Shafter, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shafter, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Kern |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | |
| - Senate | Dean Florez (D) |
| - Assembly | Nicole Parra (D) |
| - U. S. Congress | Jim Costa (D) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 18 sq mi (46.6 km²) |
| - Land | 18 sq mi (46.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km²) |
| Elevation | 348 ft (106 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 12,736 |
| - Density | 707.6/sq mi (273.3/km²) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 93263 |
| Area code(s) | 661 |
| FIPS code | 06-71106 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1661428 |
Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 12,736 at the 2000 census.
The city of Shafter began as a loading dock along the Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way. The community was named for General William Rufus Shafter who commanded US Forces in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Property was sold beginning in 1914 and the city incorporated during 1938. Wired telephone numbers in Shafter follow the format (661) 746-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93263.
Shafter is home to Minter Field, which began operations in June of 1941 and saw heavy use during World War II. Approximately 7,000 troops were stationed at the airstrip which hosted up to 600 prisoners of war as well. Today it is publicly owned and administered by the Minter Field Airport District and serves as an industrial center and airport for crop dusters and private aircraft. It is also the home to a very famous club, simply referred to as "pdm".
The city is located along State Route 43. Suburbs of Shafter include areas or communities named:
- Myrick's Corner
- North Shafter
- Smith Corner
- Thomas Lane
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.0 square miles (46.6 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 12,736 people, 3,293 households, and 2,759 families residing in the city. The population density was 708.4 people per square mile (273.5/km²). There were 3,624 housing units at an average density of 201.6/sq mi (77.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.52% White, 1.60% Black or African American, 1.25% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 48.36% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. 68.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,293 households out of which 52.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.2% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.67 and the average family size was 3.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 36.6% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,515, and the median income for a family was $31,457. Males had a median income of $31,605 versus $21,603 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,961. About 22.5% of families and 29.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Shafter, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
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