Madera County, California

Madera County (/məˈdɛərə/ ⓘ), officially the County of Madera, is a county at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California.[2] As of the 2020 census, the population was 156,255.[3] The county seat is Madera.[4]

Madera County
County
County of Madera
Official seal of Madera County
Seal
Interactive map of Madera County
Location in the state of California
Location in the state of California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionsSan Joaquin Valley, Sierra Nevada
Metropolitan areaMetropolitan Fresno
Incorporated1893
Named forSpanish word meaning "wood"
County seatMadera
Largest cityMadera
Government
 • TypeCouncil–CAO
 • BodyBoard of Supervisors
 • ChairDavid Rogers
 • Chair Pro TemRobert L Poythress
 • Board of Supervisors[1]
Supervisors
  • Jordon Wamhoff
  • David Rogers
  • Robert L Poythress
  • Leticia Gonzalez
  • Robert Macaulay
 • County Administrative OfficerJay Varney
Area
 • Total2,153 sq mi (5,580 km2)
 • Land2,137 sq mi (5,530 km2)
 • Water16 sq mi (40 km2)
Highest elevation
13,143 ft (4,006 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total156,255
 • Density73/sq mi (28/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
FIPS code06-039
GNIS feature ID277284
Congressional districts5th, 13th
Websitewww.maderacounty.com

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 eastern San Joaquin Valley and the central Sierra Nevada.

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

History and etymology
Logging in the Sierra, Madera County, c. 1901

Madera County was formed in 1893 from Fresno County during a special election held in Fresno on May 16, 1893. Citizens residing in the area that was to become Madera County voted 1,179 to 358 for separation from Fresno County and the establishment of Madera County.[5]

Madera is the Spanish term for wood.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

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), or 0.8%, is water.[9]

Madera County is part of the Madera AVA wine region.

National protected areas

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19006,364—
19108,36831.5%
192012,20345.8%
193017,16440.7%
194023,31435.8%
195036,96458.5%
196040,4689.5%
197041,5192.6%
198063,11652.0%
199088,09039.6%
2000123,10939.8%
2010150,86522.5%
2020156,2553.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010[14] 2020[15]

2020 census
Madera County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[14] Pop 2020[15] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 57,380 48,399 38.03% 30.97%
Black or African American alone (NH) 5,009 4,131 3.32% 2.64%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,790 1,738 1.19% 1.11%
Asian alone (NH) 2,533 3,581 1.68% 2.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 107 122 0.07% 0.08%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 649 723 0.43% 0.46%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 2,405 4,383 1.59% 2.81%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 80,992 93,178 53.69% 59.63%
Total 150,865 156,255 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010

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%).[23]

2000
County government office building

As of the census[24] of 2000, there were 123,109 people in the county, organized into 36,155 households, and 28,598 families. The population density was 58 people per square mile (22 people/km2). There were 40,387 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 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 were 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 were 36,155 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.52.

In the county, the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,286, and the median income for a family was $39,226. Males had a median income of $33,658 versus $24,415 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,682. 21.4% of the population and 15.9% of families were 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 were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Madera County Economy

In the 1990s Mixtec farmworkers were a large presence in the southern part of the state, and were beginning to filter northwards here along with other Mexican indigenous agricultural laborers to work in the county's farms.[25]

Education

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

School districts include:[26]

Unified:

Secondary:

Elementary:

Government, policing, and politics

Government

The Government of Madera County is mandated by the California Constitution to have a five-member Board of Supervisors elected to staggered four-year terms. The Board of Supervisors: District 1, Brett Frazier; District 2, David Rogers; District 3, Robert Poythress; District 4, Leticia Gonzalez; District 5, Tom Wheeler; and County Administrator, Jay Varney; and staff provide for voter registration and elections, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, roads, and social services for the entire county. It is the local government for all unincorporated areas. Other elected offices include the Sheriff, Tyson Pogue; District Attorney, Sally Orme Moreno; Assessor, Brian Glover (acting); Auditor-Controller, David Richstone; Treasurer-Tax Collector, Tracy Kennedy; and Clerk/Registrar of Voters-Recorder, Rebecca Martinez.

Madera County Sheriff's Office

The Sheriff's Office and staff provide court protection, jail administration, and coroner service for all of Madera County with its total population of approximately 156,000 residents. The Sheriff provides police patrol and detective services to the unincorporated areas of the county, which contain approximately 70,000 residents, or 45% of Madera County's total population. The Sheriff's main station and offices are in the City of Madera. There are two Sheriff's substations: Oakhurst, population 3,000, and The Madera Ranchos, population 12,000, both on Highway 41 to Yosemite National Park in the Sierras.

Municipal police departments

The municipal police departments within Madera County are Madera, the county seat, population 62,000, and Chowchilla, population 19,600.

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

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.

