Coalinga, California
From Free net encyclopedia
Coalinga is a city located in Fresno County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 11,668. On May 2 1983, the town was heavily damaged by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.
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Geography
Image:CAMap-doton-Coalinga.pngCoalinga is located at 36°8'27" North, 120°21'30" West (36.140734, -120.358301)Template:GR in Fresno County, California.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.4 km² (6.0 mi²). 15.4 km² (5.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.34% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,668 people, 3,515 households, and 2,632 families residing in the city. The population density was 758.4/km² (1,963.4/mi²). There were 3,848 housing units at an average density of 250.1/km² (647.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.31% White, 2.37% Black or African American, 1.52% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 32.30% from other races, and 4.61% from two or more races. 49.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,515 households out of which 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.59.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 108.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,133, and the median income for a family was $41,208. Males had a median income of $41,129 versus $29,088 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,425. 20.3% of the population and 16.4% of families were below the poverty line. 26.0% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Name
In the early years of railroading, before the extensive development of oil production in California, the steam locomotives were powered by the burning of coal obtained from the northern foothills of Mount Diablo. Various stations for the provision of water and coal were stationed along the routes. On this particular route the stations were named alphabetically Coaling A, Coaling B, etc. Of the villages around these stations, only Coaling A retained its name as the exotic sounding Coalinga (pronounced coa-ling-ga, the first 'g' soft, the second hard), which could pass as Nahuatl for "place of snakes".
Today, the city's main industries are agriculture and incarceration. The city is home to Pleasant Valley State Prison, Coalinga State Hospital, and a mental hospital constructed in 2005.
Claims to Fame
Coalinga made national news in 1983 as the site of an earthquake that destroyed more than 800 homes and other buildings, and was felt as far away as Los Angeles and western Nevada. That temblor is known as the Coalinga Earthquake. The 1983 earthquake came as a surprise because active faults are quite remote from this coal town. Many buildings such as the PG & E building are made of unreinforced masonry and suffered major damage.
Heavy-metal band faxedhead originated in Coalinga, as well as punk band George and the Pirates. The current Los Angeles-based indie/pop band, Coalinga, took its name from the town after lead singer, Jordan Hudock, claimed to have seen a UFO fly over his car a mile outside the town. The city is also the birthplace of major league ballplayer Frenchy Bordagaray.