Arvin, California

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Arvin is a city in Kern County, California, United States. Arvin is located Template:Convert southeast of Bakersfield,<ref name=CGN>Template:California's Geographic Names</ref> at an elevation of Template:Convert.<ref name=gnis /> As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,495, up from 19,304 at the 2010 census.

In 2007, the United States 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. [1]</ref>

Wired telephone numbers 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. 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>Template:Cite book</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 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>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Arvin Kern County, California. Photograph made from the entrance of the Arvin Farm Labor Camp (F.S.A . . . - NARA - 521768.jpg

Entrance of the Arvin Farm Labor Camp, 1940

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, all of it land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Arvin has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

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The 2020 United States census reported that Arvin had a population of 19,495. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Arvin was 26.0% White, 0.9% African American, 2.0% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 52.1% from other races, and 18.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 94.0% of the population.<ref name=DP1>Template:Cite web</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 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 families (88.3% of all households).<ref>Template:Cite web</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 65Template:Nbspyears of age or older. The median age was 26.4Template:Nbspyears. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males.<ref name=DP1/>

There were 4,884 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, 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, 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>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite web</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>Unemployment rates in Kern County Cities: March 2012</ref>

Cannabis

Template:Further 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>Template:Cite news</ref> This was the first legal cannabis business in Kern County as similar measures have failed in other jurisdictions.<ref>Template:Cite news</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

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2009 Wildflower Festival

Template:Unreferenced section 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.

Public safety

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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>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>Template:Cite web</ref> Station 54 of the Kern County Fire Department is responsible for fire prevention services.