Hanford, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hanford is the county seat of Kings County, California. It is the principal city of the Hanford-Corcoran, California Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25260) which encompasses all of Kings County and the cities of Hanford and Corcoran. The population was 41,686 at the 2000 census. However, the California Department of Finance estimates that the population had grown to 49,048 as of January 1, 2006, making it the 170th largest city in the state.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Culture
5 Notable residents
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Hanford is located at 36°19′60″N, 119°38′49″W (36.333273, -119.646889)^GR1. It is situated in the south central portion of California's San Joaquin Valley, 45 km (28 mi) SSE of the city of Fresno, at an elevation of 249 feet above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.9 km² (13.1 mi²), all of which is land not covered by water.

[edit] History

The Hanford area was inhabited by the Tachi Yokut Indians for several thousand years prior to Euro-American contact. They occupied areas along watercourses such as creeks, springs and seep areas (such as sloughs), along perennial and seasonal drainages, as well as flat ridges and terraces.^[1] Therefore, the areas along streams are considered likely locations for prehistoric cultural resources. Permanent villages were usually placed on an elevation above the seasonal flood levels. Surrounding areas were used for hunting and seed, acorn, and grass gathering.

Hanford is named for James Madison Hanford, a railroad executive, after the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks were laid through a sheep camp in the year 1877.

Several times, major fires destroyed much of the young community's business district. The need for fire protection led to the town becoming an incorporated city in 1891.

The first public high school, Hanford Union High School, was started in 1892 with one teacher, W. S. Cranmer, and an average enrollment of fourteen.^[2]

When Kings County was created in 1893 from the western part of Tulare County, Hanford became its county seat.

A second railroad was laid through Hanford in 1897, which today is the main north-south line of the BNSF Railway through the San Joaquin Valley. The original east-west Southern Pacific Railroad branch line is now operated by the San Joaquin Valley Railroad.

Saloons flourished in Hanford's early days despite an anti-saloon movement until the town voted to become "dry" in 1912.^[3]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 41,686 people, 13,931 households, and 10,378 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,229.6/km² (3,184.4/mi²). There were 14,721 housing units at an average density of 434.2/km² (1,124.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.06% White, 5.01% Black or African American, 1.36% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 20.80% from other races, and 5.73% from two or more races. 38.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,931 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,582, and the median income for a family was $41,395. Males had a median income of $37,120 versus $25,971 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,504. About 14.2% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Culture

[edit] The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture

The jewel of the Clark Center is The Ruth & Sherman Lee Institute [1], the mission of which is to collect, preserve and exhibit works of fine art, primarily the arts of Japan. Regular museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. The Center, a complex of buildings in a style informed by Japanese architecture, also houses a specialist library for Japanese art and culture.

[edit] Renaissance of Kings Cultural Arts Faire

The Renaissance of Kings Cultural Arts Faire [2] is held the first weekend of October at Courthouse Square in Hanford's city center. The Faire recreates the period of time during the rule of King Henry VIII of England. There is no admission charge and the event typically attracts 15,000 people over the two-day period.

[edit] Hanford in Literature

William Saroyan's short story, "The Journey to Hanford" is a comic account of two characters from Fresno--a boy and his wastrel uncle--who share a single bicycle as they travel the approximately thirty mile route between Fresno and Hanford, taking along a sack of rice to feed them through what turns out to be a largely pointless summer.

[edit] Hanford's Black Community

While the black community has played an important role in the city, the City of Hanford only began to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 15, 2007 after a long battle led by the local branch of the NAACP. The City Council then recognized the day as an official holiday with a Resolution honoring Dr. King, read by Mayor Joaquin Gonzales. The most prominent African-Americans living in the community include Chris Jordan, veteran City of Hanford Police Captain, first African-American elected as Sheriff of Kings County in November 2006. The late civil rights activist, Wanda Williams-Hinton, turned the Black History Month celebration into an annual citywide tradition. ^[4]

[edit] Sister City

Setana, Hokkaido, Japan

[edit] Hanford's Taoist Temple

National Register #72000226 Taoist Temple 12 China Alley Hanford Built 1893 http://www.visithanford.com/downtownmap/downtownmap18.html Taoist Temple
Hanford's Chinatown grew and prospered rapidly to include its own restaurants, additional homes, grocery stores, laundries, tobacco shops, herbal shops with several herb doctors in residence, sundries stores and, of course, many gambling establishments; a virtual "city within a city." It is a fascinating adventure to visit the Taoist Temple and museum. Allowing us a step back into history we can almost feel the presence of worship in the temple and business of living within the alley. After climbing the steep steps to enter the temple, one is surrounded by vestiges of a by-gone era. Furnishings are the original pieces with the exception of some flowers on the main altar table which were donated by a couple from Bakersfield following the demise of the originals. The building is constructed of "on-site" hand made brick, creating one foot thick walls. The internal walls were then covered with a thin layer of plaster which was painstakingly painted to simulate brick.

[edit] Notable residents

Baseball player Ryan Eugene Bowen was born in Hanford.^{[citation needed]}
NBA Player Tyson Chandler was born in the city of Hanford.
Baseball player Ken Caminiti was born in Hanford.
Baseball player Bill Landis was born, raised in, and still lives in Hanford. He played on the 1967 American League Champion Boston Red Sox.
Louis Bert Lindley, Jr., better known as Slim Pickens, a rodeo cowboy and actor, grew up in Hanford.
Hockey player Scott Parker, the first Californian-born to play in the NHL.
Rock singer Steve Perry, best-known for his work with the band Journey was born and grew up in Hanford.
James Rainwater, physicist and co-winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics, lived in Hanford as a child and graduated from Hanford High School.
Baseball player Timothy Dale Scott currently resides and was born in Hanford.^{[citation needed]}
Jan-Michael Vincent, actor, moved to Hanford with his family as a teenager, and graduated from Hanford High School.
Delbert Wong (1920-2006), first judge of Chinese American descent was born in Hanford.
Bessie Sue Loo (1902-1998), daughter of Hanford's Sue Chung Kee, became the first and foremost Asian American casting agent in Hollywood with her Bessie Loo Agency.
Richard Wing, famous restaurateur, built the Imperial Dynasty restaurant in Hanford with his family. The Wings have four generations in Hanford.
Screenwriter and novelist Curtis Loveall (aka D.G. Forsythe) was born in Hanford, grew up in Armona and graduated from Hanford High school.

[edit] References

^ John Torrey, Paul Awosika et. al., Environmental Impact Report for the Hanford Mall, Earth Metrics Inc. for the city of Hanford and State of California Clearinghouse, rpt. 10082, March 8, 1990
^ Gibson, Harold, History of Kings County Public Schools, Hanford, CA, 2004
^ Brown, Robert R. and Richmond, J.E., History of Kings County, A.H. Cawston, Hanford, CA, 1940
^ Hanford Sentinel, November 30, 2006