Turlock, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 55,810, the second-largest city in Stanislaus County. The city's recent rapid growth is evident in its current official population of 67,009.^[1]

1 Geography and geology
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Trivia
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography and geology

Location of Turlock, in Stanislaus County, California, USA

Turlock is located at 37°30′21″N, 120°50′56″W (37.505725, -120.849019)^GR1, between Modesto, California and Merced, California, at the intersection of California State Route 99 and California State Route 165.

Turlock lies in the San Joaquin Valley, at an elevation of about 31 m (101 ft) above MSL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.4 km² (13.3 mi²)^GR1, all land.

Turlock is located within the San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin which occupies approximately 13,700 total square miles, the largest groundwater basin in the State. Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley largely occurs in younger alluvial material. A smaller subbasin exists to the east of Turlock and is called the Turlock Basin. Groundwater in the Turlock Basin occurs in older alluvial deposits. Large portions of the San Joaquin Basin have experienced overdraft of water and has resulted in poor water quality.^[2]

The City of Turlock receives its entire water supply for domestic use from groundwater. The character of the water is generally a sodium sulfate type.^[3], and some local wells have been historically closed due to pesticide poisoning. The shallow, unconfined aquifers in the City of Turlock are generally of poor quality and often contain nitrates; however, some farmers use their private shallow aquifer wells both for irrigation and domestic purposes. The deep confined aquifers are of good quality and are widely used throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

[edit] History

Turlock was founded in 1871 by John William Mitchell, a prominent local grain farmer. Construction of the Central Pacific Railroad at that time had reached a station to be named after Mitchell, which he declined and suggested it be named after Turlough in County Mayo, Ireland. Thus, the new railroad town was named Turlock.

While it grew to be a relatively prosperous and busy hub of activity throughout the end of the 19th century, it was not incorporated as a city until 1908. By that time intensive agricultural development surrounded most of the city, and agriculture is still a major economic force in the region in current times. That is where the nickname "Heart of the Valley" was introduced. In earlier years Turlock was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most churches per-capita in the United States, partly attributable to a wide variety of ethnic churches having been established for a relatively small settler population. Various religious centers reflecting a diverse population such as Sikh Gurdwaras, various Christian Assyrian churches, and many mainline Protestant and Catholic churches have been built.

In 1960, California State University, Stanislaus, opened to students, helping to spur growth in the city as the university expanded in its early years. In the 1970s, California State Route 99 (formerly U.S. Highway 99) was completed through the area, largely bypassing the then-incorporated areas of Turlock in a route to the west of the city, through mostly undeveloped land. Since that time, the city has grown westward considerably to meet the freeway's north-south path, although urban development west of the freeway has only recently begun to take hold. In an attempt to allow for orderly growth of the city, comprehensive growth master plans have established urban growth boundaries since the 1960s. Turlock experienced extensive growth of both residential and commercial areas in the 1980s, following a statewide boom in housing demand and construction. The housing boom of the 1980s diminished in the early 1990s but increased again in the second half of the 1990s, especially as a result of San Francisco Bay Area growth, which placed a higher demand for more affordable housing in outlying areas. Following the Bay Area's "dot-com bust," housing demand has intensified, suggesting a strong local demand for housing. In recent years Bay Area influence in housing demand has produced higher and higher house prices in an area formerly known for more affordable housing.

A recent boom in the retail sector has produced a considerable amount of growth along the highway 99 corridor.

The city's long-established northern urban growth boundary limit, Taylor Road, has already been reached as a result of rapid residential development from the late 1990s to the present. Urban growth any further north than Taylor being restricted by the city's Master Plan.

[edit] Demographics

As of the United States 2000 Census^GR2, there are 55,810 people, 18,408 households, and 13,434 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,620.2/km² (4,194.7/mi²). There are 19,095 housing units at an average density of 554.3/km² (1,435.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 72.33% White, 1.43% African American, 0.94% Native American, 4.51% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 15.16% from other races, and 5.35% from two or more races. 29.42% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 18,408 households out of which 40.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% are married couples living together, 13.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% are non-families. 21.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.92 and the average family size is 3.42.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $39,050, and the median income for a family is $44,501. Males have a median income of $35,801 versus $27,181 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,844. 16.2% of the population and 12.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Culturally, the area is home to large concentrations of Americans of South Asian descent, particularly Sikhs, Mexican-Americans, and people of varied European descent, especially Swedes and Portuguese, who were early settlers to the area. Continued immigration from the Azores Islands (Portugal) in recent decades has established a large Portuguese-speaking community within the city. Turlock is a major center for the Assyrian community in the United States,^[4] many of whom arrived in Turlock in the late 1970s following political and religious strife in countries such as Iraq and Iran.

[edit] Education

Turlock is the home of California State University, Stanislaus, a liberal arts university, and part of the 23-campus California State University system. As of March 2005, CSU Stanislaus reported a student population of 6,192 undergraduate students. The number rises to 7,858 when considering all students, including graduate students.

Turlock is home to two public high schools: Turlock High School and Pitman High School.^[5]^[6] Turlock High School opened in 1907, and Pitman opened in a major growth zone of northern Turlock in 2002.

[edit] Trivia

The local newspaper is The Turlock Journal.
MedicAlert was founded in Turlock by Dr. Marion Collins
Radio Host Kristine DeWitt on radio station KCSS 91.9FM is a long time resident of Turlock
Creature Tech--a graphic novel by Doug Tennapel--takes place in Turlock.
The word Turlock means "Dry Lake".

[edit] References

^ As reported by the city website and official city signs.
^ Earth Metrics Inc., Environmental Screening Analysis for the Tylly Road Property, Turlock, California, March 1989
^ State of California Department of Water Resources, 1975
^ http://www.nineveh.com/The%20Assyrians%20of%20the%20San%20Joaquin%20Valley,%20California.html
^ http://phs.turlock.k12.ca.us/
^ A virtual tour of Pitman High school may be found at http://phs.turlock.k12.ca.us/vr/PHS.mov