Atwater, California Explained

Atwater, California
Settlement Type:City
Motto:Community Pride, City Wide
Mapsize:250x200px
Pushpin Map:California#USA
Pushpin Label:Atwater
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:California
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Merced
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Paul Creighton[1]
Leader Title1:State Senator
Leader Title2:Assemblymember
Leader Title3:U. S. Rep.
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:August 16, 1922[2]
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Sq Mi:6.57
Area Land Sq Mi:6.57
Area Water Sq Mi:0.01
Area Water Percent:0.08
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:31970
Population Footnotes:[4]
Population Density Sq Mi:4868.28
Timezone:Pacific
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:Pacific
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Coordinates:37.3478°N -120.6092°W
Elevation M:46
Elevation Ft:151
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:95301, 95342
Area Code:209
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID

Atwater is a city on State Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is 8miles west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of . The population as of the 2020 census was 31,970,[4] up from 28,168 in 2010.

Geography

Atwater is in northern Merced County, between Merced, the county seat, to the southeast and Livingston to the northwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . 99.92% of it is land and 0.08% is water.[3]

The city includes Castle Air Museum, but does not include the former Castle Air Force Base proper, now repurposed as Castle Airport.

History

The railroad reached Atwater in the 1870s, and a town grew around it. The first post office opened in 1880. Atwater incorporated in 1922. The name honors Marshall D. Atwater, a wheat farmer whose land was used by the railroad for its station.

North of the town is the site of Castle Air Force Base, the former World War II Merced Army Airfield.[5] Castle was selected for closure under the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission and the base closed September 30, 1995. The site is now a public airport.

On May 15, 2020, Atwater declared itself a business "sanctuary city" during the coronavirus pandemic.[6]

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Atwater had a population of 28,168. The population density was 4620.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of Atwater was 18,410 (65.4%) White, 14,808 (52.6%) Hispanic or Latino of any race, 1,225 (4.3%) African American, 364 (1.3%) Native American, 1,416 (5.0%) Asian, 76 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 5,300 (18.8%) from other races, and 1,377 (4.9%) from two or more races.[7]

The census reported that 28,066 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 31 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 71 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 8,838 households, 4,255 (48.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,593 (52.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,558 (17.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 672 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 615 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 60 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,615 households (18.3%) were one person and 738 (8.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.18. There were 6,823 families (77.2% of households); the average family size was 3.61.

The age distribution was 9,016 people (32.0%) under the age of 18, 2,968 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 7,492 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 5,760 people (20.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,932 people (10.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

There were 9,771 housing units at an average density of 1,602.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 4,905 (55.5%) were owner-occupied and 3,933 (44.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.9%. 14,920 people (53.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 13,146 people (46.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 23,113 people in 7,247 households, including 5,667 families, in the city. The population density was 4277.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 8,114 housing units at an average density of 1501.6sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 57.34% White, 4.99% Black or African American, 1.27% Native American, 5.43% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 24.48% from other races, and 6.14% from two or more races. 41.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[8] Of the 7,247 households 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.6% of households were one person and 6.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.55.

The age distribution was 34.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in Atwater is $37,344, and the median family income was $39,789. Males had a median income of $32,983 versus $22,450 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,162. About 15.3% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Atwater is in, and in .[9]

In the United States House of Representatives, Atwater is in .[10]

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Most of the city is zoned to the Atwater Elementary School District. Schools of AESD within Atwater and serving Atwater include:[11]

A small section of eastern Atwater is located in the Merced City School District; that section is zoned to Rudolph Rivera Middle School.[12] Franklin Elementary School is the closest elementary school to the section of Atwater.

Merced Union High School District operates Atwater High School and Buhach Colony High School, both of which serve and reside in Atwater.

Private schools

School Grades
Ariel Dear Academy 2-12
Fruitland Christian Preschool PK-K
PK-12
St. Anthony School PK-8

Newspapers

Atwater currently does not have a daily newspaper, although many of its residents use the daily paper, the Merced Sun-Star, which is published in nearby Merced. Additionally Atwater residents rely on local Facebook pages such as "Merced County news".Atwater has two weekly newspapers called The Atwater Signal and The Atwater Times. The Atwater Signal was first published in 1911. The Atwater Times[13] is published by Mid Valley Publications, once a week.

Notable residents

Sports

See also

References

Merced, Atwater, Merced County

Notes and References

  1. Web site: City of Atwater . January 6, 2019 . December 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191223185844/http://www.atwater.org/government_mayorcitycouncil.html . dead .
  2. Web site: California Cities by Incorporation Date . Word . California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions . August 25, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc . November 3, 2014 .
  3. Web site: 2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California . United States Census Bureau . August 24, 2022.
  4. Web site: P1. Race – Atwater city, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171). U.S. Census Bureau. August 24, 2022.
  5. http://www.militarymuseum.org/CastleAFB.html militarymuseum.org Merced Army Air Field, Castle Field
  6. News: Lauten-Scrivner. Abbie. May 15, 2020. Atwater is now a business 'sanctuary city' during coronavirus pandemic. What does it mean?. Merced Sun-Star. May 16, 2020.
  7. Web site: 2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Atwater city. https://archive.today/20140715023349/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0603162. dead. July 15, 2014. U.S. Census Bureau. July 12, 2014.
  8. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  9. Web site: Statewide Database . UC Regents . December 10, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html . February 1, 2015. dead .
  10. October 1, 2014.
  11. Web site: Attendance Area . September 2, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080509160347/http://www.aesd.edu/attendance_area.htm . May 9, 2008 .
  12. "Proposed Middle School Boundaries 2008-2009." Merced City School District.
  13. Web site: Newspaper Advertising - Nationwide Classified or Display Ads Cheap. www.usnewspapers.com. April 17, 2018.
  14. Web site: Bernard Berrian Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College . December 17, 2023 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  15. Web site: Chuck Compton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College . December 17, 2023 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  16. Web site: Jamill Kelly - Wrestling Coach . December 17, 2023 . Stanford University Athletics . en.
  17. Web site: Actress, TV Host Sheryl Underwood Also Served in the Air Force . December 17, 2023 . U.S. Department of Defense . en-US.
  18. Web site: Willow Wisp on Apple Music . December 17, 2023 . Apple Music Web Player . en-US.
  19. Web site: Atwater Aviators - Golden State Collegiate Baseball League. pointstreaksites.com. April 17, 2018.
  20. Web site: MascotDB.com - Atwater Angels. www.mascotdb.com. April 17, 2018.