Editing Arvin, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{Redirect|Arvin}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Arvin, California
| official_name                   = City of Arvin
| nickname                        = 
| named_for                       = Arvin Richardson
| settlement_type                 = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
| image_skyline                   = Arvin.jpg
| image_caption                   = "Welcome to Arvin" sign
| image_flag                      = Flag of Arvin, California.jpg
| flag_size                       = 
| image_seal                      = Seal of Arvin, California.png
| seal_size                       = 
| mottoes                         = ''"A Garden in the Sun"'', ''"The Best Place on Earth"''
| image_map                       = File:Kern County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Arvin Highlighted 0602924.svg
| mapsize                         = 250x200px
| map_caption                     = Location of Arvin in Kern County, California.
| pushpin_map                     = California#USA
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location in California
| pushpin_label                   = Arvin
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name                = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Kern County, California|Kern]]
| established_title2              = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2               = December 21, 1960<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc 
 |title=California Cities by Incorporation Date 
 |format=Word 
 |publisher=California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s 
 |access-date=April 11, 2013 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc 
 |archive-date=November 3, 2014 }}</ref>
<!-- Government -->
| government_type                 = 
| leader_title                    = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name                     = Olivia Trujillo<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arvin.org/243/Mayor|title = Mayor &#124; Arvin, CA}}</ref>
| leader_title1                   = [[California's 16th State Senate district|State senator]]
| leader_name1                    = {{Representative|casd|16|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://senate.ca.gov/senators 
 |title=Senators 
 |access-date=May 13, 2025
|publisher=State of California}}</ref>
| leader_title2                   = [[California's 35th State Assembly district|Assemblymember]]
| leader_name2                    = {{Representative|caad|35|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
 |title=Members Assembly
 |access-date=May 13, 2025
|publisher=State of California}}</ref>
| leader_title3                   = [[California's 22nd congressional district|U. S. rep.]]
| leader_name3                    = {{Representative|cacd|22|fmt=usleader}}<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|22|accessdate=May 13, 2025}}</ref>
<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 30, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi                = 4.82
| area_total_km2                  = 12.48
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 4.82
| area_land_km2                   = 12.48
| area_water_sq_mi                = 0.00
| area_water_km2                  = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_total                = 19495
| population_density_sq_mi        = 4045.45
| population_density_km2          = 1561.84
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                        = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
| utc_offset                      = -8
| timezone_DST                    = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = -7
| elevation_footnotes             = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft                    = 420
| coordinates                     = {{coord|35|11|40|N|118|49|50|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code                     = 93203
| area_code_type                  = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code                       = [[Area code 661|661]]
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = {{FIPS|06|02924}}
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                     = 2409738<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2409738}}</ref>
| website                         = {{URL|www.arvin.org}}
}}
<!-- Infobox ends -->

'''Arvin''' is a city in [[Kern County, California]], United States. Arvin is located {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} southeast of [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]],<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|995}}</ref> at an elevation of {{Convert|449|feet|}}.<ref name=gnis /> As of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], the population was 19,495, up from 19,304 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].

In 2007, the United States [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) listed Arvin as having the highest levels of [[smog]] of any community in the United States.  The city's level of ozone, smog's primary component, exceeded the EPA's acceptable limits on an average of 73 days per year between 2004 and 2006.<ref>Thanawala, Sudhin. "Calif. Town Is Nation's Smoggiest", Associated Press.  [https://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-08-10-547417030_x.htm]</ref>

Wired [[telephone number]]s in Arvin follow the format (661) 854-xxxx or (661) 855-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93203.

==History==
Property sales of lots in present-day Arvin began in 1906. The Arvin Post Office was established in 1914 and the community incorporated as a city in 1960.<ref name=CGN /> The city was named after Arvin Richardson, who was the son of one of the original settling families from [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]]. Birdie Heard petitioned for the addition of the post office in 1914 and submitted proposed names, including Bear Mountain, Walnut, and Arvin.  Officials in Washington, D.C., chose Arvin as it was the only proposed name which was not already in use in California. Birdie was the city's first postmaster. She initially set up the post office in her living room, but it was later moved to the general store owned by the Staples family. The in-store post office was also the area's first informal library until an official branch of the [[Kern County Library]] system was established in 1927.

