North Fork, California

North Fork
wa?ahhpY'
Unincorporated community
North Fork
North Fork

Location in California

Coordinates: 37°13′47″N 119°30′34″W / 37.22972°N 119.50944°W / 37.22972; -119.50944Coordinates: 37°13′47″N 119°30′34″W / 37.22972°N 119.50944°W / 37.22972; -119.50944
Country United States
State California
County Madera County
Elevation[1] 2,638 ft (804 m)

North Fork (formerly Brown's and Northfork; Mono wa?ahhpY', "cedar grove")[2] is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California.[1] It is located 22 miles (35 km) east of Raymond,[3] 9.89 miles (15.92 km) south east of Bass Lake and 14 miles (23 km) from Oakhurst.

North Fork is also home of the Sierra Mono Museum[4] and the starting point of the Sierra Scenic Byway. The town boasts one grocery store, three restaurants (one of which is part of the town's bar) and two gas stations.

North Fork is the birthplace of Jeff King, four-time champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California maintains their tribal headquarters in North Fork. The Sierra Mono Museum is also located here.[5]

North Fork is also the home of the US Forest Service Crane Valley Hotshots, an elite crew of wildland firefighters.

Geography

North Fork is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 2638 feet (804 m).[1] According to the 2000 U.S. Census the population of the 93643 zip code area was 3,360 with a median age of 44.8 years. The community is inside area code 559. It is part of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The geographic center of the state of California is located between North Fork and Italian Bar. The point is about 7.1 miles (11.4 km) driving distance from the United States Forest Service office in North Fork. The location is marked by a sign and a survey marker. NAD83 coordinates for the exact center of California are 37°09′58″N 119°26′58″W / 37.16611°N 119.44944°W / 37.16611; -119.44944 The Fresno County line is less than one mile (1.6 km), (straight-line distance), from the site's survey marker. The site is also marked on the United States Forest Service road map of Sierra National Forest, which can be purchased at the North Fork USFS office. The actual site has wooden stairs leading up the hillside about 50 feet from the road. The marker is not wheelchair accessible.

Climate

North Fork has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Cfa) with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Its average annual precipitation is 33.43 in (849 mm).[6] Its hardiness zone is 7b.[7]

North Fork (1981-2010 Normals)
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
6.8
 
 
57
30
 
 
6.1
 
 
59
30
 
 
5.4
 
 
63
35
 
 
2.4
 
 
69
38
 
 
1.5
 
 
78
45
 
 
0.4
 
 
87
52
 
 
0.1
 
 
95
58
 
 
0.1
 
 
95
57
 
 
0.5
 
 
89
52
 
 
1.8
 
 
78
43
 
 
3.6
 
 
65
36
 
 
4.9
 
 
57
31
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: Western Regional Climate Center[6]

History

The town's original inhabitants were members of the Mono tribe, who still comprise a significant portion of the population (9.4% according to the 2000 Census). The town was originally named Brown's after its first white settler, Milton Brown. The name North Fork came from the North Fork Lumber Company. The North Fork post office opened in 1888.[3]

North Fork's economy was based in the timber industry until the local lumber mill closed in 1996.

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: North Fork, California
  2. ↑ Sydney M. Lamb. 1957. Mono Grammar. University of California. Berkeley PhD dissertation. .pdf
  3. 1 2 Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 810. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. ↑ Sierra Mono Museum, accessed 7/9/2012
  5. ↑ Sierra Mono Museum. (retrieved 24 July 2009)
  6. 1 2 "Western Regional Climate Center: 1981-2010 monthly climate summary for North Fork". Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  7. ↑ "Plantmaps: Zip Code 93643 North Fork Hardiness Zone and Gardening Info". Retrieved 2014-10-24.
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