| County of Kings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — County — | |||
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| Location in the state of California | |||
| California's location in the United States | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| Region | San Joaquin Valley | ||
| Metro area | Hanford-Corcoran | ||
| Incorporated | 1893 | ||
| County seat | Hanford | ||
| Largest city | Hanford | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,391.49 sq mi (3,603.9 km2) | ||
| • Land | 1,390.99 sq mi (3,602.6 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.50 sq mi (1.3 km2) | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 152,739 | ||
| • Density | 109.8/sq mi (42.4/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) | ||
| Website | countyofkings.com | ||
Kings County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is located in a rich agricultural region. Kings County is also home to NAS Lemoore, which is the U.S. Navy's newest and largest master jet air station. The county seat is Hanford. The United States Census Bureau defines Kings County as encompassing the entire Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25260). The population was 152,982 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the county's population included 18,640 state prison inmates as of March 31, 2010.[1] The California Department of Finance estimated that Kings County's population was 152,739 as of July 1, 2011.[2]
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The area was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. It was colonized by Spain, Mexico and the United States.
An 1805 expedition probably led by Spanish Army Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga recorded discovering the river, which they named El Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings) after the Three Wise Men of the Bible.[3] At the time of the United States conquest in 1848, the new government changed the name to Kings River.[3]
In 1880, a dispute over land titles between settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad resulted in a bloody gun battle on a farm 5.6 mi (9.0 km) northwest of Hanford; seven men died. This event became known as the Mussel Slough Tragedy.
Kings County was formed in 1893 from the western part of Tulare County.[3] In 1909, by an act of the state legislature, 208 square miles (540 km2) of Fresno County territory was added to the northwest portion of Kings County.[4]
Settlers reclaimed Tulare Lake and its wetlands for agricultural development. In surface area, it was formerly the largest body of freshwater west of the Great Lakes, and supported a large population of migratory birds as well as local birds and wildlife. Monoculture has sharply reduced habitat for many species.
In 1928, oil was discovered in the Kettleman Hills located in the southwestern part of Kings County. The Kettleman North Dome Oil Field became one of the most productive oil fields in the United States.[5]
In 1933 during the Great Depression, cotton pickers in the southern San Joaquin Valley, mostly migrant Mexican workers, went on strike. During the strike, 3,500 striking farm workers lived in a four-acre camp on the land of a small farmer on the outskirts of Corcoran. Ultimately, the federal government intervened to force both sides to negotiate a settlement.[6]
Lemoore Army Airfield was established for training and defense during World War II. In 1961, the U.S. Navy opened NAS Lemoore 9 miles (14 km) west of Lemoore, not far from the earlier site.
The completion of the California Aqueduct in the early 1970s brought needed water for agriculture and domestic use to the westside of the county.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,391.49 square miles (3,603.9 km2), of which 1,390.99 square miles (3,602.6 km2) (or 99.96%) is land and 0.50 square miles (1.3 km2) (or 0.04%) is water.[7]
Kings County is bordered on the north and northwest by Fresno County, on the east by Tulare County, on the south by Kern County and a small part of San Luis Obispo County and on the west by Monterey County.
Most of the historic Tulare Lake was within Kings County. Although reclaimed for farming late in the 19th century, it was the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes.
Kings Area Rural Transit (KART) operates regularly scheduled fixed route bus service, vanpool service for commuters and Dial-A-Ride (demand response) services throughout Kings County as well as to Fresno.[8]
Amtrak trains stop in Corcoran and Hanford.
Orange Belt Stages provides inter-city bus service to and from Hanford. Connections with Greyhound can be made in Visalia or Paso Robles.
Hanford Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located just southeast of Hanford. The privately-owned airport in Avenal is the home of the Central California Soaring Club.[9]
The economy is based on agriculture. Other important employers include NAS Lemoore, the U.S. Navy's largest master jet base and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation which operates three state prisons in Kings County.
