| Kettleman City | |
|---|---|
| — census-designated place — | |
| Kettleman City in 2008 | |
| Location in Kings County and the state of California | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Kings |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 0.211 sq mi (0.546 km2) |
| • Land | 0.211 sq mi (0.546 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation[2] | 253 ft (77 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,439 |
| • Density | 6,819.9/sq mi (2,635.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 93239 |
| Area code(s) | 559 |
| FIPS code | 06-38394 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1652733 |
Kettleman City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kings County, California, United States. Kettleman City is located 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Hanford,[3] at an elevation of 253 feet (77 m).[2] It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,439 at the 2010 census, down from 1,499 at the 2000 census. It is near the halfway point between Los Angeles and San Francisco or Sacramento on Interstate 5 at Exit 309 and so is a major stopping point for food and lodging.
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Kettleman City is located at .[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all of it land.
The community is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley at the base of the Kettleman Hills near the historic shoreline of what used to be Tulare Lake.
Kettleman City is divided into two areas. The commercial zone of gas, food and lodging businesses is at Kettleman Junction where Interstate 5 and State Route 41 meet. The residential area together with some retail businesses and county government buildings is located about 2.0 km (1.2 mi) north on State Route 41. The California Aqueduct crosses State Route 41 between these two areas.
Kettleman City is located on Interstate 5, a major north-south artery in the Central Valley of California. The community is about halfway between Los Angeles and Sacramento.[5]
Kettleman City has a climate typical of that of the San Joaquin Valley with hot, dry summers and cool winters characterized by dense Tule fog. The rainy season occurs from November through April. The average annual rainfall over the 30-year period from 1971 through 2000 was 7.31 inches (186 mm). Historical climate data for Kettleman City are available at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/coop/kettlemn.htm
Kettleman City has a lot of fast food restaurants at its freeway exit. Many teenagers in Kettleman City work at the restaurants. The community has no grocery stores other than convenience markets. Kettleman City has no street lights and almost no sidewalks.[5]
The Kettleman Hills were named after Dave Kettelman, a pioneer sheep and cattleman who grazed his animals there in the 1860's.[6] Kettleman Hills long ago in the early 1900s was a crossing for people who would travel from Lemoore to Kettleman City by ferry. As the Tulare Lake receded in the late 1920s, this stretch between the two cities later became State Route 41.
Oil was discovered in the Kettleman Hills in 1928, at the Kettleman North Dome Oil Field, which became one of the most productive oil fields in the United States in the early 1930s. Reportedly, thousands of spectators came to see the gusher that spouted almost pure gasoline for weeks.[6]
A. Manford Brown, a real estate developer, founded the town of Kettleman City in 1929. He donated land for a school and for the community church. The main street (State Route 41) was called Brown Street after him. A branch library was established in 1930. By 1940, Kettleman City had a population of about 600.[7]
The first post office opened in 1929.[3]
The early 1970's saw two substantial projects that had significant impacts on the community: the completion of the California Aqueduct and the opening of Interstate 5. The facility operated by Waste Management, Inc. opened in the late 1970's.[8]
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.[9]
Amtrak has a bus stop in Kettleman City.[10]
The 2010 United States Census[11] reported that Kettleman City had a population of 1,439. The population density was 6,819.9 people per square mile (2,633.2/km²). The racial makeup of Kettleman City was 478 (33.2%) White, 4 (0.3%) African American, 8 (0.6%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 887 (61.6%) from other races, and 61 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,383 persons (96.1%).
The Census reported that 1,439 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 350 households, out of which 232 (66.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 177 (50.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 82 (23.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 41 (11.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 42 (12.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 30 households (8.6%) were made up of individuals and 11 (3.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.11. There were 300 families (85.7% of all households); the average family size was 4.34.
The population was spread out with 553 people (38.4%) under the age of 18, 157 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 415 people (28.8%) aged 25 to 44, 235 people (16.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 79 people (5.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.5 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.
There were 367 housing units at an average density of 1,739.3 per square mile (671.6/km²), of which 135 (38.6%) were owner-occupied, and 215 (61.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.4%. 564 people (39.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 875 people (60.8%) lived in rental housing units.
