[2] It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River 52 miles (84 km) south-southeast of Eureka,[5] at an elevation of 535 feet (163 m).

Garberville is the primary town in the area known as the Mateel Region, consisting of parts of the Mattole and Eel River watersheds in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.

[6] In 1853, a Spanish explorer, Antone Garcia, settled in the area near Town Gulch, which runs through modern-day Garberville.

There is a Cannabis College in Garberville,[18] and the town has been called "the marijuana heartland of the U.S." by BBC News.

Nearby, the 1925 Tudor Revival Benbow Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The local economy has seen a fall as the years of cannabis legalization have seen most of the farmers of the 215 era leave and the influx of trimmigrants has dropped dramatically.

The Ganjier program is located in Humboldt County which serves to train people in the art of cannabis assessment much like a sommelier in wine.

[20] Federally, Garberville is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.

[21] A proposal to incorporate Garberville as a city[22] was dropped after county supervisors declined to form a Municipal Advisory Committee due to concerns over the associated costs.

Garberville is home to the weekly Redwood Times, run by Media News Group as a sister publication of the daily Times-Standard from Eureka.

The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus provides daily connections to/from Garberville (with a curbside stop at 924 Redwood Drive), Martinez to the south, and Arcata to the north.

[39] The Garberville Fire Protection District, has three engines and a utility truck, self-contained breathing apparatuses and radios.