In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the median household income in the county was $44,020 and that 29,606 residents, 22.5% of the population, were below the poverty line. Furthermore, an estimated 29.7% of children under age 18 lived in poverty.[10] In 2009, according to the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis, average per capita income was $30,646 in Kings County compared with $42,395 in California as a whole.[11] In 2003, Kings County had the lowest per capita income in the state of California.[12]
The homeownership rate was 54.2% at the time of the 2010 census.[13]
Taxable sales in 2007 totaled $1.33 billion.[14]
Kings County has not escaped the effects of the late 2000s recession. The unemployment rate in October 2011 was 14.6%, up from 10.1% in July 2008.[15] According to the California Employment Development Department, as of January 2011, civilian employment totaled 49,200 and an additional 11,000 people were unemployed. Many residents of Kings County were employed in services (30,100 persons, including 14,600 government employees) and agriculture (5,700 employees) as well as in some manufacturing enterprises (3,400 employees) and construction (800 employees).[[16] Median household income fell over 8% from an estimated $48,419 in 2007 to $44,506 in 2009 according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific, stated in an October 2010 newspaper interview that nearly half of Kings County's personal earnings come from government jobs, which pay more than agricultural employment. From 2007 to 2009, government jobs held steady while the county's agricultural sector took the biggest hit. Kings County's dairy industry dropped from $670 million in milk sold in 2008 to $411 million in 2009 - a 39% drop.[17] By mid-2009, the price paid to milk producers had dropped to a point that was far below the cost of production according to a July 2009 quote from Bill Van Dam, CEO of the Alliance of Western Milk Producers.[18] By December 2010, milk prices had increased to about $13 per hundredweight from a low of below $10 in 2009. However, the price of corn used for feed had increased because of its use by the ethanol industry. Van Dam was quoted that month as saying that at current prices, dairy operators are at or close to the break-even point.[19]
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 56.2% 19,710 | 42.1% 14,747 | 1.8% 618 |
| 2004 | 65.4% 21,003 | 33.7% 10,833 | 0.9% 274 |
| 2000 | 57.8% 16,377 | 39.0% 11,041 | 3.2% 917 |
| 1996 | 47.9% 12,368 | 43.6% 11,254 | 8.5% 2,193 |
| 1992 | 41.6% 10,673 | 38.9% 9,982 | 19.5% 4,996 |
| 1988 | 56.4% 12,118 | 42.6% 9,142 | 1.0% 222 |
| 1984 | 64.1% 13,364 | 35.1% 7,324 | 0.8% 160 |
| 1980 | 55.4% 10,531 | 38.4% 7,299 | 6.3% 1,191 |
| 1976 | 49.7% 8,263 | 48.4% 8,061 | 1.9% 318 |
| 1972 | 56.5% 10,509 | 39.1% 7,274 | 4.4% 812 |
| 1968 | 43.1% 7,796 | 47.8% 8,643 | 9.2% 1,662 |
| 1964 | 30.5% 5,753 | 69.4% 13,073 | 0.1% 14 |
| 1960 | 42.3% 6,991 | 57.1% 9,439 | 0.6% 92 |
| 1956 | 42.3% 6,195 | 57.5% 8,417 | 0.3% 40 |
| 1952 | 49.2% 7,708 | 50.1% 7,850 | 0.7% 113 |
| 1948 | 37.2% 4,289 | 60.0% 6,909 | 2.8% 323 |
| 1944 | 34.2% 3,468 | 65.0% 6,591 | 0.7% 75 |
| 1940 | 31.8% 3,911 | 67.4% 8,307 | 0.8% 102 |
| 1936 | 23.7% 2,226 | 75.1% 7,062 | 1.2% 116 |
| 1932 | 26.7% 2,009 | 69.1% 5,191 | 4.2% 318 |
| 1928 | 51.5% 2,947 | 47.2% 2,701 | 1.3% 73 |
| 1924 | 50.0% 2,812 | 19.7% 1,109 | 30.3% 1,693 |
| 1920 | 59.6% 2,806 | 34.1% 1,604 | 6.3% 297 |
In January 2008, the Kings County Clerk reported that of 45,444 registered voters, 21,685 were Republicans and 16,664 were Democrats.[20]
Kings has long been a strongly Republican county in Presidential elections. The last Democratic candidate for President to win the county was Hubert Humphrey in 1968.
Kings County is part of California's California's 20th congressional district, which is held by Democrat Jim Costa. The county is represented in the California State Senate by Democrat Michael Rubio and in the California State Assembly by Republican David Valadao.
