Fresno County, California
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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns 5 External links |
History
Fresno County was formed in 1856 from parts of Mariposa, Merced and Tulare Counites. Parts of Fresno County's territory was given to Mono County in 1861 and to Madera County in 1893.
The county is named after Fresno Creek. Fresno in Spanish signifies "ash tree" and it was due to the abundance of mountain ash or ash trees in the county that it received its name.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 15,585 km² (6,017 mi²). 15,443 km² (5,963 mi²) of it is land and 142 km² (55 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.91% water.
The county is watered by the San Joaquin River. It is bordered on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Sierra Nevada. It is the center of a large agricultural area, known as the most agriculturally rich county in the United States.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 799,407 people, 252,940 households, and 186,669 families residing in the county. The population density is 52/km² (134/mi²). There are 270,767 housing units at an average density of 18/km² (45/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 54.30% White, 5.30% Black or African American, 1.60% Native American, 8.05% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 25.90% from other races, and 4.73% from two or more races. 43.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 252,940 households out of which 41.20% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% are married couples living together, 15.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% are non-families. 20.60% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.09 and the average family size is 3.59.
In the county the population is spread out with 32.10% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 18.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $34,725, and the median income for a family is $38,455. Males have a median income of $33,375 versus $26,501 for females. The per capita income for the county is $15,495. 22.90% of the population and 17.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 31.70% are under the age of 18 and 9.90% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
External links