Editing Lake of the Woods, California

{{About|the community|the lake in El Dorado County|Lake of the Woods (California)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Lake of the Woods
| settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]]
| image_skyline            = LakeOfTheWoods.jpg
| image_caption            = Lake of the Woods, with Lockwood Valley Road and Lakewood Drive in the center. The buildings at bottom front on Frazier Mountain Park Road.
| image_seal               = 
| image_map                = File:Kern County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Lake of the Woods Highlighted 0639696.svg
| mapsize                  = 250x200px
| map_caption              = Location of Lake of the Woods in Kern County, California
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = Pink area is Lake of the Woods and nearby Frazier Park, both of them in ZIP code 93225.
| pushpin_map              = USA California Southern#California#USA
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Southern California##Location in California##Location in the United States
| pushpin_label            = Lake of the Woods
| pushpin_label_position   = top
| coordinates              = {{coord|34|49|03|N|118|59|47|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|California}}
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Kern County, California|Kern]]
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
| leader_title             = N/A
| leader_name              = 
| leader_title1            = [[California State Senate|Senate]]
| leader_name1             = [[Shannon Grove]] ([[California Republican Party|R]])
| leader_title2            = [[California State Assembly|Assembly]]
| leader_name2             = [[Vince Fong]] ([[California Republican Party|R]])
| leader_title3            = [[California's 22nd congressional district|U. S. Congress]]
| leader_name3             = [[Kevin McCarthy]] (R)
| unit_pref                = US
| area_footnotes           = <ref>[https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt U.S. Census] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |date=2012-07-02 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 9.125
| area_total_sq_mi         = 3.523
| area_land_km2            = 9.122
| area_land_sq_mi          = 3.522
| area_water_km2           = 0.002
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.001
| area_water_percent       = 0.028
| area_note                = 
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis>{{gnis|254431}}</ref>
| elevation_m              = 1561
| elevation_ft             = 5121
| population_total         = 790
| population_as_of         = 2020
| population_density_km2   = auto
| timezone                 = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific (PST)]]
| utc_offset               = -8
| timezone_DST             = PDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -7
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 06-39696
}}

'''Lake of the Woods''' is an [[unincorporated area]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in southwestern [[Kern County, California]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 790.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lake of the Woods CDP, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US0639696 |access-date=July 13, 2022 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

The community is in [[Cuddy Canyon]] in the [[San Emigdio Mountains]], along the Ventura and Kern County line. It is within the [[Los Padres National Forest]].

The name "Lake of the Woods" was bestowed by pioneer Mrs. Florence Cuddy, when the community was established in 1925. The reservoir for which it was named has been dry since 1962, when its dam burst.<ref name=lakeless>Adam Nagourney, [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/08/us/a-dry-california-town-struggles-to-save-its-water-supply.html A Dry California Town Struggles to Save Its Water Supply], ''The New York Times'', March 7, 2014; see [https://ridgeroutemuseum.org/welcome-to-lake-of-the-woods/ Ridge Route Communities Museum And Historical Society] (accessed July 21, 2022) for precise year and circumstances.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
|2010=917|2020=790}}

===2010===
The [[2010 United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0639696|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715030442/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0639696|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Lake of the Woods CDP|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Lake of the Woods had a population of 917. The population density was {{convert|260.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Lake of the Woods was 820 (89.4%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3 (0.3%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 18 (2.0%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 11 (1.2%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0 (0.0%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 34 (3.7%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 31 (3.4%) from two or more races.  [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 123 persons (13.4%).

The Census reported that 917 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 405 households, out of which 107 (26.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 188 (46.4%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 29 (7.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 24 (5.9%) had a male householder with no wife present.  There were 22 (5.4%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 1 (0.2%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 140 households (34.6%) were made up of individuals, and 52 (12.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26.  There were 241 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (59.5% of all households); the average family size was 2.95.