On Nov. 4, 2008 Kings County voted 73.7 % for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 9,871 |
|
|
| 1910 | 16,230 | 64.4% | |
| 1920 | 22,031 | 35.7% | |
| 1930 | 25,385 | 15.2% | |
| 1940 | 35,168 | 38.5% | |
| 1950 | 46,768 | 33.0% | |
| 1960 | 49,954 | 6.8% | |
| 1970 | 64,610 | 29.3% | |
| 1980 | 73,738 | 14.1% | |
| 1990 | 101,469 | 37.6% | |
| 2000 | 129,461 | 27.6% | |
| 2010 | 152,982 | 18.2% | |
| [21][22][23] | |||
The 2010 United States Census reported that Kings County had a population of 152,982. The racial makeup of Kings County was 83,027 (54.3%) White, 11,014 (7.2%) African American, 2,562 (1.7%) Native American, 5,620 (3.7%) Asian, 271 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 42,996 (28.1%) from other races, and 7,492 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 77,866 persons (50.9%).[24]
The U.S. Census does not identify how many residents are illegal immigrants. However, the Public Policy Institute of California issued a report in July 2011, which estimated there were 9,000 unauthorized immigrants living in Kings County in 2008, which would be 5.8% of the county’s population.[25]
| Population reported at 2010 United States Census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Kings County | 152,982 | 83,027 | 11,014 | 2,562 | 5,620 | 271 | 42,996 | 7,492 | 77,866 |
|
city |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Avenal | 15,505 | 6,044 | 1,625 | 186 | 108 | 6 | 7,188 | 348 | 11,130 |
| Corcoran | 24,813 | 8,940 | 3,725 | 349 | 193 | 17 | 10,979 | 610 | 15,545 |
| Hanford | 53,967 | 33,713 | 2,632 | 712 | 2,322 | 53 | 11,599 | 2,936 | 25,419 |
| Lemoore | 24,531 | 13,925 | 1,566 | 333 | 2,010 | 102 | 4,935 | 1,660 | 9,820 |
|
place |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Armona | 4,156 | 2,058 | 99 | 64 | 85 | 13 | 1,597 | 240 | 2,784 |
| Grangeville | 469 | 393 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 10 | 145 |
| Hardwick | 138 | 63 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 3 | 86 |
| Home Garden | 1,761 | 652 | 221 | 63 | 50 | 8 | 677 | 90 | 1,189 |
| Kettleman City | 1,439 | 478 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 887 | 61 | 1,383 |
| Lemoore Station | 7,438 | 4,883 | 729 | 70 | 560 | 53 | 418 | 725 | 1,445 |
| Stratford | 1,277 | 574 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 1 | 617 | 33 | 1,069 |
|
communities |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| All others not CDPs (combined) | 17,488 | 11,304 | 377 | 755 | 267 | 18 | 3,991 | 776 | 7,851 |
As of the 2000 census, there were 129,461 people, 34,418 households, and 26,983 families residing in the county. However, the California Department of Finance estimates that the population had grown 154,434 as of January 1, 2008.[26] The population density based on the 2000 census was 36/km² (93/sq mi). There were 36,563 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). 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. 7.1% were of Portuguese, 6.2% German, 5.3% Irish and 5.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 63.6% spoke English, 30.9% Spanish, 1.4% Tagalog, 1.4% Portuguese and 1.3% Samoan as their first language.
There were 34,418 households out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% 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 29.0% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years in 2000, which had increased to 31.1 by the time of the 2010 census.[27] For every 100 females there were 134.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 148.8 males. The ratio may be attributed to the presence of three men's state prisons in the county.
Kings County has a large annual celebraton held each May called Kings County Homecoming Week.[28]
Kings County is a general law county under the California Constitution. That is, it does not have a county charter. The county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected by districts for four-year terms. There are no term limits in effect. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman are elected annually by the Board of Supervisors from among its members. On January 3, 2011, the Board elected Supervisor Tony Barba as Chairman and Supervisor Richard Fagundes as Vice-Chairman to serve during 2011. Other Supervisors include Doug Verboon, Richard Valle and Joe Neves.[29]
The Board of Supervisors appoints a County Administrative Officer. Currently, that office is held by Larry Spikes.[30]
| Fresno County | Fresno County | |||
| Monterey County | Tulare County | |||
| Kings County, California | ||||
| San Luis Obispo County | Kern County |
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