Corcoran, California

Corcoran, California
FIPS code		06-16224 [1]
GNIS feature ID	1652690 [1]
Website	www.cityofcorcoran.com

Corcoran is a city in

Corcoran is most notable as the site of the

United States Census

and the California Department of Finance. Thus, the incarcerated people in the two prisons comprise just over 43% of the total population of Corcoran.

History

Corcoran was founded by

, and streets as Otis, Sherman, Letts (the Broadway store) and Ross (after his son, Ross Whitley) show the connections. Whitley, it is claimed, purchased and platted some 150 towns over the American West—and Corcoran is one of his last.

Whitley moved a member of his real estate firm, J. W. Guiberson, to the area. Guiberson became one of the many pioneers of the community, building the first home and business structure in Corcoran. His family also helped establish the first church in the community, an event which helped lead to the town's incorporation on August 14, 1914.

The basis of Corcoran's economy then and now is agriculture. Initially, the most successful crops were grains, alfalfa and sugar beets.

In 1933, more than 12,000 workers went on strike against cotton farmers, one of the largest California agricultural strikes of 1933. Strikers in Corcoran created a tent city that eventually held more than 3,000 people, more than double the town's population. Its lack of water or sewage systems created waves of illness.^[8] Streets were staked out in the tent city, and committees of workers governed the camp.^[9]

The

was established in Corcoran in 1921 and remains a major employer in the city.

The first post office opened in 1901.^[6]

Geography

Corcoran is located at 36°05′53″N 119°33′37″W / 36.09806°N 119.56028°W / 36.09806; -119.56028.^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (17 km²), all of it land.

The ground under Corcoran is subsiding due to withdrawal of groundwater by agricultural interests. There has been up to 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) of subsidence over the past 14 years.^[10]

Soils around Corcoran are somewhat poorly drained to poorly drained loam or fine sandy loam which is often saline as in the widespread Lakeside series. Other important soil series include the Armona, Gambogy, Grangeville, Kimberlina, and Lemoore.^[11] Corcoran is occasionally subject to areal flooding due to its position in a basin. Notable flood years include 1983 and 2023.

Climate

Corcoran
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.5     54 38     1.5     62 41     1.4     68 44     0.5     76 47     0.2     85 53     0.1     93 59     0     98 63     0     96 62     0.2     91 59     0.4     81 51     0.8     65 41     0.9     54 36 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: US Climate Data[12]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     38     12 3     39     17 5     36     20 7     13     24 8     6.1     29 12     2     34 15     0     37 17     0     36 17     6.1     33 15     9.9     27 11     19     18 5     24     12 2 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	1,101		—
1930	1,768		60.6%
1940	2,092		18.3%
1950	3,150		50.6%
1960	4,976		58.0%
1970	5,249		5.5%
1980	6,454		23.0%
1990	13,364		107.1%
2000	14,458		8.2%
2010	24,813		71.6%
2020	22,339		−10.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

Corcoran is part of the

.

2010

The

of any race were 15,545 people (62.6%).

The Census reported that 12,573 people (50.7% of the population) lived in households, 116 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 12,124 (48.9%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,594 households, out of which 1,981 (55.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,737 (48.3%) were

(80.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.84.

The population was spread out, with 4,434 people (17.9%) under the age of 18, 2,695 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 10,203 people (41.1%) aged 25 to 44, 6,163 people (24.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,318 people (5.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 294.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 398.0 males.

There were 3,958 dwelling units at an average density of 530.1 per square mile (204.7/km²), of which 1,851 (51.5%) were owner-occupied, and 1,743 (48.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.8%. 6,607 people (26.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,966 people (24.0%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census

of any race.

There were 2,769 households, out of which 49.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.44 and the average family size was 3.83.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 42.0% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 207.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 264.9 males. However, the statistics relating to the disparity between the male and female population in Corcoran is due to the prison's male only population.

Economy

At the time of the 2000 census, the median

, including 36.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Many local residents are employed in agriculture. However, the community has been affected by the

The largest employers in Corcoran include the

Government

Corcoran employs twenty-one full time personnel including 15 uniformed officers, two detectives, one evidence technician, one community service officer, five clerk-dispatchers, two reserve officers, and Animal Control Services. Kings County Fire Department provides firemen who provide services with the assistance of volunteers. Industrial sites—There are approximately 320 acres in the city limits zones for light and heavy industry with two industrial parks included in this total.[18]

Politics

Corcoran is located within

.

In the California State Legislature, Corcoran is located within:

• 14th California State Senate District, which is represented by Democrat Melissa Hurtado
• 32nd California State Assembly District, represented by Democrat Rudy Salas.

Corcoran is represented on the Kings County Board of Supervisors by Richard Valle of Corcoran.

Education

Corcoran Unified School District is the public organization responsible for education in the town of Corcoran. The school district has seven schools.

• Bret Harte
• John C. Fremont
• Mark Twain
• John Muir Middle School
• Corcoran High School
• Corcoran Academy
• Kings Lake Educational Center

Infrastructure

Railroads

Corcoran is served by the

about 1898.

Corcoran was the southern terminus of the Visalia District, a branch line running to Calwa via Tulare, Visalia, and Reedley. This line was abandoned and the rails pulled up in the 1990s. Only the wye and a short section of track remain to serve a lineside industry.

Today,

.

From 1910 to 1934, the Kings Lake Shore Railroad operated a line that ran southwest from Corcoran to what is the now-extinct Tulare Lake.

On December 2, 2010, the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board voted to start construction of the first part of the California High-Speed Rail line at Borden near Madera and continue it to Corcoran. Construction began in 2012.^[19]

See also

• Corcoran Prisoner of War Branch Camp

References

Further reading

• Arax, Mark; Wartzman, Rick (2003). The King of California, J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire. Public Affairs.
  ISBN 978-1-58648-028-8
  .

External links

• City of Corcoran
• Corcoran Health Center
• Corcoran Unified School District
• Their land is sinking: Farm barons defy calls to cut groundwater pumping; January 2024; Phys.