Delano, California

History

Delano was founded on July 14, 1869, as a railroad town, not because the railroad passed through the town but because the railroad coming south from San Francisco terminated at Delano. The name was officially given by the Southern Pacific Railroad in honor of Columbus Delano, at the time the Secretary of the Interior (1870–1875) for the United States. The first post office opened in 1874. Delano incorporated in 1913.

The town started with a boom. With Delano as the southern terminus of the railroad, it became the headquarters for hundreds of workmen who were building the railroad into town, and who eventually built the railroad into Bakersfield the following year. Meanwhile, the merchandise that formerly was trucked south from Visalia to Bakersfield and then to Walker Pass, or perhaps Tejon Pass, en route to Los Angeles, now coming via freight from the south, east and west, was likewise trucked in by ox or mule team. Great loads of bullion were delivered here from the mines in the mountains. Delano became the northern terminus for the passenger stages that ran south to Bakersfield and Los Angeles. The fare from Bakersfield to Delano was $7.00.

Delano was a major hub of farm worker organization efforts and Chicano political movements. Filipino immigrants Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Dulay Itliong were instrumental in shaping the direction of the farm worker movement in the 1950s. On September 8, 1965, Larry Itliong and other Filipino leaders led the predominantly Filipino Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) in a "walk off" from table grape farms, now known as the Delano grape strike. The strikers' goal was to improve farm workers' wages and working conditions. The National Farm Workers' Association (NFWA), a largely Hispanic union led by Cesar Chavez, joined the strike within a week. During the strike, the two groups joined forces and formed the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). By 1970, the UFW won a contract with major grape growers across California.

Economy

Major farm employers in Delano include Wonderful Citrus, Columbine Vineyards, Munger Farms, Lucich Farms, and Hronis. Other major employers include Adventist Health Hospital Delano, Walmart, The Home Depot, Vallarta Supermarkets, Delano Joint Union High School District, Delano Union Elementary School District, and the North Kern-South Tulare Hospital District.

Major employers

According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.8 sqmi; over 99% of which is land.

Climate

|Delano, California |36.0|55.8|1.35 |39.9|63.3|1.38 |43.3|69.1|1.40 |47.5|76.6|0.63 |53.6|85.1|0.31 |60.1|92.8|0.10 |64.9|98.4|0.00 |63.5|96.8|0.01 |58.6|91.0|0.11 |50.0|81.5|0.36 |41.0|66.7|0.77 |35.2|55.8|1.09

Delano's climate is typical of the San Joaquin Valley. It is located within a desert climatic zone with Mediterranean features. The city receives 7.51 in of rainfall annually, mainly in the winter. The weather is hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter. Frequent winter ground fog known regionally as tule fog can obscure vision. Record temperatures range between 115 F (2006) and 14 F (1990).

|Jan record high F = 76 |Feb record high F = 86 |Mar record high F = 91 |Apr record high F = 97 |May record high F = 105 |Jun record high F = 109 |Jul record high F = 116 |Aug record high F = 108 |Sep record high F = 108 |Oct record high F = 100 |Nov record high F = 85 |Dec record high F = 82

|Jan avg record high F = 68.7 |Feb avg record high F = 75.5 |Mar avg record high F = 81.7 |Apr avg record high F = 89.3 |May avg record high F = 98.5 |Jun avg record high F = 105.5 |Jul avg record high F = 106.5 |Aug avg record high F = 104.7 |Sep avg record high F = 101.8 |Oct avg record high F = 91.8 |Nov avg record high F = 80.0 |Dec avg record high F = 68.1 |year avg record high F = 107.9

|Jan avg record low F = 29.9 |Feb avg record low F = 32.8 |Mar avg record low F = 35.5 |Apr avg record low F = 39.1 |May avg record low F = 47.5 |Jun avg record low F = 52.2 |Jul avg record low F = 60.7 |Aug avg record low F = 59.7 |Sep avg record low F = 52.3 |Oct avg record low F = 43.5 |Nov avg record low F = 33.4 |Dec avg record low F = 28.2 |year avg record low F = 26.9

|Jan record low F = 20 |Feb record low F = 25 |Mar record low F = 28 |Apr record low F = 33 |May record low F = 38 |Jun record low F = 47 |Jul record low F = 43 |Aug record low F = 51 |Sep record low F = 46 |Oct record low F = 35 |Nov record low F = 24 |Dec record low F = 21

|access-date = May 26, 2023 |access-date = May 26, 2023

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Delano had a population of 51,428. The population density was 3,494.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Delano was 14.0% White, 5.4% African American, 2.0% Native American, 14.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 50.0% from other races, and 14.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 74.8% of the population.

The census reported that 83.7% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 15.9% were institutionalized.

There were 11,113 households, out of which 55.7% included children under the age of 18, 52.4% were married-couple households, 7.6% were cohabiting couple households, 25.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 10.7% of households were one person, and 5.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.88.

The age distribution was 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.3% aged 18 to 24, 32.7% aged 25 to 44, 21.1% aged 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 31.7years. For every 100 females, there were 135.8 males.

There were 11,572 housing units at an average density of 786.4 /mi2, of which 11,113 (96.0%) were occupied. Of these, 56.5% were owner-occupied, and 43.5% were occupied by renters.

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 34.0% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 27.1% spoke only English at home, 62.3% spoke Spanish, 0.4% spoke other Indo-European languages, 9.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.8% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 63.1% were high school graduates and 8.2% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income was $61,817, and the per capita income was $19,266. About 14.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

The Delano Union School District operates eight elementary schools and three middle schools. The Delano Joint Union High School District provides three comprehensive high schools, a continuation high school, and an adult education center.

