Carpinteria, California

From Free net encyclopedia

Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in Santa Barbara County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 14,194. The city is famed for being home of the Santa Claus Lane, named after a giant Santa Claus bust that overlooked the coastal U.S. Route 101. At the crossroads between art and crass capitalism, the bust was removed in 2003 after being in place for more than fifty years. The bust was not destroyed, but was placed in an emptied lot outside of town, miles from Santa Claus Lane. Carpinteria also claims home to the "World's Safest Beach." Carpinteria State Beach earned this moniker due to its gentle, sloping terrain and calm waves.

The Spanish named the area Carpinteria because the Chumash tribe, which lived in the area, had a large seagoing canoe-building enterprise, or "carpentry shop" there; this was due to the availability of naturally-occurring surface tar which was used to seal the boats.

Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May, as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopuses and sea urchins. A popular state beach with a popular campground is located along the beach.

The city has a small weekly newspaper called The Coastal View.

The city of Carpinteria is served by the Carpinteria Unified School District, which also includes the community of Summerland, and all outlying areas. It includes one high school, one middle (junior high) school, and five elementary schools, as well as two alternative schools (one K-8, one 9-12). Cate School is another school in Carpinteria, a private preparatory school and one of the most sought-after high schools in the nation.

Since 1987, the California Avocado Festival has been held in Carpinteria on the first weekend of October.

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Geography

Carpinteria is located at 34°23'57" North, 119°30'59" West (34.399044, -119.516442)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.8 km² (7.3 mi²). 7.0 km² (2.7 mi²) of it is land and 11.8 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 62.86% water.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 14,194 people, 4,989 households, and 3,332 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,029.8/km² (5,250.8/mi²). There were 5,464 housing units at an average density of 781.4/km² (2,021.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.40% White, 0.59% African American, 0.99% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 18.09% from other races, and 4.37% from two or more races. 43.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,989 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,729, and the median income for a family was $54,849. Males had a median income of $35,679 versus $30,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,563. 10.4% of the population and 7.1% of families were below the poverty line. 12.5% of those under the age of 18 and 7.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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