The population was spread out, with 182 people (19.8%) under the age of 18, 75 people (8.2%) aged 18 to 24, 192 people (20.9%) aged 25 to 44, 348 people (37.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 120 people (13.1%) who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 45.7 years. For every 100 females there were 113.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.7 males.

There were 480 housing units at an average density of {{convert|136.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, of which 274 (67.7%) were owner-occupied, and 131 (32.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.  594 people (64.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 323 people (35.2%) lived in rental housing units.

===2000===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 833 people, 346 households, and 217 families in Lake of the Woods, 88 percent of the residents being white — significantly higher than the population of the United States as a whole — which has a population about 75 percent white.  There were no African-Americans included in the Lake of the Woods census.

[[File:Lake of the Woods, California.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The center of Lake of the Woods]]

The population was somewhat older than the country as a whole, the median age being 39 years in Lake of the Woods and 35 years elsewhere. The community had a higher percentage of veterans: One hundred sixteen residents had served in the armed forces, or 20 percent, compared with 13 percent in the rest of the country. Thirty-eight percent of all residents, or 305 people, were disabled; that is higher than the 19 percent disabled population in the country at large.

In common with some of the other [[Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass]], Lake of the Woods had a significant vacancy rate when the census was taken in March 2000 — 129 of the 475 housing units were unoccupied, compared with just 9 percent in the nation at large. The vacancies may be attributed to some homes' being used only seasonally, or on the weekends.

==Transportation==

[[Kern Regional Transit]] provides bus service to Lake of the Woods Thursdays and Saturdays during the summer to [[Frazier Park, California|Frazier Park]], [[Lebec, California|Lebec]],  [[Pinon Pines Estates, California|Pinon Pines]], and [[Pine Mountain Club, California|Pine Mountain Club]]. It offers a [[Paratransit|dial-a-ride service]] all year. Connections can be made in Frazier Park or Lebec to a scheduled service to [[Grapevine, California|Grapevine]] and [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] and further connection from the latter to [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]] and [[Amtrak]].<ref>[http://www.co.kern.ca.us/roads/kernregionaltransit.asp Kern Regional Transit bus routes.]</ref>

Road access from the east is provided by Frazier Mountain Park Road, which connects Lake of the Woods to Frazier Park, [[Lebec, California|Lebec]], and [[Interstate 5]]. Cuddy Valley Road heads west to Pinon Pines and Pine Mountain Club.

==Public facilities==
Lake of the Woods is served by the [[Frazier Park, California|Frazier Park]] post office.

Cuddy Hall, owned by the local Lake of the Woods property owners association, is a community center that is available to the public. It was sold to the association in 1959 by Mrs. Cuddy for just $10. It is used as a polling place and is rented out for weddings, parties, concerts, and other events.<ref>[http://www.mountainenterprise.com/full.php?sid=1637 "Association News," ''Mountain Enterprise,'' September 28, 2007.]</ref>
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==See also==
* The [[Mountain Enterprise|''Mountain Enterprise'' newspaper]]
* [[Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass]]
* [[1857 Fort Tejon earthquake]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
*Bailey, Richard C., ''Kern County Place Names'', (Bakersfield, California: Merchant's Printing and Lithography Co., 1967).
*US Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangle, "Frazier Mountain, California" (1995).

==Newspapers==
*[http://www.MountainEnterprise.com ''The Mountain Enterprise'']
*[http://www.bakersfield.com ''Bakersfield Californian''] The ''Californian'' discontinued circulation in the Mountain Communities effective May 1, 2009. [http://www.mountainenterprise.com/full.php?sid=4672 Source: ''Mountain Enterprise,'' April 3, 2009]

==External links==
**[https://sites.google.com/site/lowpoa/ Lake of the Woods Property Owners Association]

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{{Kern County, California}}

[[Category:Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in California]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Los Padres National Forest]]
[[Category:San Emigdio Mountains]]
[[Category:1925 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1925]]