Under the Hood: American Canyon Grows While the Upvalley Shrinks
By Tim Carl
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The Spotlight
Welcome to “Under the Hood,” our exclusive Saturday series for Napa Valley Features paid subscribers. Today we examine Napa County’s apparent population rebound — and why the numbers might be telling a more complicated story about housing, commuting, and the county’s future.
We’re also diving into the latest data from our readers’ polls and providing insights from our economic dashboard, covering local Napa Valley, U.S. and global markets.
In addition, we feature "What We Are Reading," a section with a handpicked list of recent articles that provides a variety of viewpoints on issues important to our community and beyond.
“What We Are Reading” quotes of the day:
“Right now things are not going extremely well.” – from Alexandre Arnault in "U.S. wine and spirits face tough Q1 as volumes and revenues slide," The Drinks Business.
"A lot of wineries have told me, 'Hey, we're going to kind of minimize our tonnages, hopefully, long term, that's healthy for the vine. Maybe we get better fruit quality, because we can't use it all anyways, and we're not ready to pull these vineyards out.'" – from Andy Beckstoffer in "North Coast wine grape season faces challenges amid market uncertainties," North Bay Business Journal.
“We’re seeing savvy buyers rethinking strategies, looking for wines with strong provenance, ready-to-ship logistics, and long-term value.” – from Paul Tortora in "How a Trade War Could Lead to a Secondary Wine Market Boom," Robb Report.
"Cheating had become habitual and commonplace. He [Flaction] only very partially acknowledged his wrongdoing, and did not take responsibility for his actions." – from Judge Sophie Bartholdi Métrailler in "Wine Fraud Rocks Switzerland," Wine-Searcher.
“There are just so many factors at play, but what these all result in is less purchasing of California-grown fruit.” – from Natalie Collins in "The Plight of California’s Grape Growers," SevenFifty Daily.
"They [Canvasback, Migration, Paraduxx and Postmark] will continue to be sold in the wholesale market over the next few years" – from Robert Hanson in a recent Duckhorn Portfolio press release highlighting the phasing out of four brands and closing "underperforming" tasting rooms in 2025.
“We don’t want to be buying our pharmaceuticals from other countries because if we’re in a war, we’re in a problem, we want to be able to make our own.” – from President Donald J. Trump in a recent press release highlighting the executive order to reduce regulatory barriers and re-shore pharmaceutical production.
“The glasses changed my life ... I’m me again. It’s amazing. I feel normal.” – from Omeir Awan in "Subtitling Your Life," The New Yorker.
“If your youth is vulnerable because of anxiety, a tendency to have depression or be low in mood, then social media is something that really needs to be carefully monitored.” – from Anne Marie Albano in "Teens with anxiety and depression spend more time on social media," Nature Human Behaviour.
Under the Hood: American Canyon Grows While the Upvalley Shrinks
By Tim Carl
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — According to the newly released California Department of Finance E-1 Population Estimates, Napa County posted its second consecutive year of growth in 2024, adding 709 residents for a total population of 136,124 as of January. The 0.5% increase marked the fastest growth rate among the nine Bay Area counties.
But the headline numbers don’t capture the full story. A closer look shows that this modest gain was driven almost entirely by American Canyon, which grew 2.9% year-over-year — accounting for more than 90% of the county’s net growth. Meanwhile, Upvalley towns — including Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville and the unincorporated areas — continued to lose residents. This isn’t a broad rebound. It’s a narrow shift — one that raises deeper questions about the nature and direction of Napa County’s growth.