Editing Coalinga, California (section)

==History==

===19th century===
Legendary bandit [[Joaquin Murrieta]] was killed in 1853 at his headquarters, Arroyo de Cantua, north of Coalinga. [[California Historical Landmark]] #344 marks the approximate site of where he was slain, near the junction of present-day State [[California State Route 33|Route 33]] and [[California State Route 198|Route 198]].

[[Image:Coalinga"T's".jpg|thumb|right|Coalinga gets its first load of [[Model T]] cars, c. 1914.]]
Before 20th-century [[diesel locomotive]]s, [[steam locomotive]]s were used, and powered in the San Joaquin Valley by burning [[coal]] mined from the northern foothills of [[Mount Diablo]] to the north. The [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific Railroad Company]] established the site as a [[coaling station]] in 1888, and it was called simply Coaling Station A. Local tradition has it that an official of Southern Pacific made the name more sonorous by adding an ''a'' to it.<ref>William Bright, 2004, ''California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names''</ref> However, it is just as likely that the small railside signs of the day, which often abbreviated names, read "COALINGA" to mean "Coaling A." [Another example is Braner's Cut north of Eureka, whose sign said "BRACUT," which has now become the name of that spot along Highway 101.] The resemblance to [[Nahuatl]] (where ''cōātl'' = "snake") is accidental.

The first post office was established in 1899.<ref name=CGN /> The city was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1906.<ref name=CGN />

=== 20th century ===

The town is mostly surrounded by the [[Coalinga Oil Field|Coalinga oil field]] whose principal operator, [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]], is a major employer in the area.

===1983 earthquake===
{{Main|1983 Coalinga earthquake}}
[[Image:CAtheater1983.jpg|thumb|State Theater on Elm Avenue, damaged by 1983 earthquake]]

On May 2, 1983, Coalinga was struck by an [[earthquake]] with a [[moment magnitude scale|moment magnitude]] of 6.5, which nearly destroyed more than 300 homes and apartment buildings; another 691 buildings suffered major damage, and hundreds more had minor damage. Damage was severe in downtown Coalinga; the eight-block commercial district was almost totally destroyed. The shock was felt as far away as Los Angeles and western [[Nevada]], and was followed by a series of aftershocks that caused additional minor damage and some injuries. Only one death was reported: a man who succumbed to a heart attack.<ref>{{citation|first1=C. W.|last1=Stover|first2=J. L.|last2=Coffman|title=Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bY0KAQAAIAAJ|series=U.S. Geological Survey professional paper 1527|year=1993|publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]]|pages=96, 171–175}}</ref>

===2022 water shortage===
In 2022, the city struggled to confront an acute water shortage. The city’s only water source is an aqueduct that is managed by the federal government. Officials estimated that the water was going to run dry before the end of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 10, 2022 |title=This California City Is Rapidly Running Out of Water |url=https://gizmodo.com/this-california-city-is-rapidly-running-out-of-water-1849638749 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |website=Gizmodo |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/10/10/drought-california-water-levels/ |title=A California city's water supply is expected to run out in two months |date=October 10, 2022 |author1=Joshua Partlow |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |place=Washington, D.C. |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=1330888409}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Rich |date=August 15, 2022 |title=Coalinga only a month away from running out of water |url=https://kmph.com/news/local/coalinga-only-a-month-away-from-running-out-of-water |access-date=October 21, 2022 |website=KMPH |language=en}}</ref> Due to [[2022–2023 California floods|statewide floods]] that winter, though, the prediction was no longer valid.