Coalinga, California
Encyclopedia
Coalinga is a city in Fresno County, California
. The population was 13,380 at the 2010 census, up from 11,668 at the 2000 census. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison
and Coalinga State Hospital
. Coalinga is located 52 miles (84 km) southwest of Fresno
, at an elevation of 673 feet (205 m).
was killed in 1853 north of Coalinga. California Historical Landmark
344, near the intersection of what are now State Routes 33
and 198
, marks the approximate site of his headquarters, Arroyo de Cantua, where he was slain.
In the early years of railroading, before the extensive development of oil production in California, the steam locomotive
s were powered by the burning of coal
obtained from the northern foothills of Mount Diablo. The Southern Pacific Transportation Company established the site as a coaling station in 1888, and it was called simply Coaling Station A. Local tradition has it that an official of Southern Pacific made the name more sonorous by adding an a to it. The resemblance to Nahuatl
(where cōātl = "snake") is accidental.
The first post office was established in 1899. The city incorporated in 1906.
. For many years, "Armona Water" was the only water residents could drink. And Coalinga was one of only a few towns in the US that had three taps - one for hot water, one for cold water, and one for drinking water. Finally, in the early 1960s, Coalinga held the first practical demonstration for reverse osmosis
(RO), and its Armona water was replaced by RO water.
On May 2, 1983, Coalinga was struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake
that destroyed more than 800 houses and other buildings; it was felt as far away as Los Angeles and western Nevada
.
. Surrounding the town in a semicircle from the west, around the north, and to the east are several anticlinal
formations containing considerable accumulations of petroleum, from which oil has been withdrawn for more than a hundred years.
The city is located near a particularly active portion of the San Andreas Fault, and earthquakes are frequent.
, oil
and incarceration
. The city is home to the Harris Ranch Beef Company; the Coalinga Oil Field
, operated by Chevron
and Aera Energy
; the Guijarral Hills Oil Field
; Pleasant Valley State Prison
; and Coalinga State Hospital
.
Coalinga is home to California's first new mental health hospital
in more than 50 years: a 1,500-bed facility built specifically to house sexually violent predators. Coalinga State Hospital
opened in September 2005.
, which is part of the California Community Colleges system
. Its children are served by the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District, of which Coalinga High School is a part.
was 2,175.8 people per square mile (840.1/km²). The racial makeup of Coalinga was 7,734 (57.8%) White, 549 (4.1%) African American, 171 (1.3%) Native American, 407 (3.0%) Asian, 36 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 3,937 (29.4%) from other races
, and 546 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,161 persons (53.5%).
The Census reported that 11,752 people (87.8% of the population) lived in households, 130 (1.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,498 (11.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,896 households, out of which 1,809 (46.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,913 (49.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 658 (16.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 311 (8.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 341 (8.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 16 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 797 households (20.5%) were made up of individuals and 220 (5.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02. There were 2,882 families
(74.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.49.
The population was spread out with 3,763 people (28.1%) under the age of 18, 1,610 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 3,646 people (27.2%) aged 25 to 44, 3,308 people (24.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,053 people (7.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.9 years. For every 100 females there were 123.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.1 males.
There were 4,344 housing units at an average density of 706.4 per square mile (272.7/km²), of which 1,996 (51.2%) were owner-occupied, and 1,900 (48.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%. 6,192 people (46.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,560 people (41.6%) lived in rental housing units.
The racial makeup of Coalinga under those circumstances was 57.3 percent white, 2.4 percent African American, 1.5 percent Native American
, 1.7 percent Asian, 0.2 percent Pacific Islander, 32.3 percent from other races
, and 4.6 percent from two or more races. About half the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The median age in 2000 was 28.6 years, younger than the 33.3 figure for California and the 35.3 figure for the United States as a whole.
The median income
for a family was $41,208, about $11,000 less than for other families in California or the country at large.
The Coalinga Chamber of Commerce Web site in 2007 estimated a population of 18,061 for the city.
Notes: "Family income" is median family income in 1999 dollars. "Med. home value" is the median value of single-family houses. "Poverty families" is the percentage of families with incomes below the poverty level. "High school diploma" is the percentage of people 25 years and over who had graduated from high school.
Coalinga hosts the Horned Toad Derby each year over the Memorial Day
weekend in late May. The three-day event is similar to the more famous Jumping Frog Jubilee held in Calaveras County, California
, but utilizes locally caught horned toads
rather than frogs. This tradition began in 1935.
On the November weekend closest to Montgolfiere Day (November 21) each year, Coalinga is host to the annual WHAMOBASS Balloon Rally, the longest consecutively running annual hot air balloon
rally in the world, sponsored by the Whiskey Hill Atherton Menlo Oaks Ballooning & Sporting Society. Typically, more than 40 balloons ascend at dawn on Saturday and Sunday morning from the athletic field of West Hills College
. A small number fly on Friday and occasionally on Thursday.
