Maricopa, California
Encyclopedia
Maricopa is a city in Kern County
, California
, United States
. Maricopa is located 6.5 miles (10 km) south-southeast of Taft
, at an elevation of 883 feet (269 m). The population was 1,154 at the 2010 census, up from 1,111 at the 2000 census. Maricopa lies at the junction of Route 166
and Route 33
. The Carrizo Plain
is located to the northwest, and the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field
, the third largest oil field
in the United States, is adjacent on the north and east.
With only one Shell
gasoline station, Subway, Maricopa Inn, and a preschool-through-12th grade school, Maricopa is a fairly small city in the southwest San Joaquin Valley
which retains its rural country flavor.
, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land. Maricopa is in the extreme southwestern corner of the San Joaquin Valley, on the first rise of land into the foothills of the Coast Ranges, with the Temblor Mountains, following the San Andreas Fault, trending northwest of town, and the San Emigdio Mountains to the southeast. The climate of the area is hot and semi-arid, with summertime temperatures routinely exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Freezes occur in the winter, with the mean period without freezes being about 275 days. About six inches of rain falls annually in Maricopa.
was 768.4 people per square mile (296.7/km²). The racial makeup of Maricopa was 958 (83.0%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 27 (2.3%) Native American, 16 (1.4%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 112 (9.7%) from other races
, and 38 (3.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 232 persons (20.1%).
The Census reported that 1,154 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 414 households, out of which 157 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 191 (46.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 66 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 34 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 50 (12.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 2 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 91 households (22.0%) were made up of individuals and 33 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79. There were 291 families
(70.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.20.
The population was spread out with 306 people (26.5%) under the age of 18, 112 people (9.7%) aged 18 to 24, 252 people (21.8%) aged 25 to 44, 349 people (30.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 135 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.
There were 466 housing units at an average density of 310.3 per square mile (119.8/km²), of which 268 (64.7%) were owner-occupied, and 146 (35.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 704 people (61.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 450 people (39.0%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 1,111 people, 404 households, and 302 families residing in the city. The population density
was 739.7 people per square mile (286.0/km²). There were 460 housing units at an average density of 306.3 per square mile (118.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.87% White
, 1.98% Native American
, 0.45% Asian
, 8.91% from other races
, and 2.79% from two or more races. 13.50% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 404 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples
living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.
The median income
for a household in the city was $27,917, and the median income for a family was $31,761. Males had a median income of $31,161 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,692. About 15.6% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times
on July 4, 2011, the Maricopa Police Department has become embroiled in a local controversy playing out through large signs posted on the city's main thoroughfare. The police have been accused of racial profiling and "over-enforcement" regarding traffic violations and frequent towing of vehicles driven by drivers without proof of insurance or with license or license plate infractions. In mid-2011, American Civil Liberties Union
lawyer Jennie Pasquarella is quoted as saying, "Maricopa has been a shining example of impoundments gone wrong," and "They're essentially creating a racket to steal people's cars."
Police Chief Derek Merritt and other city officials have denied the charges.
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...
. Maricopa is located 6.5 miles (10 km) south-southeast 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 883 feet (269 m). The population was 1,154 at the 2010 census, up from 1,111 at the 2000 census. Maricopa lies at the junction of Route 166
California State Route 166
State Route 166 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It connects the Central Coast to the southern San Joaquin Valley....
and Route 33
California State Route 33
State Route 33 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California. SR 33 replaced part of U.S. Route 399 in 1964 during the "great renumbering" of routes. In the unincorporated sections of Kern County it is known as the West Side Highway...
. The Carrizo Plain
Carrizo Plain
The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed plain, approximately 50 miles long and up to 15 miles across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California...
is located to the northwest, and 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
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
in the United States, is adjacent on the north and east.
With only one Shell
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
gasoline station, Subway, Maricopa Inn, and a preschool-through-12th grade school, Maricopa is a fairly small city in the southwest San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
which retains its rural country flavor.
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 city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), all of it land. Maricopa is in the extreme southwestern corner of the San Joaquin Valley, on the first rise of land into the foothills of the Coast Ranges, with the Temblor Mountains, following the San Andreas Fault, trending northwest of town, and the San Emigdio Mountains to the southeast. The climate of the area is hot and semi-arid, with summertime temperatures routinely exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Freezes occur in the winter, with the mean period without freezes being about 275 days. About six inches of rain falls annually in Maricopa.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Maricopa had a population of 1,154. 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 768.4 people per square mile (296.7/km²). The racial makeup of Maricopa was 958 (83.0%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 27 (2.3%) Native American, 16 (1.4%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 112 (9.7%) 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 38 (3.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 232 persons (20.1%).
The Census reported that 1,154 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 414 households, out of which 157 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 191 (46.1%) 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, 66 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 34 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 50 (12.1%) 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 2 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 91 households (22.0%) were made up of individuals and 33 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79. There were 291 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...
(70.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.20.
The population was spread out with 306 people (26.5%) under the age of 18, 112 people (9.7%) aged 18 to 24, 252 people (21.8%) aged 25 to 44, 349 people (30.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 135 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.
There were 466 housing units at an average density of 310.3 per square mile (119.8/km²), of which 268 (64.7%) were owner-occupied, and 146 (35.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 704 people (61.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 450 people (39.0%) 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 1,111 people, 404 households, and 302 families residing in the city. 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 739.7 people per square mile (286.0/km²). There were 460 housing units at an average density of 306.3 per square mile (118.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.87% 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...
, 1.98% 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...
, 0.45% 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...
, 8.91% 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 2.79% from two or more races. 13.50% 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 404 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.
The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
for a household in the city was $27,917, and the median income for a family was $31,761. Males had a median income of $31,161 versus $23,333 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 city was $15,692. About 15.6% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Public safety
Maricopa Fire Department was established in 1910 with Chief F. W. Ball serving as the first fire chief. Maricopa Hospital opened on 22 April 1911 and the city was incorporated on July 25, 1911. Gary Biggerstaff was the chief of police when budget problems forced the city to close its police department in 1998. The Kern County Sheriff's Department provided police services to the citizens of Maricopa from 1998 until 2006 when the city reopened its police department in the old building.As reported in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
on July 4, 2011, the Maricopa Police Department has become embroiled in a local controversy playing out through large signs posted on the city's main thoroughfare. The police have been accused of racial profiling and "over-enforcement" regarding traffic violations and frequent towing of vehicles driven by drivers without proof of insurance or with license or license plate infractions. In mid-2011, American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
lawyer Jennie Pasquarella is quoted as saying, "Maricopa has been a shining example of impoundments gone wrong," and "They're essentially creating a racket to steal people's cars."
Police Chief Derek Merritt and other city officials have denied the charges.