Ripley, California

History

Ripley was established in 1920 when the California Southern Railroad (unrelated to the railroad linking Barstow and San Diego) was extended from Blythe. The townsite was named to dedicate former Santa Fe Railway president Edward Payson Ripley. The town aimed to be a resort location until it was damaged by a flood that swept part of the valley in 1922. Today, a water tower remains as a landmark in town.

Ripley is near the site of a 1974 fatal bus wreck.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 1.7 sqmi, all of it land. Alongside Blythe and Palo Verde, Ripley is located in the Palo Verde Valley.

Official U.S. Geological Survey NAD27 coordinates for the community are . It is within area code 760 and has its own ZIP Code: 92272.

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ripley has a desert climate, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.

Situation

The area is largely irrigated agriculture. Farms in the area include operations owned by David Brown and Sons, Lawrence Chaffin Farms, and Red River Farms. The Metropolitan Water District has made an agreement with the United States Bureau of Reclamation to fallow land in the area in order to conserve water. Farmers will be paid not to grow crops so that the water can be used for other purposes. The area is served by Palo Verde Irrigation District and formerly the Arizona and California Railroad. The railroad's Blythe Division track ends just west of Ripley.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Ripley first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

The 2020 United States census reported that Ripley had a population of 538. The population density was 316.3 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Ripley was 122 (22.7%) White, 59 (11.0%) African American, 8 (1.5%) Native American, 2 (0.4%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 216 (40.1%) from other races, and 131 (24.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 396 persons (73.6%).

The whole population lived in households. There were 194 households, out of which 72 (37.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 66 (34.0%) were married-couple households, 11 (5.7%) were cohabiting couple households, 73 (37.6%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 44 (22.7%) had a male householder with no partner present. 53 households (27.3%) were one person, and 24 (12.4%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.77.

The age distribution was 169 people (31.4%) under the age of 18, 51 people (9.5%) aged 18 to 24, 113 people (21.0%) aged 25 to 44, 126 people (23.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 79 people (14.7%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 31.6years. For every 100 females, there were 83.0 males.

There were 270 housing units at an average density of 158.7 /mi2, of which 194 (71.9%) were occupied. Of these, 62 (32.0%) were owner-occupied, and 132 (68.0%) were occupied by renters.

References

• U.S. Geological Survey, National Geographic Names Database
• Map: "Ripley, California, 7.5-minute Quadrangle," U.S. Geological Survey, 1975.
• Map: "Road Map of California, 1958," (Sacramento, California: Department of Public Works, Division of Highways, 1958).

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "US Census Bureau".
3. {{gnis. 2583122
4. Steve Glischinski. (1997). "Santa Fe Railway". MBI Publishing Company.
5. (29 September 1985). "Believe It or Not : Ripley Residents Trying to Bring Tiny Town 'Back From the Dead'". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
6. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=729040&cityname=Ripley%2C+California%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Ripley, California]
7. "Decennial Census by Decade".
8. "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County".
9. "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County".
10. "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions".
11. "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions".
12. "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California".
13. "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
14. "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California".
15. "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
16. "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
17. "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California".
18. "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
19. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California".
20. "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
21. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
22. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
23. "Ripley CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
24. "Ripley CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".