The R.C. Baker Memorial Museum is housed in the former Baker Oil Tools machine shop. The museum continues to accept items from visitors to add to its collection. The museum displays local fossils, models of prehistoric fauna, native American artifacts, and items from pioneer settlers.
Fresno County, California
Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
. The population was 13,380 at the 2010 census, up from 11,668 at the 2000 census. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison
Pleasant Valley State Prison
Pleasant Valley State Prison is a minimum/medium/maximum security state prison in Coalinga, Fresno County, California. The facility houses Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin of Senator Robert F...
and Coalinga State Hospital
Coalinga State Hospital
Coalinga State Hospital is a state mental hospital in Coalinga, California.The facility opened on September 5, 2005 and was California’s newest state hospital, the first to be constructed in the state in more than 50 years. It is a maximum security civil-commitment facility built to ensure that...
. Coalinga is located 52 miles (84 km) southwest of Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, at an elevation of 673 feet (205 m).
Early days
Legendary bandit Joaquin MurrietaJoaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...
was killed in 1853 north of Coalinga. California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
344, near the intersection of what are now State Routes 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...
and 198
California State Route 198
State Route 198 is an east–west state highway that connects the California Central Coast to the mid-Central Valley at Visalia, although the most-traveled portion is in the Central Valley itself....
, marks the approximate site of his headquarters, Arroyo de Cantua, where he was slain.
In the early years of railroading, before the extensive development of oil production in California, the steam locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s were powered by the burning of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
obtained from the northern foothills of Mount Diablo. The Southern Pacific Transportation Company established the site as a coaling station in 1888, and it was called simply Coaling Station A. Local tradition has it that an official of Southern Pacific made the name more sonorous by adding an a to it. The resemblance to Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
(where cōātl = "snake") is accidental.
The first post office was established in 1899. The city incorporated in 1906.
Water
Coalinga's water was so full of minerals that potable water had to be brought in by railroad in tanker cars from Armona, CaliforniaArmona, California
Armona is a census-designated place in Kings County, California, United States. Armona is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 239 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,156 at the 2010 census...
. For many years, "Armona Water" was the only water residents could drink. And Coalinga was one of only a few towns in the US that had three taps - one for hot water, one for cold water, and one for drinking water. Finally, in the early 1960s, Coalinga held the first practical demonstration for reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...
(RO), and its Armona water was replaced by RO water.
1983 Earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that destroyed more than 800 houses and other buildings; it was felt as far away as Los Angeles and western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Geology and topography
The Coalinga area is a generally level topographic setting, suitable for a number of field crops which do not require large amounts of water. Underlying rock formations include the occurrence of Vaqueros sandstoneVaqueros sandstone
The Vaqueros Formation is a sedimentary geologic unit primarily of Upper Oligocene and Lower Miocene age, which is widespread on the California coast and coastal ranges in approximately the southern half of the state. It is predominantly a medium-grained sandstone unit, deposited in a shallow...
. Surrounding the town in a semicircle from the west, around the north, and to the east are several anticlinal
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
formations containing considerable accumulations of petroleum, from which oil has been withdrawn for more than a hundred years.
The city is located near a particularly active portion of the San Andreas Fault, and earthquakes are frequent.
Economy
Today, the city's main industries are agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
. The city is home to the Harris Ranch Beef Company; the Coalinga Oil Field
Coalinga Oil Field
The Coalinga Oil Field is a large oil field in western Fresno County, California, in the United States. It surrounds the town of Coalinga, about half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, to the west of Interstate 5, at the foot of the Diablo Range...
, operated by Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
and Aera Energy
Aera Energy LLC
Aera Energy LLC is a natural gas, oil exploration and production company jointly owned by Shell and ExxonMobil headquartered in Bakersfield, California...
; the Guijarral Hills Oil Field
Guijarral Hills Oil Field
The Guijarral Hills Oil Field is a formerly-productive oil and gas field near Coalinga on the western side of the Central Valley in central California in the United States...
; Pleasant Valley State Prison
Pleasant Valley State Prison
Pleasant Valley State Prison is a minimum/medium/maximum security state prison in Coalinga, Fresno County, California. The facility houses Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin of Senator Robert F...
; and Coalinga State Hospital
Coalinga State Hospital
Coalinga State Hospital is a state mental hospital in Coalinga, California.The facility opened on September 5, 2005 and was California’s newest state hospital, the first to be constructed in the state in more than 50 years. It is a maximum security civil-commitment facility built to ensure that...
.
Coalinga is home to California's first new mental health hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in more than 50 years: a 1,500-bed facility built specifically to house sexually violent predators. Coalinga State Hospital
Coalinga State Hospital
Coalinga State Hospital is a state mental hospital in Coalinga, California.The facility opened on September 5, 2005 and was California’s newest state hospital, the first to be constructed in the state in more than 50 years. It is a maximum security civil-commitment facility built to ensure that...
opened in September 2005.
Education
Coalinga is the site of the primary campus of West Hills CollegeWest Hills College
West Hills College is a public two-year community college serving students in the San Joaquin Valley. There are two campuses: the original campus in Coalinga, established in 1932, with 1,200 students, and the Lemoore campus, built in 2002 and serving 3,200 students...
