Isleton, California

City of Isleton
City
Downtown Isleton, a National Historic Landmark
Location in Sacramento County and the state of California Location in Sacramento County and the state of California
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	California
County	Sacramento
Incorporated	May 14, 1923
Area
• Total	0.492 sq mi (1.272 km2)
• Land	0.440 sq mi (1.139 km2)
• Water	0.052 sq mi (0.134 km2)  10.50%
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	804
• Density	1,600/sq mi (630/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95641
Area code	916
FIPS code	06-36882
GNIS feature IDs	277531, 2410122

Isleton is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 804 at the 2010 census, down from 828 at the 2000 census. It is located on Andrus Island amid the slough wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, on the eastern edge of the Rio Vista Gas Field. The city has many preserved 19th-century era storefronts along its main street, some of which show distinct Chinese influences.

Isleton is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area and Rio Vista Micropolitan Statistical Area. California State Route 160 passes through the city and crosses the 1923 Isleton Bridge.

History

Isleton was founded 1874 by Josiah Pool. After having the town platted, he constructed a wharf on the Sacramento River, and a booming town soon followed. However, Isleton was flooded in 1878 and 1881, causing Pool financial difficulties and leading him to move out. The town also flooded in 1890, 1907, and 1972. As agriculture in the surrounding area developed, three canneries opened up in Isleton and other delta towns. The cannery workforce was over 90 percent Asian.

Chinese began immigrating to Isleton around 1875, and at its peak, the Chinese section of the city had about 1,500 people and included a branch of the Bing Kong Tong. The city also had a Japantown, just east of Chinatown. The Chinese and Japanese districts are in the National Register of Historic Places.

As the canneries folded, the population started to decline, although it has started to rebound since 2010. Its economy was badly hit by the recession in 2007. In 2010, Isleton attempted to raise money by permitting a marijuana farm in return for a share of the profits, but it was abandoned after warnings from federal prosecutors. In 2012, the city lost its police department.

Geography

Isleton is located at (38.161861, -121.609269).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²) of it (10.50%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Isleton has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	2,090		—
1940	1,837		−12.1%
1950	1,597		−13.1%
1960	1,039		−34.9%
1970	909		−12.5%
1980	914		0.6%
1990	833		−8.9%
2000	828		−0.6%
2010	804		−2.9%
Est. 2014	828		3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Isleton had a population of 804. The population density was 1,636.9 people per square mile (632.0/km²). The ethnic makeup of Isleton was 542 (67.4%) White, 10 (1.2%) Hispanic or Latino, 316 (39.3%) African American, 10 (1.2%) Native American, 41 (5.1%) Asian, 4 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 139 (17.3%) from other races, and 58 (7.2%) from two or more races.

The Census reported that 804 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 331 households, out of which 96 (29.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 109 (32.9%) were heterosexual married couples living together, 46 (13.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 23 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 25 (7.6%) unmarried heterosexual partnerships, and 4 (1.2%) homosexual married couples or partnerships. 125 households (37.8%) were made up of individuals and 51 (15.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43. There were 178 families (53.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.35.

The population was spread out with 191 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 71 people (8.8%) aged 18 to 24, 172 people (21.4%) aged 25 to 44, 235 people (29.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 135 people (16.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 107.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.3 males.

There were 425 housing units at an average density of 865.3 per square mile (334.1/km²), of which 184 (55.6%) were owner-occupied, and 147 (44.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 11.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 19.7%. 436 people (54.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 368 people (45.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

Water tower in Isleton

As of the census of 2000, there were 828 people, 343 households, and 209 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,071.4 people per square mile (799.2/km²). There were 384 housing units at an average density of 960.6 per square mile (370.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.57% White, 1.45% African American, 1.45% Native American, 9.78% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 10.02% from other races, and 7.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.93% of the population.

There were 343 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,958, and the median income for a family was $40,833. Males had a median income of $39,306 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,767. About 12.4% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

File:Sacramento River drawbridge near Isleton, California, in 2007.jpg

Arched bridge with drawbridge section over the Sacramento River just north of Isleton

Politics

See also: Government of Sacramento County, California

In the California State Legislature, Isleton is in the 3rd Senate District, represented by Democrat Lois Wolk, and in the 11th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Jim Frazier.

In the United States House of Representatives, Isleton is in California's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat John Garamendi.