Madera County, California

Madera County, California
County
County of Madera
Images, from top down, left to right: Wassama Round House State Historic Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Fresno Dome, Banner Peak above Thousand Island Lake, Bass Lake
Flag Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Regions	San Joaquin Valley, Sierra Nevada
Metropolitan area	Metropolitan Fresno
Incorporated	1893
County seat	Madera
Area
• Total	2,153 sq mi (5,580 km2)
• Land	2,137 sq mi (5,530 km2)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km2)
Population (April 1, 2010)
• Total	150,865
• Estimate (2014)	154,548
• Density	70/sq mi (27/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
FIPS code	06-039
GNIS feature ID	277284
Website	www.madera-county.com

Madera County, officially the County of Madera, is a county at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 150,865. The county seat is Madera.

Madera County comprises the Madera, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Fresno-Madera, CA Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada.

The southeasternmost part of Yosemite National Park is located in the county's northeast.

History

Logging in the Sierra, Madera County, about 1901

Madera County was formed in 1893 from the southern part of Mariposa County during a special election held on May 16, 1893. Citizens residing in the area that was to become Madera County voted 1,179 to 358 for establishment of the new county.

Madera is the Spanish term for wood. The county derives its name from the town of Madera, named when the California Lumber Company built a log flume to carry lumber to the Central Pacific Railroad there in 1876.

The Madera County Sheriff's Department employed the first woman in California to die in the line of duty as a sworn law enforcement officer—Tulare native Lucille Helm (1914-1959). For 15 years, the Madera housewife and mother of four worked on call as a "matron" assisting with female transfers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,153 square miles (5,580 km²), of which 2,137 square miles (5,530 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (0.8%) is water.

Madera County is part of the Madera AVA wine region.

National protected areas

• Devils Postpile National Monument
• Inyo National Forest (part)
• Sierra National Forest (part)
• Yosemite National Park (part)

Demographics

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population	149,611
White	121,045	80.9%
Black or African American	4,962	3.3%
American Indian or Alaska Native	2,541	1.7%
Asian	2,980	2.0%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	755	0.5%
Some other race	12,152	8.1%
Two or more races	5,176	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	79,037	52.8%
Per capita income	$18,817
Median household income	$47,724
Median family income	$51,658

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type	Population	White	Other	Asian	Black or African American	Native American	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Ahwahnee	CDP	1,685	99.9%	0.0%	0.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Bass Lake	CDP	473	96.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.4%	3.4%
Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos	CDP	8,400	83.1%	8.0%	3.1%	5.3%	0.4%	26.0%
Chowchilla	City	18,465	68.1%	14.3%	2.5%	10.2%	5.0%	36.7%
Coarsegold	CDP	1,490	98.2%	1.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	4.9%
Fairmead	CDP	1,042	77.7%	17.9%	0.8%	3.6%	0.0%	53.3%
La Vina	CDP	788	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	100.0%
Madera	City	60,221	80.2%	12.7%	2.9%	3.0%	1.3%	74.9%
Madera Acres	CDP	9,201	80.2%	14.6%	0.3%	2.4%	2.5%	63.7%
Nipinnawasee	CDP	644	90.1%	9.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	7.1%
Oakhurst	CDP	3,014	85.7%	12.2%	0.0%	0.6%	1.5%	12.9%
Parksdale	CDP	3,094	75.0%	19.5%	0.0%	1.1%	4.4%	92.5%
Parkwood	CDP	2,500	66.6%	23.1%	6.1%	4.3%	0.0%	79.3%
Rolling Hills	CDP	927	88.2%	4.5%	6.8%	0.4%	0.0%	8.8%
Yosemite Lakes	CDP	4,655	94.4%	2.2%	1.6%	0.2%	1.6%	12.3%

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Ahwahnee	CDP	1,685	$36,369	$48,289	$59,063
Bass Lake	CDP	473	$53,315	$77,857	$78,839
Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos	CDP	8,400	$29,655	$74,917	$83,508
Chowchilla	City	18,465	$12,612	$41,858	$47,283
Coarsegold	CDP	1,490	$31,284	$40,333	$63,719
Fairmead	CDP	1,042	$16,132	$42,426	$41,103
La Vina	CDP	788	$7,404	$27,917	$28,333
Madera	City	60,221	$14,685	$41,991	$43,584
Madera Acres	CDP	9,201	$20,061	$63,462	$66,341
Nipinnawasee	CDP	644	$23,104	$43,083	$63,447
Oakhurst	CDP	3,014	$22,877	$37,609	$46,979
Parksdale	CDP	3,094	$11,554	$39,267	$38,276
Parkwood	CDP	2,500	$9,352	$38,941	$26,654
Rolling Hills	CDP	927	$28,421	$69,226	$91,635
Yosemite Lakes	CDP	4,655	$34,028	$77,214	$79,440

