Concow, California
Encyclopedia
Concow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place
(CDP) in Butte County
, California
, United States
. It is named after the Native American
tribe that is indigenous to the area, the Concow Maidu
http://www.maidu.com/. The original inhabitants of the area had a diet of Salmon from the Feather River
, acorns and pine nuts from the trees in the area, venison, and other sources of food which abounded in the California foothills. The population was 710 at the 2010 census.
There is no indication that there was contact with the KonKow tribe during the 1697–1821 Spanish colonization, the 1821–1846 Mexican governance, or the spread of the Californio
slave ranchos
. The concow region is 20 miles from the city Oroville - in spanish meaning 'town of gold' - and the town Chico was named for Rancho Arroyo Chico
- meaning little creek - an 1844 land grant by the Mexican authorities two years before California was invaded by United States forces; an indication there was a minimal Mexican presence
in the concow region.
Starting in 1828 northern trappers including Jedediah Smith
, Michel Laframboise
, and John Work first made contact with the Concow region Maidu and permanent settlements began in 1856. Soon began death from diseases, such as malaria
, that the Maidu have no natural immunity. In addition to disease, in 1853 the State of California ordered all non-European people of California - including the Maidu - exterminated in return for a $5.00 ($134.95 in 2010 US$) cash bounty for each verified male killed and a lesser cash bounty for a dead woman or child. The resulting debt became known as the "California War Debt" or "Army Appropriations Bill" and in 1854 - though not entirely clear why, as Secretary of War Jefferson Davis
wrote California that their 'war' expenditures could not be authorized without the original bills of sale to verify the purpose was one intended by congress- California was reimbursed $924,259.65 ($23.4M 2010US) by the United States Federal Government, and again reimbursed $229,981.67 in 1861 for the intervening years . Sometimes children could be sold for more than the per claim amount allowed and so survivors of 'hunts' were enslaved as provided by the Act of 1850 for the Government and Protection of Indians . Their fictionalized but true in spirit story is told by the real person Ishi
, who may have been part or full Maidu.
By 1862, after a decade of forcible removals
, the last of the native Concow inhabitants were kept on a cramped reservation at Round Valley
with unrelated people relocated from surrounding regions. The poor camp conditions and an imminent winter disaster under the supervision of indian agent
James Short forced a large group of men, women, children, and elderly to set out without provisions for the 130 miles back to their home in the Concow Valley. They made it as far as present day Chico where they were placed in a camp at Bidwell's old river landing - now under Lake Oroville
- and employed constructing the Chico-Humbolt road. The following spring three young children were attacked with the two boys killed and the kidnapped girl escaping after being forced to walk to a village near present day Concow in what became known as the Pence
massacre, the murders were 9 miles from the present day Concow CDP - the KonKow people were blamed . These events happened amid documented incidences of local whites dressing as Indians and committing crimes and numerous mule-trains that were attacked and plundered by the various sierra peoples. In the following days 611 KonKow people were murdered and a vigilante group in a compromise with those who wanted the killing to stop gave four determined as 'bad people' a running start before opening fire and killing two . Under a resolution passed at a mass meeting of the public at Pence Ranch on July 27th a volunteer posse of 500 white men sought to kill or remove every non-white from Butte County; they rounded up 461 people from the surrounding area including those at Bidwell's Landing - for the kidnapping and killing, two were tied to a tree and executed by firing squad . The local US government representative Major George M. Hanson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Northern California, and the State Militia representative Captain Augustus W. Starr sent July 31st to asses the situation were unsure what to do with the popular movement or how to stop the acts of vigilante
justice. The subsequent commanders of Camp Bidwell
during the month of August, Captain Alfred Morton and then Major Ambrose E. Hooker - are absent in early correspondence from Captain Starr asking for guidance with the increasing number of Konkow 'prisoners of war' .
After consulting with Superintendent Hanson and superiors Colonel Richard Cloyd Drum
and General George Wright
, Captain Starr was ordered by General Wright in Post Order No. 6 to lead 23 soldiers of Company F 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
and move the now imprisoned people the 110 miles from Camp Bidwell
back to Round Valley on what became a 20-day death march
now remembered as the KonKow Trail of Tears
. Despite efforts by the soldiers and the Pence resolution mandated donations raised to provide for provisions, horses and wagons, each day those who could not make the march through the hot arid September Sacramento Valley
- where afternoon temperatures top 90°F or over the 6,000 foot crest of the North Coast Ranges - were left behind without food or water and were soon killed by a pack of wild boar that had formed behind and followed the group; the survivors were told to stay at the Round Valley concentration camp
or be shot on sight. They were given no provisions by the soldiers and some starved during the winter . The current inhabitants of Concow, including a few Maidus, commonly find relics of the Maidu in the form of beads and stone tools while digging in and around their homes. A post office operated at Concow from 1882 to 1906, renamed from Con Cow to Concow in 1895, and relocated several times.