Pedro Subia, a Mexican striker in the [[California agricultural strikes of 1933]], was murdered at a strike in Arvin.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Acuña|first=Rodolfo|title=Corridors of Migration: The Odyssey of Mexican Laborers, 1600--1933|publisher=University of Arizona Press|year=2007|isbn=9780816526369|pages=258}}</ref>

The [[Mountain View Oil Field]], which underlies the town and much of the surrounding area, was discovered in 1933 and developed extensively in the 1930s. Many oil wells still surround the town; some are slant-drilled to reach formations directly underneath inhabited areas.<ref name="Matthews">John F. Matthews, Jr.  ''Arvin and Vaccaro Areas of Mountain View Oil Field: California Division of Oil and Gas, Summary of Operations''.  1961. Vol. 47 No. 1. 5-6</ref>

In the 1930s and 1940s the area east of Arvin became popular for recreational gliding and soaring, and the hillsides of the Tejon Ranch were used annually for a Western Soaring Championship in the spring. These significant events were later memorialized as a [[National Landmark of Soaring]] by the National Soaring Museum in 2000.

The ''Arvin Tiller'' started publication in 1939 and [[Arvin High School]] was built in 1949. The city was nearly destroyed on July 21, 1952, during the M7.3 [[1952 Kern County earthquake|Kern County earthquake]] (a rupture of the [[White Wolf Fault]]). Arvin suffered further damage on December 20, 1977, when a [[dust storm]] hit the area.

The Arvin Migratory Labor Camp was the first federally operated farm labor camp opened by the [[Farm Security Administration]] in 1937, one of many [[New Deal]] programs created during the presidency of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to respond to the [[Great Depression]]. This agricultural camp was considered a model, and was built by the [[Resettlement Administration]].<ref>{{Cite web
 |title=Historical Voices 
 |access-date=March 2, 2012 
 |url=http://www.historicalvoices.org/1930s/index.php 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219001134/http://www.historicalvoices.org/1930s/index.php 
 |archive-date=February 19, 2012 
}}</ref>
[[File:Arvin Kern County, California. Photograph made from the entrance of the Arvin Farm Labor Camp (F.S.A . . . - NARA - 521768.jpg|thumb|right|Entrance of the Arvin Farm Labor Camp, 1940]]

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|4.8|mi2|km2}}, all of it land.

===Climate===
According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Arvin has a [[semi-arid climate]], abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=938840&cityname=Arvin,%20California,%20United%20States%20of%20America&units=|title=Arvin, California Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|work=weatherbase.com|access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1940= 4042
|1950= 5007
|1970= 5199
|1980= 6863
|1990= 9286
|2000= 12956
|2010= 19304
|2020= 19495
|footnote=US Census<ref>[http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/census-surveys/totals_1860-1950/ Population Totals by Township and Place for California Counties: 1860 to 1950] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309091757/http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/census-surveys/totals_1860-1950/|date=March 9, 2012 }}. California Department of Finance. Retrieved December 3, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/state_census_data_center/historical_census_1850-2010/documents/2010-1850_STCO_IncCities-FINAL.xls Historical Census Populations of Counties and Incorporated Cities in California, 1850–2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308091125/http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/state_census_data_center/historical_census_1850-2010/documents/2010-1850_STCO_IncCities-FINAL.xls|date=March 8, 2013 }}. California Department of Finance. Retrieved December 3, 2012.</ref>
}}

The [[2020 United States census]] reported that Arvin had a population of 19,495. The population density was {{convert|4,045.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Arvin was 26.0% [[White Americans|White]], 0.9% [[African Americans|African American]], 2.0% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.6% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 52.1% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 18.3% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race were 94.0% of the population.<ref name=DP1>{{cite web |title=Arvin city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=1600000US0602924 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=April 1, 2025}}</ref>

The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.<ref name=DP1/>

There were 4,753 households, out of which 64.5% included children under the age of 18, 57.2% were married-couple households, 8.7% were [[cohabitation|cohabiting]] couple households, 21.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 12.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 8.2% of households were one person, and 2.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 4.08.<ref name=DP1/> There were 4,198 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (88.3% of all households).<ref>{{cite web |title=Arvin city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDHC2020.P16?g=1600000US0602924 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=April 1, 2025}}</ref>

The age distribution was 35.9% under the age of 18, 12.0% aged 18 to 24, 26.7% aged 25 to 44, 18.4% aged 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65{{nbsp}}years of age or older. The median age was 26.4{{nbsp}}years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males.<ref name=DP1/>

There were 4,884 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,013.5|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 4,753 (97.3%) were occupied. Of these, 51.8% were owner-occupied, and 48.2% were occupied by renters.<ref name=DP1/>

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 31.1% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 16.1% spoke only English at home, 83.0% spoke [[Spanish language|Spanish]], 0.0% spoke other [[Indo-European languages]], 0.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.4% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 45.3% were high school graduates and 4.3% had a bachelor's degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arvin city, California; CP02: Comparative Social Characteristics in the United States - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSCP5Y2023.CP02?g=1600000US0602924 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=April 1, 2025}}</ref>

The median household income was $49,984, and the [[per capita income]] was $15,302. About 27.0% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arvin city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=1600000US0602924 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=April 1, 2025}}</ref>