2010

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	6,364		—
1910	8,368		31.5%
1920	12,203		45.8%
1930	17,164		40.7%
1940	23,314		35.8%
1950	36,964		58.5%
1960	40,468		9.5%
1970	41,519		2.6%
1980	63,116		52.0%
1990	88,090		39.6%
2000	123,109		39.8%
2010	150,865		22.5%
Est. 2014	154,548		2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

The 2010 United States Census reported that Madera County had a population of 150,865. The racial makeup of Madera County was 94,456 (62.6%) White, 5,629 (3.7%) African American, 4,136 (2.7%) Native American, 2,802 (1.9%) Asian, 162 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 37,380 (24.8%) from other races, and 6,300 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 80,992 persons (53.7%).

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Madera County	150,865	94,456	5,629	4,136	2,802	162	37,380	6,300	80,992
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Chowchilla	18,720	11,533	2,358	376	395	37	3,313	708	7,073
Madera	61,416	30,640	2,069	1,933	1,369	72	22,603	2,730	47,103
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Ahwahnee	2,246	2,064	6	30	16	0	38	92	196
Bass Lake	527	503	1	10	1	0	2	10	22
Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos	8,569	7,034	114	120	207	4	811	279	2,305
Coarsegold	1,840	1,617	11	50	32	6	47	77	156
Fairmead	1,447	764	88	23	7	0	497	68	984
La Vina	279	117	3	0	0	0	150	9	265
Madera Acres	9,163	5,838	241	161	114	5	2,448	356	5,985
Nipinnawasee	475	422	2	9	0	0	3	39	50
Oakhurst	2,829	2,532	22	61	44	3	66	101	473
Parksdale	2,621	1,155	56	65	18	3	1,231	93	2,278
Parkwood	2,268	1,138	123	48	22	0	814	123	1,784
Rolling Hills	742	642	16	11	25	2	34	12	143
Yosemite Lakes	4,952	4,408	38	91	51	8	131	225	517
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	32,771	24,049	481	1,148	501	22	5,192	1,378	11,658

2000

County government office building.

As of the census of 2000, there are 123,109 people in the county, organized into 36,155 households, and 28,598 families. The population density is 58 people per square mile (22/km²). There are 40,387 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county is 62.2% White, 4.1% Black or African American, 2.6% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 24.4% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. 44.3% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.0% were of German, 5.9% English, 5.4% American and 5.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 63.6% spoke English and 33.7% Spanish as their first language.

There are 36,155 households out of which 40.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% are married couples living together, 12.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% are non-families. 16.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.18 and the average family size is 3.52.

In the county the population is spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $36,286, and the median income for a family is $39,226. Males have a median income of $33,658 versus $24,415 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,682. 21.4% of the population and 15.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 28.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Education

Madera County is mostly covered by the State Center Community College District centered on Fresno City College in Fresno. Other districts with terrirtory within Madera County also include the West Hills Community College District and the Merced Community College District.

Government and politics

Voter registration

Population and registered voters
Total population	149,611
Registered voters	53,782	35.9%
Democratic	18,212	33.9%
Republican	23,858	44.4%
Democratic–Republican spread	-5,646	-10.5%
Independent	1,615	3.0%
Green	208	0.4%
Libertarian	264	0.5%
Peace and Freedom	131	0.2%
Americans Elect	0	0.0%
Other	191	0.4%
No party preference	9,303	17.3%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population	Registered voters	Democratic	Republican	D–R spread	Other	No party preference
Chowchilla	18,465	22.5%	30.8%	45.1%	-14.3%	9.0%	18.8%
Madera	60,221	26.8%	44.9%	33.1%	+11.8%	6.2%	18.4%

Overview

Presidential election results

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2012	58.7% 18,990	39.2% 12,698	2.1% 684
2008	56.4% 20,251	41.8% 14,997	1.8% 684
2004	64.0% 24,871	34.7% 13,481	1.3% 498
2000	60.7% 20,283	34.9% 11,650	4.4% 1,462
1996	53.8% 16,510	36.7% 11,254	9.5% 2,898
1992	43.2% 13,066	35.9% 10,863	20.9% 6,316
1988	54.6% 13,255	43.8% 10,642	1.6% 384
1984	60.0% 13,954	38.7% 8,994	1.3% 293
1980	53.6% 10,599	39.3% 7,783	7.1% 1,398
1976	46.0% 6,844	51.2% 7,625	2.8% 423
1972	52.6% 7,835	44.2% 6,580	3.2% 477
1968	43.5% 6,229	48.5% 6,932	8.0% 1,142
1964	32.2% 4,461	67.7% 9,391	0.1% 10
1960	41.8% 5,869	57.8% 8,126	0.4% 62

Madera is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Madera is split between the 4th and 16th congressional districts, represented by Tom McClintock (R–Elk Grove) and Jim Costa (D–Fresno), respectively.