, the CDP has a total area of 27.78 square miles (71.9 km²), of which, 27.41 square miles (71 km²) of it is land and 0.37 square mile (0.9582956007 km²) of it (1.35%) is water.
For unknown reasons the community's name was absent from the US Geological Survey files until 1990. Other nearby communities are The Pines
(USGS feature ID 268203), and Deadwood
(USGS feature ID 1655957). The community is off State Route 70
east of Cherokee
. Concow School is shown on some maps. There is a Concow Dam, Road, and Creek nearby.
was 25.6 people per square mile (9.9/km²). The racial makeup of Concow was 611 (86.1%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 24 (3.4%) Native American, 5 (0.7%) Asian, 3 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 10 (1.4%) from other races
, and 57 (8.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56 persons (7.9%).
The Census reported that 710 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 302 households, out of which 62 (20.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 146 (48.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 21 (7.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11 (3.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 26 (8.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 3 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 85 households (28.1%) were made up of individuals and 25 (8.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35. There were 178 families
(58.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.
The population was spread out with 124 people (17.5%) under the age of 18, 47 people (6.6%) aged 18 to 24, 126 people (17.7%) aged 25 to 44, 313 people (44.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 100 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.4 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.7 males.
There were 360 housing units at an average density of 13.0 per square mile (5.0/km²), of which 251 (83.1%) were owner-occupied, and 51 (16.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 572 people (80.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 138 people (19.4%) lived in rental housing units.
(CDP) in Butte County
, California
, United States
. In June and July 2008 the Butte Lightning Complex fire destroyed more than 50% of the structures and possibly reduced the population by a similar proportion, with an unknown affect on the CDP age, race, and income demographics http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=839622http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=839622http://www.topix.com/forum/city/paradise-ca/TO713G1MSU3088Q3P.
the population was 1,095 and with 319 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 29.1 people per square mile (11.2/km²). There were 571 housing units at an average density of 15.2 per square mile (5.9/km²). In 2008 the Butte Lightning Complex fire destroyed 308 homes In the 2010 census "the biggest [regional] percentage drop was in fire-scarred Concow, down 35.16 percent to a population of 710" .
. As individuals, in the Concow CDP there are, 10 Blacks
or African Americans
, 25 Native Americans
, 6 Asians
, 12 Pacific Islanders
, 12 who identify themselves as other races
, 47 who identify with two or more races and 52 inhabitants of the Concow region who identify themselves as Hispanic
or Latino
.
living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30% were non-families. 23% of all households were made up of individuals and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.7.
for the CDP was $15,829. About 8% of families and 14% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27% of those under age 18 and 7% of those age 65 or over.
, ranching
, and forestry
. The region is zoned (2010 map) for timber production, 5 to 10ac foothill residential, a small area for 1ac foothill residential, and a couple small areas for commercial.
In the late 1990's the CDP became known regionally for a significant domestic product consisting of informal market production and commerce http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n600/a02.html?184.
The region contains marijuana agricultural production, large irrigated plantations were discovered during the 2008 fire. The 2000 domestic product from legitimate income sources is approximately $17.5 million, during and after the 2008 fires an estimated $50 million worth of marijuana was removed http://www.420magazine.com/forums/international-cannabis-news/78109-pot-plants-worth-37-million-eradicated.htmlhttp://www.allbusiness.com/legal/criminal-law-sentencing/13376680-1.html, indicating that the region's per-capita income is under-reported. The region's marijuana production is 2% to 3% of California's total production http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/domstprod.html http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39914211/ns/business-bloomberg_businessweek/. The 2008 fire changed the regional micro-climate with the result that crop yields dropped.
The region is stereotypically thought of as a place for the manufacture and abuse of the US Schedule II controlled substance stimulant Methamphetamine
. It is rumored that there are frequent unpublicized raids by the Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF) overseen by the County District Attorney's Office - but there is no citable evidence to validate these rumors.
With the destruction of most unpermitted structures http://concowphoenix.blogspot.com/ during the 2008 fire, the prefire patterns of residences, commercial land use, informal and formal market industries, and recreational use has changed.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Butte County
Butte County, California
Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named after the Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribe that is indigenous to the area, the Concow Maidu
Maidu
The Maidu are a group of Native Americans who live in Northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the drainage area of the Feather and American Rivers...
http://www.maidu.com/. The original inhabitants of the area had a diet of Salmon from the Feather River
Feather River
The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...