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 1,499 people, 320 households, and 289 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 8,691.4 people per square mile (3,404.5/km²). There were 329 housing units at an average density of 1,907.6 per square mile (747.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 26.62% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 1.87% Native American, 66.18% from other races, and 4.94% from two or more races. It is noteworthy that 92.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Kettleman City is predominantly a Spanish-speaking community. At the time of the 2000 census, 93.5% of residents spoke Spanish at home, and 41.0% of this group spoke English "well" or "very well." 6.5% of residents spoke only English at home, and 55.1% spoke English "not well" or "not at all."
There were 320 households out of which 63.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.4% were non-families. 1.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.68 and the average family size was 4.59.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 36.3% under the age of 18, 15.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 123.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $22,409, and the median income for a family was $21,955. Males had a median income of $16,619 versus $10,179 for females. The per capita income for Kettleman City was only $7,389 - about a third of California's average of $22,711. Significantly, about 38.6% of families and 43.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
In the state legislature Kettleman City is located in the 16th Senate District, represented by Democrat Michael Rubio, and in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Republican David Valadao. Federally, Kettleman City is located in California's 20th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +5[13] and is represented by Democrat Jim Costa.
Kettleman City is represented on the Kings County Board of Supervisors by Richard Valle of Corcoran.
There is considerable service commercial development at the Interstate 5/State Route 41 junction to meet the needs of highway travelers.
Many local residents are employed in agriculture, which experienced significant growth on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley after the completion of the California Aqueduct in the early 1970s. However, the community has been impacted by the late 2000s recession as well as drought and restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento River delta to protect endangered species. The unemployment rate was 25.9% in October 2011.[14]
The community's water system is supplied by two wells operated by the Kettleman City Community Services District. The water is treated to remove benzene.
The water contains naturally-occurring arsenic in excess of the maximum contaminant level adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal standard is 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter of water. In a public notice issued to residents on January 29, 2010, the District reported that the average arsenic concentration from these wells during the 4th Quarter of 2009 ranged from 12.7 to 16.1 micrograms per liter. For several years, the Kings County government has been working with the District to secure funding to construct a water treatment plant that would be supplied by the California Aqueduct.
The Kettleman Hills Hazardous Waste Facility is a large (1,600 acre; 4,000 hectare) hazardous and municipal solid waste disposal facility operated by Waste Management, Inc.. It is located at , 3.5 mi (5.6 km) southwest of Kettleman City on State Route 41. The company is an important employer, and donates significant funds to the local community, including Kettleman City Elementary School. The facility manager, Bob Henry, pointed out in a 2007 newspaper interview that it is periodically inspected by as many as nine federal, state and local agencies. Nevertheless, the facility is frequently criticized by a local organization called People for Clean Air and Water (El Pueblo para El Aire y Agua Limpio), and by environmental groups such as Greenaction, for its alleged health threats. In 2007, Maricela Mares-Alatorre, a leader of People for Clean Air and Water, was quoted as saying: "Are we supposed to be happy that they're getting more trash? Donations don't buy you health."[15]
In 2009, Greenaction alleged that there was a cluster of birth defects in Kettleman City, after five infants were born with cleft lip and/or palate between September 2007 and November 2008. The Kings County Department of Public Health responded that it would continue to investigate but that their preliminary determination was "that to the extent that a cluster may exist, it is most likely a random event unrelated to any environmental exposure unique to Kettleman City."[16][17] On December 15, 2009, the Kings County Board of Supervisors directed the county health officer to formally request the California Department of Public Health to conduct an investigation into birth defects in the community.[18]
On December 22, 2009, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve a permit for expansion of the hazardous waste facility.[19] On January 20, 2010, Greenaction and People for Clean Air and Water announced that they would file suit to have the permit nullified on the grounds that the county's environmental review of the project was flawed.[20][21]
On January 29, 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger directed the state's Department of Public Health (CDPH) and California’s Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) to send experts to Kettleman City to expand their investigation into what could be causing the abnormal percentage of birth defects.[22]
On February 9, 2010, state health officials reported their preliminary findings that there was nothing unusual about the rate of birth defects in Kettleman City between 1987 and 2008. However, state health and environmental officials added that they would immediately initiate an intensive investigation. Also on that date, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer issued a statement, saying the Kettleman Hills Hazardous Waste Facility should not be expanded until there is more conclusive results on the potential health impacts on the local community.[23] On November 22, 2010, the state agencies released a report of their investigation for public comment. The report stated that the investigation did not find a specific cause or environmental exposure that would explain the increase in the number of children born with birth defects in Kettleman City.[24]
Reef-Sunset Unified School District operates the Kettleman City Elementary School.
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