Coalinga is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 11,668
at the 2000 census and 17,080 as of 2005, according to the Coalinga Chamber of Commerce Web site.
On May 2 1983, the town was heavily damaged by a 6.5 magnitude
earthquake.
Geography
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 (0.34%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 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. About 16.4% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
The Coalinga Chamber of Commerce Web site claims a population of 17,080 in 2005.
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 remains. Locals call the city "the boomtown
that lived." One theory regarding the name Coalinga was that "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" but is more likely related to the coal industry that started the city in the first place.
Today, the city's main industries are agriculture, oil
and incarceration. The city is home to the Harris Ranch Beef
Company, Chevron Oil Fields, Pleasant Valley State Prison and Coalinga State
Hospital.
1983 Coalinga Earthquake
Coalinga made national news on May 2, 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. After the
earthquake shirts were sold, one saying "I survived the Coalinga earthquake" and the other said "Where the hell is Coalinga?"
Trivia
- Coalinga is also home to California's first new mental health hospital in more than 50 years: a 1500-bed facility built
specifically to house sexually violent predators (SVPs). Coalinga State Hospital
opened in September 2005 and is currently hiring aggressively to fill the facility, which may have a boosting effect on the city
of Coalinga's population.
- Coalinga held the first practical demonstration for reverse osmosis.
Notable residents
- The members of the Death Metal band Faxed Head are residents of Coalinga.
External links
Coordinates:
36.140734° N 120.358301°
W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
