Kings County, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kings County, California | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
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| Statistics | |
| Formed | 1893 |
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| Seat | Hanford |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
3,604 km² (1,391 mi²) 3,603 km² (1,391 mi²) 1 km² (0 mi²), 0.04% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
129,461 36/km² |
| Website: www.countyofkings.com | |
Kings County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, southeast of Fresno County. It is located in a rich agricultural region. The county seat is Hanford. It is part of the Hanford - Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25260). As of 2000 the population was 129,461.
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[edit] History
Kings County was formed in 1893 from the western part of Tulare County. In 1909 a triangular area of 118 square miles was taken from Fresno County and added to Kings County [[1]]
The county derives its name from the Kings River, which, according to Padre Muñoz' diary of the Moraga Expedition of 1806, was discovered in 1805 by an exploring expedition and named Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings).
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,604 km² (1,391 mi²). 3,603 km² (1,391 mi²) of it is land and 1 km² (0 mi²) of it (0.04%) is water.
Most of the historic Tulare Lake was within Kings County. Although reclaimed for farming late in the 19th Century, it was once was considered to be the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Kern County, California - south
- Tulare County, California - east
- Fresno County, California - north, northwest
- Monterey County, California - west
- San Luis Obispo County, California - southwest
[edit] Transportation Infrastructure
[edit] Major Highways
Interstate 5
California State Route 33
California State Route 41
California State Route 43
California State Route 198
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 129,461 people, 34,418 households, and 26,983 families residing in the county. The population density was 36/km² (93/mi²). There were 36,563 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (26/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 53.68% White, 8.30% Black or African American, 1.68% Native American, 3.07% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 28.28% from other races, and 4.79% from two or more races. 43.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 34,418 households out of which 46.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 14.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.60% were non-families. 17.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.00% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 35.00% from 25 to 44, 16.80% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 134.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 148.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,749, and the median income for a family was $38,111. Males had a median income of $31,700 versus $24,772 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,848. About 15.80% of families and 19.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.90% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
