Whitewater, California

History

Whitewater, still a populated place on the west bank of the Whitewater River, is located 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Palm Springs. It began as rest and watering place for travelers on the Bradshaw Trail between San Bernardino and La Paz Arizona Territory in 1862. With the start of the Colorado River Gold Rush the trail was created to ship goods and allow people to cross the desert to the new boom towns on the Colorado River and the interior of Arizona Territory. Whitewater got its name from the White Water Station, a stagecoach station that was located there on the Bradshaw Trail. The settlement at White Water remained as a stop on the road into the Coachella Valley and to other desert regions to the east as it does today.

Geography

Whitewater is located at (33.924203 N, 116.644453 W) and is named for the nearby Whitewater River. The wind farm is located near the I-10 exit at (33.914456 N, 116.743897 W). The area has nearly constant wind due to the venturi effect created by the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south, resulting in perfect conditions for the wind farm.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 9.9 square miles (25.6 km), all of it land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Whitewater has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2010

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

The 2020 United States census reported that Whitewater had a population of 984. The population density was 99.6 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup was 405 (41.2%) White, 56 (5.7%) African American, 23 (2.3%) Native American, 18 (1.8%) Asian, 7 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 303 (30.8%) from other races, and 172 (17.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 540 persons (54.9%).

The census reported that 969 people (98.5% of the population) lived in households, 3 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 12 (1.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 334 households, out of which 103 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 136 (40.7%) were married-couple households, 37 (11.1%) were cohabiting couple households, 91 (27.2%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 70 (21.0%) had a male householder with no partner present. 71 households (21.3%) were one person, and 26 (7.8%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.9.

The age distribution was 213 people (21.6%) under the age of 18, 93 people (9.5%) aged 18 to 24, 263 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 281 people (28.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 134 people (13.6%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.0years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males.

There were 392 housing units at an average density of 39.7 /mi2, of which 334 (85.2%) were occupied. Of these, 247 (74.0%) were owner-occupied, and 87 (26.0%) were occupied by renters.

Government

Federal:

• In the United States House of Representatives, Whitewater is in .
• In the United States Senate, California is represented by Democrats Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.

State:

• In the California State Legislature, Whitewater is in , and in .

County:

• In the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Whitewater is in the Fifth District, represented by Libertarian Jeff Hewitt.
• In the jurisdiction of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, with Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Education

It is in the Banning Unified School District.

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "US Census Bureau".
3. {{gnis. 2583184
4. "Whitewater Preserve » The Wildlands Conservancy".
5. {{GNIS. 1667936. White Water
6. Topographical Sketch showing the Outward and Inward Route of a Party, while examining as to the practicability of a Diversion of the Colorado River for Purposes of Irrigation, Lithograph by Eric Bergland, 1875. From, Wheeler, G.M., Topographical Atlas Projected To Illustrate United States Geographical Surveys West Of The 100th Meridian Of Longitude Prosecuted In Accordance With Acts Of Congress Under The Authority Of The Honorable The Secretary Of War, And The Direction Of Brig. Genl. A.A. Humphreys, Chief Of Engineers, U.S. Army. Embracing Results Of the Different Expeditions Under The Command Of 1st Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps Of Engineers. Julius Bien, lith., G. Thompson, Washington, 1876. Name and distances between stations and watering places on the Bradshaw Trail taken from this survey map.
7. "White Water, California Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".
8. "Decennial Census by Decade".
9. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California".
10. "Whitewater CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
11. "Whitewater CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
12. {{Cite GovTrack. CA. 25
13. "Final Maps {{!}} California Citizens Redistricting Commission".
14. "Board of Supervisors {{!}} County of Riverside".
15. "Riverside County Sheriff, CA {{!}} Official Website".
16. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Riverside County, CA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].