Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 4,233. The name Agua Caliente translates into English, from Spanish, as hot water, referring to the hot springs historically found in the area.

Geography Generally considered separate from one another, Fetters Hot Springs and Agua Caliente are adjacent communities located along the Sonoma Highway (State Route 12), approximately northwest of Sonoma, and immediately north of Boyes Hot Springs and El Verano. Over time, the boundaries between these four communities became blurred and they are often grouped together and referred to collectively as "the Springs" area of Sonoma Valley.

As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total area of , all land.

History

The area was first occupied by Indigenous peoples who discovered and used the hot springs that the area is named after. The Mexican government deeded 50,000 acres to Lazaro Piña as Rancho Agua Caliente, a land grant long on the east side of Sonoma Creek, in 1840. In 1849 Thaddeus M. Leavenworth acquired 320 acres of the Rancho in what became present-day Agua Caliente, Fetters Hot Springs, Boyes Hot Springs, and part of Maxwell Farm.Michael Acker, The Springs : resort towns of Sonoma Valley. Charleston, South Carolina. . OCLC 962233334. In 1889, property was being sold in the area as being near the "celebrated old Indian Medicine Spring."Kathleen Thompson Hill; Gerald Hill (1 July 2005). Sonoma Valley: The Secret Wine Country. Globe Pequot Press. p. 282. .

George and Emma Fetters opened the Fetters Hot Springs resort in 1908. Flamboyant restaurateur Juanita Musson opened her second Sonoma Valley restaurant in the old Fetters hotel around 1970, but it burned to the ground five years later."Her Beloved Junk Is On The Block". Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. February 17, 1975. p. 15. Retrieved September 14, 2016.Hatfield, Larry B. (March 31, 1969). "Juanita Not Down Or Out, And Planning To Rebuild". San Rafael Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. p. 4. Retrieved September 21, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. (Subscription required (help)).Craft, Harry (April 11, 1969). "Dining Out and Inns". San Rafael Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. p. 12. Retrieved September 21, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. (Subscription required (help))."Dining and Wine Guide". San Rafael Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. February 18, 1971. p. S28. Retrieved September 21, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. (Subscription required (help))."Juanita Musson photo and caption". Hutchinson News. Hutchinson, Kansas. February 18, 1975. p. 3. Retrieved September 21, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. (Subscription required (help))."Juanita's Restaurant, Hotel Burn, Fear For Waitress". San Rafael Daily Independent Journal. San Rafael, California. March 24, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. (Subscription required (help)). The land stood vacant for almost forty years until the Fetters Apartments, built as affordable housing for sixty families, opened in 2017.

Gallery

Demographics

Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente first appeared as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.

Racial and ethnic composition +Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente CDP, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)1,5912,0651,74363.51%49.83%41.18%Black or African American alone (NH)2213440.88%0.31%1.04%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)217120.84%0.17%0.28%Asian alone (NH)3057771.20%1.38%1.82%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)4870.16%0.19%0.17%Other race alone (NH)7840.28%0.19%0.09%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)81611433.23%1.47%3.38%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7491,9252,20329.90%46.45%52.04%Total2,5054,1444,233 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente had a population of 4,233. The population density was . The median age was 38.6 years; 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.6 males age 18 and over.

The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 6 people (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. Additionally, 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,534 households, of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.5% were married-couple households, 27.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 16.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76. There were 1,027 families (66.9% of all households).

There were 1,671 housing units at an average density of . Of all housing units, 8.2% were vacant; the homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.3%. Of the 1,534 occupied units (91.8% of total units), 55.6% were owner-occupied and 44.4% were occupied by renters.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 2,055 48.5% Black or African American 46 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 63 1.5% Asian 80 1.9% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 7 0.2% Some other race 1,297 30.6% Two or more races 685 16.2%

Income and poverty In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $116,667, and the per capita income was $49,036. About 8.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census At the 2010 census Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente had a population of 4,144. The population density was . The racial makeup of Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente was 2,926 (70.6%) White, 25 (0.6%) African American, 39 (0.9%) Native American, 68 (1.6%) Asian, 8 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 895 (21.6%) from other races, and 183 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,925 persons (46.5%).

The census reported that 99.6% of the population lived in households and 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.

There were 1,419 households, 570 (40.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 709 (50.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 175 (12.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 86 (6.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 90 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 30 (2.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 327 households (23.0%) were one person and 108 (7.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.91. There were 970 families (68.4% of households); the average family size was 3.46.

The age distribution was 1,137 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 409 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 1,070 people (25.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,148 people (27.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 380 people (9.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

There were 1,585 housing units at an average density of , of which 58.1% were owner-occupied and 41.9% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%. 51.4% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 48.2% lived in rental housing units.

Government In the state legislature, Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente is in , and in .

Federally, Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente is in .

Education The school district is Sonoma Valley Unified School District. - Text list

References