United States presidential election results for Madera County, California[28]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 29,378 54.68% 23,168 43.12% 1,186 2.21%
2016 23,357 53.69% 17,029 39.14% 3,121 7.17%
2012 22,852 57.23% 16,018 40.11% 1,063 2.66%
2008 23,583 55.52% 17,952 42.27% 939 2.21%
2004 24,871 64.02% 13,481 34.70% 498 1.28%
2000 20,283 60.74% 11,650 34.89% 1,462 4.38%
1996 16,510 53.85% 11,254 36.70% 2,898 9.45%
1992 13,066 43.20% 10,863 35.92% 6,316 20.88%
1988 13,255 54.59% 10,642 43.83% 384 1.58%
1984 13,954 60.04% 8,994 38.70% 293 1.26%
1980 10,599 53.58% 7,783 39.35% 1,398 7.07%
1976 6,844 45.96% 7,625 51.20% 423 2.84%
1972 7,835 52.61% 6,580 44.18% 477 3.20%
1968 6,229 43.55% 6,932 48.47% 1,142 7.98%
1964 4,461 32.18% 9,391 67.75% 10 0.07%
1960 5,869 41.75% 8,126 57.81% 62 0.44%
1956 5,239 42.12% 7,162 57.58% 38 0.31%
1952 6,278 49.67% 6,244 49.40% 118 0.93%
1948 3,416 38.03% 5,226 58.18% 340 3.79%
1944 2,865 39.85% 4,276 59.47% 49 0.68%
1940 2,653 31.20% 5,749 67.61% 101 1.19%
1936 1,387 22.61% 4,646 75.74% 101 1.65%
1932 1,243 25.22% 3,457 70.15% 228 4.63%
1928 2,354 54.88% 1,896 44.21% 39 0.91%
1924 1,518 42.66% 450 12.65% 1,590 44.69%
1920 1,779 55.46% 1,145 35.69% 284 8.85%
1916 1,323 38.01% 1,880 54.01% 278 7.99%
1912 1 0.04% 1,154 47.71% 1,264 52.25%
1908 596 44.85% 574 43.19% 159 11.96%
1904 784 51.85% 610 40.34% 118 7.80%
1900 764 49.58% 737 47.83% 40 2.60%
1896 452 37.32% 739 61.02% 20 1.65%

Madera is split between the 5th and 13th congressional districts,[29] represented by Tom McClintock (R–Elk Grove) and John Duarte (R–Modesto), respectively.[30]

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

In the California State Senate, Madera is split between the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby, and the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Shannon Grove.[31]

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.[32]

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.[33]

Crime

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

Cities by population and crime rates

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.[37]

Transportation

Major highways

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 (16 km), 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

Airports

Communities
Aerial view from Madera, California, toward the snow-capped Sierras. Eastman Lake (upper left) is on the border of Madera County and Mariposa County. Hensley Lake (upper right) is near the center of Madera County. Madera Lake (lower left) is on the outskirts of Madera.

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Madera County.[38]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Madera City 61,416
2 Chowchilla City 18,720
3 Madera Acres CDP 9,163
4 Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos CDP 8,569
5 Yosemite Lakes CDP 4,952
6 Oakhurst CDP 2,829
7 Parksdale CDP 2,621
8 Parkwood CDP 2,268
9 Ahwahnee CDP 2,246
10 Coarsegold CDP 1,840
11 Fairmead CDP 1,447
12 Rolling Hills CDP 742
13 Bass Lake CDP 527
14 Nipinnawasee CDP 475
15 La Vina CDP 279
16 Picayune Rancheria (Chukchansi Indians)[39] AIAN 69
17 Northfork Rancheria (Mono Indians)[40] AIAN 60

See also

Notes
  1. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  2. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  3. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.

References
  1. "Board of Supervisors | Madera County".
  2. "California Geography". NETSTATE. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  3. "Madera County, California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. Madera County GenWeb, Madera County History. Accessed 2017.09.01.
  6. Madera County, County History Archived January 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2009.10.09.
  7. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 798. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  8. "Memorial for law agents," The Madera Tribune, May 13, 2014, Pages A1 and A3
  9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  10. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  12. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Madera County, California". United States Census Bureau.
  15. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Madera County, California". United States Census Bureau.
  16. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  17. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  21. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  23. "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
  24. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  25. "Mixtec Farm Workers". Rural Migration News. Migration Dialogue. Regents of the University of California, Davis. 1 (4). 1995. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  26. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Madera County, CA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2022. - Text list
  27. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  28. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  29. "Counties by County and by District". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  30. "California's 4th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  31. "Communities of Interest — County". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  32. Bowen, Debra (2008). Statement of Vote November 4th, 2008, General Election (PDF). California: California Secretary of State. p. 13.
  33. "California Penal Code - PEN". FindLaw. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  34. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Archived December 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  35. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  36. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  37. "About". Chowchilla/Madera County Fair and Event Center. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  38. 2010 Census
  39. 2010 Census Interactive Population Search
  40. 2010 Census Interactive Population Search

37.22°N 119.77°W / 37.22; -119.77

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