With respect to the California State Assembly, the county is in the 5th Assembly District, represented by Republican Frank Bigelow.

In the California State Senate, Madera is split between the 8th Senate District, represented by Republican Tom Berryhill, and the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Anthony Cannella.

On November 4, 2008, Madera County voted 73.4% for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

The county is one of three counties in California to establish a separate department to deal with corrections pursuant to California Government Code §23013, the Madera County Department of Corrections, along with Napa County and Santa Clara County. The officers receive their powers under 831 and 831.5 of the California Penal Code.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population	149,611
Violent crime	685	4.58
Homicide	3	0.02
Forcible rape	36	0.24
Robbery	162	1.08
Aggravated assault	484	3.24
Property crime	2,144	14.33
Burglary	1,166	7.79
Larceny-theft	1,484	9.92
Motor vehicle theft	520	3.48
Arson	18	0.12

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population	Violent crimes	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Chowchilla	19,221	115	5.98	446	23.20
Madera	62,796	466	7.42	1,621	25.81

Attractions

The Chowchilla/Madera County Fairgrounds hosts the Chowchilla Junior Fair, founded in 1946, and the Chowchilla Western Stampede. It also houses the Chowchilla Speedway, a 1/3 mile dirt track, and the Associated Feed Pavilion, a covered arena. The venue hosts numerous horse events and auctions, a Spring Festival barbecue, and other public and private events.

Transportation

Major highways

• State Route 41
• State Route 49
• State Route 99
• State Route 145
• State Route 152

Other roads

The eastern side of Madera County, which includes Devil's Postpile National Monument and part of Minaret Summit, is unconnected to the rest of Madera County by road. This only road into this area is Minaret Summit Road which becomes State Route 203 at the Mono County border, connecting this area to Mammoth Lakes. Red's Meadow Road is a further extension of this route.

The gap between Minaret Road (not to be confused with Minaret Summit Road), which runs northeast into the Sierras from North Fork, and the end of the Red's Meadow Road is less than 10 miles, and plans for a highway (or tunnel) connecting the Eastern Sierra and the San Joaquin Valley via Minaret Summit had often been discussed. An area southwest of Minaret Summit was not included in the Wilderness Act of 1964 in order to leave a corridor for this possibility. During his time as Governor of California, Ronald Reagan made a horse packing trip into the area. Afterward he supported conservationists' efforts to prevent this highway. Reagan continued his efforts after being elected President in 1980, and the area was eventually designated wilderness by the California Wilderness Act of 1984.

Public transportation

• Madera County Connection provides service between the cities of Madera and Chowchilla. Routes also run to eastern Madera County. A connection to Fresno can be made at Children's Hospital Central California near the county line.
• The cities of Madera and Chowchilla also have their own local transit services.
• Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains stop in Madera.

Airports

• Madera Municipal Airport and Chowchilla Airport are general aviation airports.

Communities

Cities

• Chowchilla
• Madera (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Ahwahnee
• Bass Lake
• Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos
• Coarsegold
• Fairmead
• La Vina
• Madera Acres
• Nipinnawasee
• Oakhurst
• Parksdale
• Parkwood
• Rolling Hills
• Yosemite Lakes

Unincorporated communities

• Knowles
• North Fork
• O'Neals
• Raymond
• Ripperdan
• Sugar Pine

See also

• Sierra National Forest
• Nelder Grove
• Fresno Dome
• List of museums in the San Joaquin Valley
• List of school districts in Madera County, California
• Madera Community Hospital
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Madera County, California
• USS Madera County (LST-905)

External links

• Madera County GenWeb - Genealogy
• Madera County History—Transcription of 1933 document on the county's history
• Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce
• Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau
• Madera Tribune, newspaper for the western half of the county founded March 31, 1892
• Superior Court of Madera County
• Madera County Library
• Madera Community Hospital
• Madera Values Quarterly Magazine