==Economy==
The economy of Arvin is primarily based on agriculture, and as such the employment statistics show seasonal variation. In March 2011, 41.9 percent of Arvin's residents were out of work, the highest of any city in Kern County.<ref>[http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x833057524/Kern-unemployment-rate-rises-toward-two-year-high Unemployment rates in Kern County Cities:  March 2012]</ref>

===Cannabis===
{{further|Cannabis in California}}
In 2018, voters in Arvin passed a measure to license and tax marijuana after the legalization of the sale and distribution of cannabis in California was legalized. The measure set a 6% tax on cannabis sales and a tax of up to $6 per square foot per year on cultivation. The city issued its first license to a delivery service in June 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hua|first=Karen|date=June 12, 2020|title=Kern's first marijuana delivery service comes to Arvin|url=https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/kerns-first-marijuana-delivery-service-comes-to-arvin/|access-date=June 16, 2020|work=KGET 17|language=en-US}}</ref> This was the first legal cannabis business in Kern County as similar measures have failed in other jurisdictions.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Harvey|first=Kyle |date=January 4, 2018|title=Keeping it legal: An overview of marijuana rules in Kern County|url=https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/investigations/keeping-it-legal-an-overview-of-marijuana-rules-in-kern-county|access-date=June 16, 2020|work=KBAK}}</ref> Companies must be licensed by the local agency and the state to grow, test, or sell cannabis and each city or county may authorize none or only some of these activities. Local governments may not prohibit adults who are in compliance with state laws from growing, using, or transporting marijuana for personal use.

==Education==
[[Image:2008 Wildflower Festival.jpg|thumb|right|200px|2009 Wildflower Festival]]
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
The city of Arvin is served by the [[Arvin Union School District]] and the [[Kern High School District]].  Other nearby districts include Di Giorgio School District, Vineland School District, and the Lamont School District.

The Arvin Union School District consists of Sierra Vista Elementary School, Bear Mountain Elementary School, El Camino Real Elementary School, Haven Drive Middle School, and Arvin State Preschool. The land for the Haven Drive campus was acquired in 1943. Sierra Vista and Haven Drive are the two oldest schools in Arvin.  The district serves preschool to eighth grade students. The Arvin Union School District also serves the community with the Arvin Family Resource Center.

The [[Kern High School District]] serves grades 9–12 in Arvin. It operates [[Arvin High School]], which also services students from the surrounding rural areas and the nearby town of [[Lamont, California|Lamont]].

==Public safety==
[[File:Arvin cruiser.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Arvin Police hybrid Cruiser]]
The city of Arvin has its own police department. In January 2008, the city purchased six hybrid police vehicles with a grant by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.<ref>[http://www.bakersfield.com/archive/x1699487849/Arvin-to-get-hybrid-vehicles Bakersfield Californian report]</ref> The city also purchased six hybrid SUVs in December 2008 with a grant by the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality District.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turnto23.com/south_county/18242115/detail.html|title=Arvin Police Turn To Hybrids To Patrol The Streets|date=December 10, 2008|work=turnto23.com|access-date=January 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314020918/http://www.turnto23.com/south_county/18242115/detail.html|archive-date=March 14, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Station 54 of the [[Kern County Fire Department]] is responsible for fire prevention services.

===Crime statistics===
2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-8/10tbl08ca.xls|title=Table 8 - California|work=fbi.gov|access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref>

*[[Population]]: '''15,410'''
*[[Violent crime]]: '''187'''
*[[Murder]] and non-negligent manslaughter: '''10'''
*[[Forcible rape]]: '''1'''
*[[Robbery]]: '''19'''
*[[Aggravated assault]]: '''167'''
*[[Property crime]]: '''500'''
*[[Burglary]]: '''186'''
*[[Larceny]]: '''232'''
*[[Motor vehicle theft]]: '''82'''
*[[Arson]]: '''14'''

===Full-time law enforcement employees===
2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-78/10tbl78ca.xls|title=Table 78 - California|work=fbi.gov|access-date=January 17, 2017}}</ref>

*[[Population]]: '''15,410'''
*Total law enforcement employees: '''27'''
*Total Officers: '''18'''
*Total Civilians: '''9'''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Bailey, Richard C., ''Kern County Place Names'', (Bakersfield, California: Merchant's Printing and Lithography Co., 1967).

==External links==
{{Commons category|Arvin, California}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.arvinchamberofcommerce.com/ Arvin Chamber of Commerce]
*[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13947544/ NPR - California Town a Magnet for Smog]

{{Cities of Kern County, California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1960 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Cities in Kern County, California]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1907]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1960]]
[[Category:San Joaquin Valley]]
[[Category:Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California]]