Shafter, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 12,736 at the 2000 census.

The city of Shafter began as a loading dock along the Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way. The community was named for General William Rufus Shafter who commanded US Forces in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Property was sold beginning in 1914 and the city incorporated during 1938. Wired telephone numbers in Shafter follow the format (661) 746-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93263.

It is the home of the Shafter site of the KOA campground chain.

The city is located along State Route 43. Suburbs of Shafter include areas or communities named:

Myrick's Corner
North Shafter
Smith Corner
Thomas Lane

1 Sources
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Sources

Bailey, Richard C., Kern County Place Names, (Bakersfield, California: Merchant's Printing and Lithography Co., 1967).
US Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangle, "Wasco, California" (1973).

[edit] Geography

Shafter is located at 35°29′45″N, 119°14′52″W (35.495893, -119.247908)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.6 km² (18.0 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,736 people, 3,293 households, and 2,759 families residing in the city. The population density was 273.5/km² (708.4/mi²). There were 3,624 housing units at an average density of 77.8/km² (201.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.52% White, 1.60% Black or African American, 1.25% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 48.36% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. 68.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,293 households out of which 52.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.2% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.67 and the average family size was 3.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 36.6% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,515, and the median income for a family was $31,457. Males had a median income of $31,605 versus $21,603 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,961. About 22.5% of families and 29.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.