Fellows, California
Encyclopedia
Fellows is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Kern County
, California
, United States
. Fellows is located 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of Taft
, at an elevation of 1316 feet (401 m). The population was 106 at the 2010 census, down from 153 at the 2000 census. Fellows is surrounded on all sides by the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field
, the third-largest oil field in the United States, and the oil and gas industry accounts for much of the area's economic activity.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.
Perhaps Fellows' greatest claim to fame was as the location of a fictional event. The 1969 educational film The Lottery, based on the famous short story by Shirley Jackson
, was shot at Fellows. It featured a small town much like thousands of others across America holding an apparently ordinary, mundane civic-event that had a cold-blooded, horrifying ending to an unfortunate victim come from out-of-nowhere. The film was ranked as one of the two bestselling educational films ever and has been widely shown in educational settings across America as an indictment against unthinking adherence to tradition and general inhumanity.
was 161.5 people per square mile (62.3/km²). The racial makeup of Fellows was 94 (88.7%) White, 1 (0.9%) African American, 5 (4.7%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 2 (1.9%) from other races
, and 4 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11 persons (10.4%).
The Census reported that 106 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 37 households, out of which 17 (45.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25 (67.6%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 6 (16.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1 (2.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1 (2.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4 households (10.8%) were made up of individuals and 1 (2.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86. There were 32 families
(86.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.06.
The population was spread out with 29 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 8 people (7.5%) aged 18 to 24, 19 people (17.9%) aged 25 to 44, 38 people (35.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 12 people (11.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.0 years. For every 100 females there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.
There were 40 housing units at an average density of 60.9 per square mile (23.5/km²), of which 33 (89.2%) were owner-occupied, and 4 (10.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 91 people (85.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15 people (14.2%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 153 people, 56 households, and 39 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 232.4 people per square mile (89.5/km²). There were 58 housing units at an average density of 88.1 per square mile (33.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.89% White
, 1.96% Native American
, 1.31% Asian
, 0.65% Pacific Islander
, 6.54% from other races
, and 0.65% from two or more races. 14.38% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 56 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,417, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $15,636. About 17.5% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.7% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.
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 Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, 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...
. Fellows is located 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of Taft
Taft, California
Taft is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. Taft is located west-southwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 955 feet . The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census...
, at an elevation of 1316 feet (401 m). The population was 106 at the 2010 census, down from 153 at the 2000 census. Fellows is surrounded on all sides by the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field
Midway-Sunset Oil Field
The Midway-Sunset Oil Field is a large oil field in Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California in the United States. Discovered in 1894, and having a cumulative production of close to of oil at the end of 2006, it is the largest oil field in California and the third largest in the United States....
, the third-largest oil field in the United States, and the oil and gas industry accounts for much of the area's economic activity.
Geography
Fellows is located at 35°10′43"N 119°32′28"W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land.
History
The first post office at Fellows opened in 1910. The name Fellows honors Charles A. Fellows, a Sunset Western Railroad contractor.Perhaps Fellows' greatest claim to fame was as the location of a fictional event. The 1969 educational film The Lottery, based on the famous short story by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson was an American author. A popular writer in her time, her work has received increasing attention from literary critics in recent years...
, was shot at Fellows. It featured a small town much like thousands of others across America holding an apparently ordinary, mundane civic-event that had a cold-blooded, horrifying ending to an unfortunate victim come from out-of-nowhere. The film was ranked as one of the two bestselling educational films ever and has been widely shown in educational settings across America as an indictment against unthinking adherence to tradition and general inhumanity.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Fellows had a population of 106. 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 161.5 people per square mile (62.3/km²). The racial makeup of Fellows was 94 (88.7%) White, 1 (0.9%) African American, 5 (4.7%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 2 (1.9%) 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 4 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11 persons (10.4%).
The Census reported that 106 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 37 households, out of which 17 (45.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25 (67.6%) 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, 6 (16.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1 (2.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1 (2.7%) 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 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4 households (10.8%) were made up of individuals and 1 (2.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86. There were 32 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...
(86.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.06.
The population was spread out with 29 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 8 people (7.5%) aged 18 to 24, 19 people (17.9%) aged 25 to 44, 38 people (35.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 12 people (11.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.0 years. For every 100 females there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.6 males.
There were 40 housing units at an average density of 60.9 per square mile (23.5/km²), of which 33 (89.2%) were owner-occupied, and 4 (10.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 91 people (85.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 15 people (14.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the 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...
of 2000, there were 153 people, 56 households, and 39 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 232.4 people per square mile (89.5/km²). There were 58 housing units at an average density of 88.1 per square mile (33.9/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.89% White
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...
, 1.96% Native American
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...
, 1.31% Asian
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...
, 0.65% Pacific Islander
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...
, 6.54% 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 0.65% from two or more races. 14.38% of the population were 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...
of any race.
There were 56 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were 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, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,417, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income
Per 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 $15,636. About 17.5% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.7% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.