Potrero, California

Potrero
census-designated place
Location of Potrero in California
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
Area
• Total	3.149 sq mi (8.156 km2)
• Land	3.149 sq mi (8.156 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	2,336 ft (712 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	656
• Density	210/sq mi (80/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	91963, 91990
Area code(s)	619
FIPS code	06-06073
GNIS feature ID	247733

Potrero is a census-designated place in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California.

Location

State Route 94 connects Potrero by road west to San Diego and east to Campo. Potrero is Spanish for 'pasture land'. Its closest neighbor is Tecate, in Mexico.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.1 square miles (8.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Potrero had a population of 656. The population density was 208.3 people per square mile (80.4/km²). The racial makeup of Potrero was 338 (51.5%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 8 (1.2%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 3 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 281 (42.8%) from other races, and 26 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 499 persons (76.1%).

The Census reported that 656 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 189 households, out of which 92 (48.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 95 (50.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 31 (16.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 9 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 18 (9.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 37 households (19.6%) were made up of individuals and 17 (9.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47. There were 135 families (71.4% of all households); the average family size was 4.11.

The population was spread out with 217 people (33.1%) under the age of 18, 60 people (9.1%) aged 18 to 24, 155 people (23.6%) aged 25 to 44, 156 people (23.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 68 people (10.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.4 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

There were 208 housing units at an average density of 66.1 per square mile (25.5/km²), of which 113 (59.8%) were owner-occupied, and 76 (40.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.3%. 379 people (57.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 277 people (42.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Blackwater Controversy

In 2007, Blackwater USA submitted plans to build a weapons training facility in Potrero. The plans generated substantial controversy in the community. Local activists organized a recall campaign against the members of the local planning group. On 11 December 2007, all five members of the Potrero Community Planning Group who approved the Blackwater project lost their seats in a recall election. Subsequently, on March 7, 2008, Blackwater USA pulled their application for this facility.