| Official Name: | City of Kingsburg |
| Kingsburg, California | |
| Named For: | Kings River |
| Motto: | Past, Present and Future: Celebrating Kingsburg |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the United States |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Fresno |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Brandon Pursell Jr [1] |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor Pro Tem |
| Leader Name1: | Vince Palomar |
| Leader Title2: | State Senate |
| Leader Name2: | [2] |
| Leader Title3: | State Assembly |
| Leader Name3: | [3] |
| Leader Title4: | U. S. Congress |
| Leader Name4: | [4] |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | May 29, 1908[5] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [6] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.71 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.71 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Km2: | 9.60 |
| Area Land Km2: | 9.60 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 12380 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1261.04 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 3266.25 |
| Timezone: | PST |
| Utc Offset: | −08:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −07:00 |
| Coordinates: | 36.5139°N -119.5539°W |
| Elevation M: | 92 |
| Elevation Ft: | 302 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 93631 |
| Area Code: | 559 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Kingsburg is a city in Fresno County, California. Kingsburg is located 5miles southeast of Selma at an elevation of 302feet, on the banks of the Kings River. The city is from Fresno, and about from the California Central Coast and Sierra Nevada mountain range. The population was 12,380 at the 2020 census.
Kingsburg was established as a railroad town, its site set by the Central Pacific Railroad when it completed the Valley Line in 1873. In the early 1870s, Swedish natives settled in a railroad town called "Kings River Switch". Kingsburg started out as a flag stop on the Central Pacific Railroad called Kings River Switch. In 1874 Kingsburg was called Wheatville and had a post office, later that year they changed the name to Kingsbury. During this time period, Josiah Draper and Andrew Farley each owned a quarter section, about 160acres, Draper on the east side of the railroad tracks and Farley on the west side of the tracks. So it was suggested that the east side be called Drapersville and the west side called Farleyville. Two years after that it became Kingsburgh and in January 1894 took on its present spelling, "Kingsburg", which was finally established as a town in 1908. By 1921, ninety-four percent of the population within a three-mile radius of Kingsburg was Swedish-American, giving the community the nickname of "Little Sweden". To keep up with the town's Swedish history most retail businesses are designed in Swedish architecture.
For much of the town's history, the fields around Kingsburg were mostly grape vineyards which produce mainly raisins and table grapes; in 2002 a large surplus of raisins and grapes drove the price for these commodities down to an all-time low. Subsequently, farmers were forced to replant the fields with stone fruit, or (particularly on the west side of town) sell their land to developers to help cope with the rising population. Kingsburg was the headquarters of Sun-Maid Growers of California, a producer of raisins and other dried fruits. Fresno is the Corporate Headquarters. Kingsburg is home to the world's largest box of raisins, built by students at California State University, Fresno.[7]
One of the notable landmarks in the community is the Kingsburg water tower, which is shaped like an antique Swedish coffee pot. The water tower was originally built in 1911 and was modified in 1985, inspired by a resident's visit to the similarly decorated water tower in Stanton, Iowa; the Kingsburg coffee pot water tower is tall, lit at night, and visible from SR 99.[8] The Kingsburg pot is slightly larger than the Stanton one, at, respectively; the Stanton pot was taken down from its tower in 2015 and preserved, as it had been superseded by a larger water tower in the late 1990s.[9]
The Swedish immigrant heritage of the community is principally preserved with festivals. The Kingsburg Swedish Festival, which is one of the biggest and best known festivals that bring people in from all over the country, is held annually during the third weekend in May. Activities include a Swedish pancake breakfast, a parade and the coronation of the Swedish Festival Queen. Many booths, rides and activities are set up all along the side of Downtown Kingsburg's Draper Street. This festival, which has traditionally been held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, was scheduled for only Saturday and Sunday in 2009 after the town's centennial due to the suffering economy, but in 2011, Thursday activities were added to the festival.[10] [11]
Kingsburg is located at . Kingsburg is located in the central portion of the Central Valley of California. The town is two hours away from The Sierra Nevada Mountain range and the coast. It is about 3–4 hours away from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8sqmi, all of it land.
The 2010 United States Census reported that Kingsburg had a population of 11,382. The population density was 4024.3sp=usNaNsp=us.[12] The racial makeup of Kingsburg was 8,576 (75.3%) White, 62 (0.5%) African American, 146 (1.3%) Native American, 383 (3.4%) Asian, 21 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,706 (15.0%) from other races, and 488 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,883 persons (42.9%).
The census reported that 11,300 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 82 (0.7%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,822 households, 1,671 (43.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,287 (59.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 474 (12.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 176 (4.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 186 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 19 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 770 households (20.1%) were one person and 398 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 2,937 families (76.8% of households); the average family size was 3.41.
The age distribution was 3,368 people (29.6%) under the age of 18, 1,043 people (9.2%) aged 18 to 24, 2,899 people (25.5%) aged 25 to 44, 2,618 people (23.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,454 people (12.8%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
There were 4,069 housing units at an average density of 1438.7/mi2,of which 3,822 were occupied, 2,536 (66.4%) by the owners and 1,286 (33.6%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 7,518 people (66.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,782 people (33.2%) lived in rental housing units.
At the 2000 census there were 9,199 people in 3,226 households, including 2,458 families, in the city. The population density was 3933.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 1435.8/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 71.93% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 2.74% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 9.61% from other races, and 4.46% from two or more races. 34.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.6% were of Swedish, 21.7% German, 9.7% English and 5.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.[13] Of the 3,226 households 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 21.3% of households were one person and 10.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.29.
The age distribution was 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median household income was $40,490 and the median family income was $44,737. Males had a median income of $35,452 versus $23,409 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,137. About 10.4% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
In 1920, Armenians comprised 46% of the population of the town of Kingsburg, with 600 Armenian residents out of a total population of 1,316.[14]
Kingsburg Elementary schools operate on a charter school system. Kingsburg's elementary school system is unique in that all students in Kindergarten through 8th grades will all go to the same schools together. The school year starts during the later weeks of August. Washington Elementary serves as a Kindergarten only school. First grade is at Roosevelt Elementary. Second and Third grades are at Lincoln Elementary. Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth grades are at Ronald Reagan Elementary. Seventh and Eighth grades are at Rafer Johnson Junior High School. Kingsburg High School serves as the community high school, and its district is separate from that of the elementary school system. The elementary school district also operates Central Valley Home School which serves as a supplement to traditional home schooling.