Madera, California

File:Madera Water Tower.jpg

City of Madera water tower

Madera (Spanish for "Lumber") is a city in and the county seat of Madera County, located in the San Joaquin Valley of California.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 66,224.<ref name="Census 2020"/>

History

The town was named after the Spanish term for lumber.<ref name=CGN /> The town was laid out by the California Lumber Company in 1876.<ref name=CGN /> From 1876 to 1931, a Template:Convert water flume carried lumber from the mountains to Madera, where the lumber was shipped by train.

The first post office at Madera opened in 1877.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=CGN>Template:California's Geographic Names</ref> On May 16, 1893, Madera County officially became a county of the state of California<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the town incorporated as the City of Madera on March 27, 1907.<ref name=CGN /> One of the city's first African Americans to hold an elected office was Rev. Naaman N. Haynes, who was voted in as a Madera Unified School District school board trustee in the 1960s.<ref>"Correction," The Madera Tribune, February 12, 2015, Page A2</ref>

Landmarks include the historic Madera County Courthouse, the notable Madera water tower, and a fully operational drive-in movie theater.<ref name="drive-in fb">Template:Cite web</ref>

• Madera celebrates the completion of the "world's longest lumber flume" on October 27, 1900.<ref name="thunder">Template:Cite book</ref>
  Madera celebrates the completion of the "world's longest lumber flume" on October 27, 1900.<ref name="thunder">Template:Cite book</ref>
• The Madera flume terminus circa 1901
  The Madera flume terminus Template:Circa<ref name="thunder" />

Geography

Madera is located at Template:Coord.<ref name=gnis /> The geographic center of California is Template:Convert east of Madera. Via California Route 99, the city is Template:Convert northwest of Fresno and Template:Convert southeast of Modesto. According to the United States Census Bureau, Madera has a total area of Template:Convert, all of it recorded as land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> The Fresno River, a tributary of the San Joaquin River, passes through the city north of downtown.

Madera is the location of the Madera AVA wine region.

Climate

Madera has a steppe climate (Köppen: BSk),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in the central zone of this climatic subtype.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Annually, there are an average of 108.6 afternoons with highs of Template:Convert or higher, 29.6 afternoons reaching or exceeding Template:Convert, and an average of 25.1 mornings with lows of Template:Convert or lower.<ref name = NOAA/> The record high temperature was Template:Convert, recorded on July 13, 1961. The record low temperature was Template:Convert, recorded on January 10, 1949.<ref name = NOWData/>

The average annual rainfall is Template:Convert and there is an average of 59.3 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983, with Template:Convert and the driest was 2013, with Template:Convert.<ref name = NOWData/> The most rainfall in one month was Template:Convert, in March 1991. The most rainfall in 24 hours was Template:Convert, on November 21, 1978. Although snowfall is rare, Template:Convert fell in January 1962.<ref name = NOWData/>

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> reported that Madera had a population of 61,416. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Madera was 30,640 (49.9%) White, 2,069 (3.4%) African American, 1,933 (3.1%) Native American, 1,369 (2.2%) Asian, 72 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 22,603 (36.8%) from other races, and 2,730 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race accounted for 47,103 people (76.7% of the population).

The Census reported that 60,825 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 418 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 173 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,938 households, out of which 9,003 (56.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8,521 (53.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,917 (18.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,450 (9.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,323 (8.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 97 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,374 households (14.9%) were made up of individuals, and 1,077 (6.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.82. There were 12,888 families (80.9% of all households); the average family size was 4.09.

The population was spread out, with 21,338 people (34.7%) under the age of 18, 7,732 people (12.6%) aged 18 to 24, 17,287 people (28.1%) aged 25 to 44, 10,407 people (16.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,652 people (7.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.3 males.

There were 17,049 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, of which 8,096 (50.8%) were owner-occupied, and 7,842 (49.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 28,785 people (46.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 32,040 people (52.2%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 43,207 people, 11,978 households, and 9,438 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 12,521 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 48.2% White, 3.9% African American, 2.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 38.0% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 67.8% of the population.