, acorns and pine nuts from the trees in the area, venison, and other sources of food which abounded in the California foothills. The population was 710 at the 2010 census.
History
"In the beginning Wahno-no-pem, the Great Spirit, made all things. Before he came, everything on the earth and in the skies was hidden in darkness and in gloom, but where he appeared he was the light. From his essence, out of his breath, he made the sun, the moon, and the countless stars, and pinned them in the blue vault of the heavens."There is no indication that there was contact with the KonKow tribe during the 1697–1821 Spanish colonization, the 1821–1846 Mexican governance, or the spread of the Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
slave ranchos
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
. The concow region is 20 miles from the city Oroville - in spanish meaning 'town of gold' - and the town Chico was named for Rancho Arroyo Chico
Rancho Arroyo Chico
Rancho Arroyo Chico was a Mexican land grant in present day Butte County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to William Dickey. The name means 'little stream' and refers to Chico Creek...
- meaning little creek - an 1844 land grant by the Mexican authorities two years before California was invaded by United States forces; an indication there was a minimal Mexican presence
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
in the concow region.
Starting in 1828 northern trappers including Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...
, Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country that settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and...
, and John Work first made contact with the Concow region Maidu and permanent settlements began in 1856. Soon began death from diseases, such as malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, that the Maidu have no natural immunity. In addition to disease, in 1853 the State of California ordered all non-European people of California - including the Maidu - exterminated in return for a $5.00 ($134.95 in 2010 US$) cash bounty for each verified male killed and a lesser cash bounty for a dead woman or child. The resulting debt became known as the "California War Debt" or "Army Appropriations Bill" and in 1854 - though not entirely clear why, as Secretary of War Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
wrote California that their 'war' expenditures could not be authorized without the original bills of sale to verify the purpose was one intended by congress- California was reimbursed $924,259.65 ($23.4M 2010US) by the United States Federal Government, and again reimbursed $229,981.67 in 1861 for the intervening years . Sometimes children could be sold for more than the per claim amount allowed and so survivors of 'hunts' were enslaved as provided by the Act of 1850 for the Government and Protection of Indians . Their fictionalized but true in spirit story is told by the real person Ishi
Ishi
Ishi was the last member of the Yahi, the last surviving group of the Yana people of the U.S. state of California. Ishi is believed to have been the last Native American in Northern California to have lived most of his life completely outside the European American culture...
, who may have been part or full Maidu.
By 1862, after a decade of forcible removals
Population transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
, the last of the native Concow inhabitants were kept on a cramped reservation at Round Valley
Round Valley Indian Tribes of the Round Valley Reservation
The Round Valley Indian Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation lying primarily in northern Mendocino County, California, USA. A small part of it extends northward into southern Trinity County. The total land area, including off-reservation trust land, is 93.939 km²...
with unrelated people relocated from surrounding regions. The poor camp conditions and an imminent winter disaster under the supervision of indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
James Short forced a large group of men, women, children, and elderly to set out without provisions for the 130 miles back to their home in the Concow Valley. They made it as far as present day Chico where they were placed in a camp at Bidwell's old river landing - now under Lake Oroville
Lake Oroville
Lake Oroville, also known as Lake Edmonston, is a reservoir in the U.S. state of California, formed by the Oroville Dam across the Feather River. The lake is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada about northeast of Oroville. At over , it is one of the largest reservoirs in California,...
- and employed constructing the Chico-Humbolt road. The following spring three young children were attacked with the two boys killed and the kidnapped girl escaping after being forced to walk to a village near present day Concow in what became known as the Pence
Pentz, California
Pentz is an unincorporated community in Butte County, California. It is located in the Messilla Valley, south-southeast of Paradise, at an elevation of 440 feet . The place was founded in 1850 by Manoah Pence, who became the first postmaster when the post office was opened in 1864. The post...
