
Forestville and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Forestville, California (1909) (1909) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.