There were 11,978 households, out of which 48.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57 and the average family size was 3.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 35.4% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,033, and the median income for a family was $31,927. Males had a median income of $29,776 versus $23,210 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,674. About 25.6% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.0% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Current estimates

According to estimates by the US Census Bureau from July 1, 2019, the total population for the city of Madera was 65,860, and the median household income was $42,581.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government

Madera is governed by a mayor, elected at large, and six city council members, elected by the voters within their respective districts. Madera is the county seat of the County of Madera. In the California State Legislature, Madera is in Template:Representative, and in Template:Representative.<ref name=swd>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the United States House of Representatives, Madera is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref>

Education

• School districts
  • Madera Unified School District (K-12)
• High schools
  • Madera High School
  • Madera South High School
  • Matilda Torres High School
• Alternative Education Schools
  • Furman Independent Study
  • Mountain Vista High School
  • Ripperdan Community Day School
• Madera County Superintendent of Schools
  • Endeavor/Voyager
  • Madera County Independent Academy
  • Pioneer Technical Center
• Private schools
  • Saint Joachim School (preK-8)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Crossroads Christian School (preK-8)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Higher education
  • Madera Community College
  • San Joaquin Valley College Madera (for-profit)
• Public libraries
  • Madera County Public Library<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

Within the city, State Route 99 carries traffic in a generally northwest–southeast orientation. East of the city, State Route 41 can be accessed via either eastbound county roads or via State Route 145, the latter of which turns from a northeast–southwest bearing to a directly southern orientation within the city. The eastern terminus of State Route 152 is located Template:Convert to the north of the city, on State Route 99.

Just north of Madera is the Madera Amtrak station. A California High-Speed Rail stop is also planned.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

There is a Greyhound bus station located downtown.<ref name="greyhound">Template:Cite web</ref>

The city of Madera provides local intracity public transportation services under the Madera Metro branding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Madera residents can travel conveniently from neighborhoods to shopping centers, local schools, medical offices and work sites on the Madera Metro fixed-route transit services. Madera County Connection, a county agency, provides intercity bus services to other communities in Madera County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Madera Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport owned and operated by the city of Madera. It is situated on approximately Template:Convert on the northwest edge of the city and is supervised by the Madera Public Works Department. Madera residents also have access to the nearby Yosemite International Airport, located in Fresno.

Notable people

Noteworthy persons from Madera include:

• Frank Bergon, author of four novels, including Jesse's Ghost (2011) which is set in Madera<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Connor Brogdon, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dwayne Crump, defensive back for the St. Louis Cardinals<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Lee Evans (1947–2021), Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder in track and field<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Zoila Frausto Gurgel, women's mixed martial arts champion<ref>"Madera MMA fighter wins title," The Madera Tribune, October 29, 2010, Page A6</ref>
• Lavar Johnson, American mixed martial artist who competed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as a heavyweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
• Jack W. Kelso (1934–1952), Medal of Honor recipient<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Oswaldo Lopez, winner of the 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon<ref name=oswaldo>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Frank McNally, all-pro football player<ref name="mcnally tribune">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Wally O'Connor, four-time Olympian in water polo & swimming and 1924 gold medalist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Jeannine Riley, actress and star of Petticoat Junction<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Martha Baird Rockefeller, concert pianist, philanthropist, and wife of John D. Rockefeller Jr.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Kathryn Grove Shipp (1904–1977), explosives expert; raised in Madera<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Avery Stafford, gospel and R&B vocalistTemplate:Cn
• Virginia Stroud, painter and former Miss Indian America<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• La Schelle Tarver, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Lorin Whitney, organist and recording artist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Leroy Zimmerman, All-Pro professional football player, Hall of Fame softball pitcher, and teacher<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sister cities

• Template:Flagicon Yilan City, Yilan County, Taiwan (1994)

See also

• California wine

External links

• Template:Official
• The Madera Tribune, a Madera city newspaper, founded on March 31, 1892
• Madera Chamber of Commerce