Ripley, California
Encyclopedia
Ripley is a census-designated place
community in east Riverside County
. It is located along State Route 78 (SR78)
between Palo Verde
and Blythe
. The area is mostly agricultural lands irrigated by Colorado River
water. The elevation is 249 feet (75.9 m). The population was 692 at the 2010 census.
, the CDP covers an area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
Official U.S. Geological Survey NAD27 coordinates for the community are 33°31′31"N 114°39′19"W. It is within area code 760
and has its own ZIP Code: 92272.
to fallow land in the area in order to conserve water. Farmers will be paid not to grow crops so that the water can be used for other purposes. The area is served by Palo Verde Irrigation District and formerly the Arizona and California Railroad. The railroad's Blythe Division track ends just west of Ripley.
. It never extends to the Southern Pacific mainline 60 miles southwest, as originally planned. The town aimed to be a resort location until the valley flood few years after, leaving the place derelict. Today only a watertower remain as the only landmark.
was 406.9 people per square mile (157.1/km²). The racial makeup of Ripley was 393 (56.8%) White, 103 (14.9%) African American, 2 (0.3%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, 4 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 165 (23.8%) from other races
, and 24 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 537 persons (77.6%).
The Census reported that 692 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 218 households, out of which 123 (56.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 95 (43.6%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 63 (28.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 18 (8.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 22 (10.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 1 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 33 households (15.1%) were made up of individuals and 9 (4.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17. There were 176 families
(80.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.49.
The population was spread out with 264 people (38.2%) under the age of 18, 85 people (12.3%) aged 18 to 24, 131 people (18.9%) aged 25 to 44, 148 people (21.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 64 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.8 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
There were 295 housing units at an average density of 173.5 per square mile (67.0/km²), of which 78 (35.8%) were owner-occupied, and 140 (64.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 25.8%. 249 people (36.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 443 people (64.0%) lived in rental housing units.
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...
community in east Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
. It is located along State Route 78 (SR78)
California State Route 78
State Route 78 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in the United States that runs from Oceanside east to Blythe, traversing nearly the entire width of the state. Its western terminus is at Interstate 5 in San Diego County and its eastern terminus is at I-10 in Riverside County...
between Palo Verde
Palo Verde, California
Palo Verde is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California. Palo Verde is located on the Riverside County line northeast of El Centro, The population was 171 at the 2010 census, down from 236 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area'...
and Blythe
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
. The area is mostly agricultural lands irrigated by Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
water. The elevation is 249 feet (75.9 m). The population was 692 at the 2010 census.
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 covers an area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.
Official U.S. Geological Survey NAD27 coordinates for the community are 33°31′31"N 114°39′19"W. It is within area code 760
Area code 760
Image:Area_code_442.svg|right|Map of California area codes in blue with 442/760 in redrect 65 82 92 100 Area code 916rect 220 242 245 256 Area code 909rect 243 274 265 287 Area code 951rect 136 323 160 338 Area code 858...
and has its own ZIP Code: 92272.
Situation
The area is largely irrigated agriculture. Farms in the area include operations owned by David Brown and Sons, Lawrence Chaffin Farms, and Red River Farms. The Metropolitan Water District has made an agreement with the United States Bureau of ReclamationUnited States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
to fallow land in the area in order to conserve water. Farmers will be paid not to grow crops so that the water can be used for other purposes. The area is served by Palo Verde Irrigation District and formerly the Arizona and California Railroad. The railroad's Blythe Division track ends just west of Ripley.
History
Ripley is established in 1920 when the railroad line from Blythe is extended to its location. The townsite is named to dedicate former Santa Fe Railway president Edward Payson RipleyEdward Payson Ripley
Edward Payson Ripley , sometimes referred to as Edward P. Ripley or E. P. Ripley, was the fourteenth president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.- Youth and education :...
. It never extends to the Southern Pacific mainline 60 miles southwest, as originally planned. The town aimed to be a resort location until the valley flood few years after, leaving the place derelict. Today only a watertower remain as the only landmark.
Local businesses
Ripley, in the middle of the valley, was the most thriving town in the Palo Verde Valley up until the construction of U.S. Highway 60 & 70 between Phoenix and Los Angeles in the early 1930s. The highway was routed through Blythe, and that was the beginning of the end for Ripley's business community. For lack of traffic, and the growth of Blythe's commercial establishment, some two dozen or more businesses folded during the Great Depression, so that Ripley became little more than a dusty community of several hundred people. By the 1960's, the only viable business left was Benefield's department store and food market, which served farm families in the southern part of the valley. Benefield's was burglarized and torched in the 1980s, and was never rebuilt.Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Ripley had a population of 692. 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 406.9 people per square mile (157.1/km²). The racial makeup of Ripley was 393 (56.8%) White, 103 (14.9%) African American, 2 (0.3%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, 4 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 165 (23.8%) 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 24 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 537 persons (77.6%).
The Census reported that 692 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 218 households, out of which 123 (56.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 95 (43.6%) 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, 63 (28.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 18 (8.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 22 (10.1%) 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 1 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 33 households (15.1%) were made up of individuals and 9 (4.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17. There were 176 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...
(80.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.49.
The population was spread out with 264 people (38.2%) under the age of 18, 85 people (12.3%) aged 18 to 24, 131 people (18.9%) aged 25 to 44, 148 people (21.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 64 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.8 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
There were 295 housing units at an average density of 173.5 per square mile (67.0/km²), of which 78 (35.8%) were owner-occupied, and 140 (64.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 25.8%. 249 people (36.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 443 people (64.0%) lived in rental housing units.