massacre, the murders were 9 miles from the present day Concow CDP - the KonKow people were blamed . These events happened amid documented incidences of local whites dressing as Indians and committing crimes and numerous mule-trains that were attacked and plundered by the various sierra peoples. In the following days 611 KonKow people were murdered and a vigilante group in a compromise with those who wanted the killing to stop gave four determined as 'bad people' a running start before opening fire and killing two . Under a resolution passed at a mass meeting of the public at Pence Ranch on July 27th a volunteer posse of 500 white men sought to kill or remove every non-white from Butte County; they rounded up 461 people from the surrounding area including those at Bidwell's Landing - for the kidnapping and killing, two were tied to a tree and executed by firing squad . The local US government representative Major George M. Hanson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Northern California, and the State Militia representative Captain Augustus W. Starr sent July 31st to asses the situation were unsure what to do with the popular movement or how to stop the acts of vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
justice. The subsequent commanders of Camp Bidwell
Camp Bidwell
Camp Bidwell, later Camp Chico was a U. S. Army post during the American Civil War. Camp Bidwell was named for John Bidwell, the founder of the nearby town of Chico, California and a that time a Brigadier General of the California Militia. It was established a mile outside Chico, by Lt. Col....
during the month of August, Captain Alfred Morton and then Major Ambrose E. Hooker - are absent in early correspondence from Captain Starr asking for guidance with the increasing number of Konkow 'prisoners of war' .
After consulting with Superintendent Hanson and superiors Colonel Richard Cloyd Drum
Richard C. Drum
Richard Coulter Drum was Adjutant General of the United States Army from 1880 to 1889. He was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Jefferson College before entering the printing business...
and General George Wright
George Wright (general)
George Wright was an American soldier who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, Captain Starr was ordered by General Wright in Post Order No. 6 to lead 23 soldiers of Company F 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
The 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, with most of its companies dispersed to various posts.-History:...
and move the now imprisoned people the 110 miles from Camp Bidwell
Camp Bidwell
Camp Bidwell, later Camp Chico was a U. S. Army post during the American Civil War. Camp Bidwell was named for John Bidwell, the founder of the nearby town of Chico, California and a that time a Brigadier General of the California Militia. It was established a mile outside Chico, by Lt. Col....
back to Round Valley on what became a 20-day death march
Death marches (Holocaust)
The death marches refer to the forcible movement between Autumn 1944 and late April 1945 by Nazi Germany of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps near the war front to camps inside Germany.-General:...
now remembered as the KonKow Trail of Tears
Nome Cult Trail
The Nome Cult Trail is a northern Californian historic trail located in present-day Mendocino National Forest which goes along Round Valley Road and through Rocky Ridge and the Sacramento Valley...
. Despite efforts by the soldiers and the Pence resolution mandated donations raised to provide for provisions, horses and wagons, each day those who could not make the march through the hot arid September Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
- where afternoon temperatures top 90°F or over the 6,000 foot crest of the North Coast Ranges - were left behind without food or water and were soon killed by a pack of wild boar that had formed behind and followed the group; the survivors were told to stay at the Round Valley concentration camp
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
or be shot on sight. They were given no provisions by the soldiers and some starved during the winter . The current inhabitants of Concow, including a few Maidus, commonly find relics of the Maidu in the form of beads and stone tools while digging in and around their homes. A post office operated at Concow from 1882 to 1906, renamed from Con Cow to Concow in 1895, and relocated several times.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 27.78 square miles (71.9 km²), of which, 27.41 square miles (71 km²) of it is land and 0.37 square mile (0.9582956007 km²) of it (1.35%) is water.
For unknown reasons the community's name was absent from the US Geological Survey files until 1990. Other nearby communities are The Pines
The Pines, Butte County, California
The Pines is an unincorporated community in Butte County, California, United States. It lies at an elevation of ....
(USGS feature ID 268203), and Deadwood
Deadwood, Butte County, California
Deadwood is an unincorporated community in Butte County, California. It lies at an elevation of 1719 feet ....
(USGS feature ID 1655957). The community is off State Route 70
California State Route 70
State Route 70 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. Connecting Sacramento with U.S. Route 395 near Beckwourth Pass via the Feather River Canyon, it was formerly known as U.S. Route 40 Alternate, crossing the Sierra Nevada at a lower elevation than Donner Pass on U.S. Route 40...
east of Cherokee
Cherokee, California
Cherokee is a census-designated place in Butte County, California An area inhabited by Maidu Indians prior to the gold rush. But that conversly takes its name from a band of Cherokee prospectors who perfected a mining claim on the site. The population was 69 at the 2010 census...
. Concow School is shown on some maps. There is a Concow Dam, Road, and Creek nearby.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Concow had a population of 710. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 25.6 people per square mile (9.9/km²). The racial makeup of Concow was 611 (86.1%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 24 (3.4%) Native American, 5 (0.7%) Asian, 3 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 10 (1.4%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 57 (8.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56 persons (7.9%).
