Modjeska Canyon, California

Modjeska Canyon, California
Unincorporated community Census-designated place
The Modjeska House, a historical landmark in the community
Modjeska Canyon, California Show map of California Modjeska Canyon, California Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 33°42′39″N117°38′32″W / 33.7108528°N 117.6422719°W / 33.7108528; -117.6422719
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Area
• Total	2.004 sq mi (5.19 km2)
• Land	2.004 sq mi (5.19 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation [1]	1,312 ft (400 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	632
• Density	320/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	92676
Area code	714
GNIS feature ID	2805246 [1]

Modjeska Canyon is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) on the western slope of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California. It is a suburban community of several hundred residents, with a small park and a volunteer fire station. The ZIP Code is 92676, and the community is inside area code 714.^{[ citation needed ]}

The canyon is also the location of the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. Most of the canyon is bordered by the Cleveland National Forest. The community of Modjeska is very tight knit, hosting several in-canyon events, such as pot lucks, dance lessons, movie nights at the park, Fourth of July parades, as well as Christmas and Halloween parties. ^[2] The parties are usually held in the Modjeska Community Center and the Fire Station. They also hold events for non-residents to come and enjoy, such as an arts and crafts fair held in early spring at the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. ^{[3] [4]}

History

Modjeska is named after the 19th-century Polish stage actress, mother of the famous bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski, Helena Modjeska, who settled in the canyon in the late 19th century. ^[5] Her home from 1888 to 1906, "Arden", is a National Historic Landmark. The house and gardens are private; therefore, reservations are required for a tour of the property. The house is typically open only once or twice a month. ^{[6] [7]}

Mary Teegarden Clark, an early resident of nearby Orange, described a late 1800s community picnic in Modjeska in her memoirs, Pioneer Ranch Life in Orange. ^[8]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	632		—
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 2020 [10]

For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau first listed Modjeska as a census-designated place (CDP) in the 2020 census. ^[11]

2020 census

Modjeska, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2020 [10]	% 2020
White alone (NH)	449	71.04%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1	0.16%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	9	1.42%
Asian alone (NH)	20	3.16%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	0.16%
Other race alone (NH)	2	0.32%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	48	7.59%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	102	16.14%
Total	632	100.00%

The Brotherhood of Eternal Love was incorporated as a non-profit organization in Modjeska on Oct 26, 1966 — a few months before John Griggs and other founding members relocated to the Woodland Drive neighborhood of Laguna Beach, CA (later known as 'Dodge City'). ^[12]

Wildfires

The canyon was affected by the Santiago Fire. About 14 homes in Modjeska were destroyed by the fire and another 8 homes were damaged (out of a total of roughly 220 homes in the canyon).^{[ according to whom? ]} Mandatory evacuations were issued prior to President George W. Bush declaring the site an emergency.^{[ citation needed ]}

During the Bond Fire, Modjeska Canyon was one of the first communities to be evacuated due to their proximity to Silverado Canyon, where the wildfire originated. ^[13]

Gallery

• 
  Side street
• 
  Modjeska Fire House

References

1. "Modjeska Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Upcoming Canyon Events" . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
3. "Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary" . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
4. "Modjeska Canyon & Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary" . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
5. Meyers, Talya (June 18, 2006). "Modjeska Canyon is just as they like it". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
6. "Arden: Helena Modjeska Historic House & Gardens". Orange County, California Parks. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
7. "Arden Mainpage" . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
8. Clark, Mary Teegarden (2013). Pioneer ranch life in Orange: a Victorian woman in Southern California. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN   9781626190740.
9. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
10. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Modjeska CDP, California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
11. "2020 Geography Changes". United States Census Bureau.
12. Schou, Nick (2010). Orange Sunshine: the Brotherhood of Eternal Love and its quest to spread peace, love, and acid to the world. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN   9780312551834.
13. Cota-Robles, Marc (December 4, 2020). "6,400-acre Bond Fire in OC's Silverado Canyon prompts mandatory evacuations, leaves 2 firefighters injured". ABC 7. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

Further reading

• Payne, Theodore (1962). Life on the Modjeska Ranch in the gay nineties. Los Angeles. LCCN   63000170.

External links

• "Modjeska Canyon & Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary" . Retrieved April 30, 2013.
• "Canyon Land Conservation Fund - Preserving the Canyons One Acre at a Time" . Retrieved April 30, 2013.

33°42′39″N117°38′29″W / 33.71083°N 117.64139°W / 33.71083; -117.64139