Elementary schools

• Albany Park Elementary School
• Del Vista Math and Science Academy
• Fremont Elementary School
• Harvest Elementary School
• Morningside Elementary School
• Nueva Vista Language Academy
• Pioneer School
• Princeton Street Elementary School
• Terrace Elementary School

Middle schools

• Almond Tree Middle School
• Cecil Avenue Math and Science Academy
• La Vina Middle School

High schools

• Delano High School
• Cesar E. Chavez High School
• Robert F. Kennedy High School
• Valley High School
• Delano Adult School

College

Bakersfield College, a community college, serves the community of Delano and the rural communities of northern Kern and southern Tulare counties with a satellite campus at the Delano Center, approximately 35 miles north of the main campus in Bakersfield, California.

Transportation

Bus services

The Delano Area Rapid Transit (DART) provides fixed route bus service on four routes and demand responsive public transportation service (Dial-A- Ride) to the residents of Delano and the immediate county area surrounding the city within the boundaries of State Route 43 to the west, County Line Road to the north, Pond Road to the south, and Kyte Avenue to the east.

Airport

The Delano Municipal Airport is an uncontrolled airfield with a 5,651-foot runway and light aviation services, and is open to the public. There is no scheduled airline service, but the airport serves a variety of other significant users. Many military, air charter, air ambulance, and other flying services operate from the airport on a regular basis.

Events

The Cinco De Mayo Fiesta celebrates Mexican culture with live entertainment and a carnival at Memorial Park. This four-day celebrations commemorates Cinco de Mayo.

Delano is home to the Annual Philippine Weekend festival which celebrates Filipino Culture through performing arts and cultural activities. The festival aims to continue the preservation of the art and history of the Philippines. The festival includes a pork adobo cook-off, grand parade, barrio fiesta, basketball tournament, cultural entertainment, live performance, dance and singing contest, and bingo.

September 16 Celebration

Harvest Holidays off with a golf tournament, softball tournament and 10k run. The Grand Marshal and Queen barbecue is held on Saturday after the Kiddie Parade. Furthermore, the city of Delano, in addition to the Delano Union Elementary School District, host the Harvest Holidays Kiddie Parade, which allows the young ones to be the stars for a day as they wave to the crowds down Main Street. The four day event ends with carnival rides, games, food, and music at Memorial Park.

Christmas Parade

Recreation

The nearby Sequoia National Forest includes a vast number of Giant Sequoia groves, impressive granite monoliths, scenic canyons and meadows. The Tule Elk State Reserve provides protection to the Tule elk which in the past were in danger of extinction. Lake Woollomes is a popular location. The Kern National Wildlife Refuge is nearby. The Shirley Meadows Ski Area, located on Green Horn Mountain provides skiing opportunities. The nearby Kern River and Isabella Lake are popular during the summer.

Community parks

The city of Delano has thirteen parks for families and children to enjoy.

• Albany Park
• Cecil Park
• Cesar Chavez Park
• Delano Soccer Park
• Delano Skate Park
• Heritage Park
• Jefferson Park
• Kalibo Park
• Larry Itliong Park
• Martin Luther King Jr. Park
• Memorial Park
• Morningside Park
• Veneto Park

Notable people

• Cesar Chavez, activist
• Larry Itliong, activist
• Leamon King, Olympic runner
• Dack Rambo, actor
• Lon Spurrier, Olympic runner
• Luis Valdez, film director, known for La Bamba
• Benita Valente, classical singer (soprano)

Sister cities

Delano has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• JPN Arida, Japan
• ITA Asti, Italy
• MEX Jacona, Michoacan, Mexico
• PHI Kalibo, Philippines

References

References

1. {{Cite GovTrack. CA. 22
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
3. {{Cite GNIS. 1652697. Delano
4. {{California's Geographic Names. 1025
5. "Profile". Delano Chamber of Commerce.
6. (November 30, 2007). "Broadcasting Board of Governors Strategic Spectrum Plan". Broadcasting Board of Governors.
7. Gudde, Erwin G.. (1969). "California Place Names". University of California Press.
8. "City History".
9. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
10. Salomon, Larry R.. (2003). "Roots of Justice". Josey-Bass.
11. Search Results - Delano, California - [http://www.referenceusa.com/ ReferenceUSA] Current Businesses
12. "City of Delano Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2021".
13. [http://en.climate-data.org/location/16046/ Delano Climate Graph, Temperature Graph, Climate Table—Climate-Data.org]
14. [http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca2346 Delano, California Climate Summary: NCDC 1981-2010 Monthly Normals—Western Regional Climate Center]
15. "Delano, California Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
17. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Delano city, California".
18. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Delano city, California".
19. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Delano city, California".
20. "Delano city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
21. "Delano city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
22. "Delano city, California; CP02: Comparative Social Characteristics in the United States - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles".
23. "Delano city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles".
24. "School Directory Search Results (CA Dept of Education)".
25. "School Directory Search Results (CA Dept of Education)".
26. "Delano, CA - Official Website - Delano Area Rapid Transit (DART)".
27. "Delano, CA - Official Website - Delano Municipal Airport".
28. "Culture & Entertainment {{!}} Delano Chamber of Commerce".
29. (13 May 2013). "Sponsorship form for Philippine Weekend Entertainment".
30. "Delano, California - City Information, Fast Facts, Schools, Colleges, and More".
31. "Delano, CA - Official Website - Parks & Reservations".
32. "Delano, CA - Official Website - City History".