The Census reported that 710 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 302 households, out of which 62 (20.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 146 (48.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 21 (7.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11 (3.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 26 (8.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 3 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 85 households (28.1%) were made up of individuals and 25 (8.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35. There were 178 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(58.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.
The population was spread out with 124 people (17.5%) under the age of 18, 47 people (6.6%) aged 18 to 24, 126 people (17.7%) aged 25 to 44, 313 people (44.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 100 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.4 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.7 males.
There were 360 housing units at an average density of 13.0 per square mile (5.0/km²), of which 251 (83.1%) were owner-occupied, and 51 (16.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 572 people (80.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 138 people (19.4%) lived in rental housing units.
Between 2000 and 2010
Concow is a census-designated placeCensus-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Butte County
Butte County, California
Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In June and July 2008 the Butte Lightning Complex fire destroyed more than 50% of the structures and possibly reduced the population by a similar proportion, with an unknown affect on the CDP age, race, and income demographics http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=839622http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=839622http://www.topix.com/forum/city/paradise-ca/TO713G1MSU3088Q3P.
Population
At the 2000 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
the population was 1,095 and with 319 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 29.1 people per square mile (11.2/km²). There were 571 housing units at an average density of 15.2 per square mile (5.9/km²). In 2008 the Butte Lightning Complex fire destroyed 308 homes In the 2010 census "the biggest [regional] percentage drop was in fire-scarred Concow, down 35.16 percent to a population of 710" .
Race
At the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the CDP was 90.68% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. As individuals, in the Concow CDP there are, 10 Blacks
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African Americans
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 25 Native Americans
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 6 Asians
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 12 Pacific Islanders
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 12 who identify themselves as other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 47 who identify with two or more races and 52 inhabitants of the Concow region who identify themselves as Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
.
Age
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23% under the age of 18, 4% from 18 to 24 (i.e., 44 individuals), 21% from 25 to 44, 34% from 45 to 64, and 18% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 117.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males. 24% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them. 53% were married couplesMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30% were non-families. 23% of all households were made up of individuals and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.7.
Income
The median income for a household in the CDP was $32,000, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $24,408 versus $39,479 for females. The per capita incomePer capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $15,829. About 8% of families and 14% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27% of those under age 18 and 7% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
Historically the Concow region supported dairy farmingDairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
, ranching
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
. The region is zoned (2010 map) for timber production, 5 to 10ac foothill residential, a small area for 1ac foothill residential, and a couple small areas for commercial.
In the late 1990's the CDP became known regionally for a significant domestic product consisting of informal market production and commerce http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n600/a02.html?184.
The region contains marijuana agricultural production, large irrigated plantations were discovered during the 2008 fire. The 2000 domestic product from legitimate income sources is approximately $17.5 million, during and after the 2008 fires an estimated $50 million worth of marijuana was removed http://www.420magazine.com/forums/international-cannabis-news/78109-pot-plants-worth-37-million-eradicated.htmlhttp://www.allbusiness.com/legal/criminal-law-sentencing/13376680-1.html, indicating that the region's per-capita income is under-reported. The region's marijuana production is 2% to 3% of California's total production http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/domstprod.html http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39914211/ns/business-bloomberg_businessweek/. The 2008 fire changed the regional micro-climate with the result that crop yields dropped.
- 10/04/2001 marijuana grow, father of four out squirrel hunting found dead
- 07/04/2008 9,459 marijuana plants, value $37,800,000
- 07/10/2008 25 marijuana plants
- 02/23/2009 32 pounds processed marijuana
- 03/18/2009 246 pounds processed marijuana + 55 plants
- 06/18/2009 3 pounds processed marijuana
- 06/19/2010 Man posses as federal agent and brandished a firearm to seize marijuana in Concow
- 09/09/2010 56 marijuana plants + 200 marijuana clones
- 08/11/2011 3 pounds processed marijuana, value $27,000
- 08/14/2011 54 + 369 marijuana plants, value $1,110 to $3,200 per pound
- 12/1/2011 the difference between informal market industry and formal market are sufficiently blurred at this point that adding to this list seizures less than several thousand plants is not prudent
The region is stereotypically thought of as a place for the manufacture and abuse of the US Schedule II controlled substance stimulant Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
. It is rumored that there are frequent unpublicized raids by the Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF) overseen by the County District Attorney's Office - but there is no citable evidence to validate these rumors.
- 08/11/2011 53.31 grams methamphetamine, value $8,000
With the destruction of most unpermitted structures http://concowphoenix.blogspot.com/ during the 2008 fire, the prefire patterns of residences, commercial land use, informal and formal market industries, and recreational use has changed.