, which is part of the California Community Colleges system
California Community Colleges system
The California Community Colleges System consists of 112 community colleges in 72 community college districts in the U.S. state of California...
. Its children are served by the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District, of which Coalinga High School is a part.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Coalinga had a population of 13,380. 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 2,175.8 people per square mile (840.1/km²). The racial makeup of Coalinga was 7,734 (57.8%) White, 549 (4.1%) African American, 171 (1.3%) Native American, 407 (3.0%) Asian, 36 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 3,937 (29.4%) 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 546 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,161 persons (53.5%).
The Census reported that 11,752 people (87.8% of the population) lived in households, 130 (1.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,498 (11.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,896 households, out of which 1,809 (46.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,913 (49.1%) 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, 658 (16.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 311 (8.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 341 (8.8%) 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 16 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 797 households (20.5%) were made up of individuals and 220 (5.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02. There were 2,882 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...
(74.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.49.
The population was spread out with 3,763 people (28.1%) under the age of 18, 1,610 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 3,646 people (27.2%) aged 25 to 44, 3,308 people (24.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,053 people (7.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.9 years. For every 100 females there were 123.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.1 males.
There were 4,344 housing units at an average density of 706.4 per square mile (272.7/km²), of which 1,996 (51.2%) were owner-occupied, and 1,900 (48.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%. 6,192 people (46.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,560 people (41.6%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the census of 2000, there were 11,668 people, 3,515 households, and 2,632 families residing in the city. These included 805 people who were living in group homes.The racial makeup of Coalinga under those circumstances was 57.3 percent white, 2.4 percent African American, 1.5 percent 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...
, 1.7 percent Asian, 0.2 percent Pacific Islander, 32.3 percent 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 4.6 percent from two or more races. About half the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The median age in 2000 was 28.6 years, younger than the 33.3 figure for California and the 35.3 figure for the United States as a whole.
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 family was $41,208, about $11,000 less than for other families in California or the country at large.
The Coalinga Chamber of Commerce Web site in 2007 estimated a population of 18,061 for the city.
| 2000 figures | Coalinga | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 28.6 | 33.3 | 35.3 |
| White | 57.3% | 59.5% | 75.1% |
| African-American | 2.4% | 6.7% | 12.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 49.8% | 32.4% | 12.5% |
| Family income | $41,208 | $53,025 | $50,046 |
| Poverty families | 16.4% | 10.6% | 9.2% |
| Med. home value | $86,900 | $211,500 | $119,600 |
| High school diploma | 65.0% | 76.8% | 80.4% |
| College degree | 11.8% | 28.6% | 24.4% |
Notes: "Family income" is median family income in 1999 dollars. "Med. home value" is the median value of single-family houses. "Poverty families" is the percentage of families with incomes below the poverty level. "High school diploma" is the percentage of people 25 years and over who had graduated from high school.
Attractions
The Harris Ranch, a major cattle ranch which also features a hotel, several restaurants, and a gift shop, is east of Coalinga, near Interstate 5.Coalinga hosts the Horned Toad Derby each year over the Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend in late May. The three-day event is similar to the more famous Jumping Frog Jubilee held in Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
, but utilizes locally caught horned toads
Horned lizard
Horned lizards are a genus of lizards which are the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad", "horny toad", or "horned frog", but it is neither a toad nor a frog. The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which...
rather than frogs. This tradition began in 1935.
On the November weekend closest to Montgolfiere Day (November 21) each year, Coalinga is host to the annual WHAMOBASS Balloon Rally, the longest consecutively running annual hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
rally in the world, sponsored by the Whiskey Hill Atherton Menlo Oaks Ballooning & Sporting Society. Typically, more than 40 balloons ascend at dawn on Saturday and Sunday morning from the athletic field of West Hills College
West Hills College
West Hills College is a public two-year community college serving students in the San Joaquin Valley. There are two campuses: the original campus in Coalinga, established in 1932, with 1,200 students, and the Lemoore campus, built in 2002 and serving 3,200 students...
. A small number fly on Friday and occasionally on Thursday.
The R.C. Baker Memorial Museum is housed in the former Baker Oil Tools machine shop. The museum continues to accept items from visitors to add to its collection. The museum displays local fossils, models of prehistoric fauna, native American artifacts, and items from pioneer settlers.
Notable residents
- Stanley George "Frenchy" BordagarayFrenchy BordagarayStanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. Born in Coalinga, California, he lettered in four sports at Fresno State College before making his professional baseball debut in 1931 with the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League...
, athlete - Jo StaffordJo StaffordJo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
, musician - Sirhan SirhanSirhan SirhanSirhan Bishara Sirhan is a Jordanian citizen who was convicted for the assassination of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He is serving a life sentence at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.Sirhan was a Christian Arab born in Jerusalem who strongly opposed Israel...
, convicted of murdering Robert F. Kennedy. He is housed in the Pleasant Valley State Prison.