Three Rivers, California
| Three Rivers | |
|---|---|
| — census-designated place — | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 36°27′15″N 118°53′11″W / 36.45417°N 118.88639°WCoordinates: 36°27′15″N 118°53′11″W / 36.45417°N 118.88639°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Tulare |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 44.505 sq mi (115.269 km2) |
| • Land | 44.505 sq mi (115.269 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 843 ft (257 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,182 |
| • Density | 49/sq mi (19/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 93271 |
| Area code(s) | 559 |
| FIPS code | 06-78638 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1661569 |
Three Rivers is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 2,182 at the 2010 census, down from 2,248 at the 2000 census.
The town's name comes from its location near the junction of the North, Middle, and South Forks of the Kaweah River.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Three Rivers is located at 36°27′15″N, 118°53′11″W (36.454212, -118.886466)[1]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 44.5 square miles (115 km2), all land.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] 2010
The 2010 United States Census[2] reported that Three Rivers had a population of 2,182. The population density was 49.0 people per square mile (18.9/km²). The racial makeup of Three Rivers was 1,976 (90.6%) White, 7 (0.3%) African American, 27 (1.2%) Native American, 31 (1.4%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 75 (3.4%) from other races, and 65 (3.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 212 persons (9.7%).
The Census reported that 2,177 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 5 (0.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,018 households, out of which 207 (20.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 519 (51.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 65 (6.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 33 (3.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 35 (3.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 341 households (33.5%) were made up of individuals and 159 (15.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14. There were 617 families (60.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.71.
The population was spread out with 354 people (16.2%) under the age of 18, 90 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 369 people (16.9%) aged 25 to 44, 837 people (38.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 532 people (24.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.3 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.
There were 1,312 housing units at an average density of 29.5 per square mile (11.4/km²), of which 741 (72.8%) were owner-occupied, and 277 (27.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.6%. 1,604 people (73.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 573 people (26.3%) lived in rental housing units.
[edit] 2000
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,248 people, 985 households, and 659 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 49.6 people per square mile (19.1/km²). There were 1,217 housing units at an average density of 26.8 per square mile (10.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.86% White, 0.22% African American, 1.29% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 3.74% from other races, and 4.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.58% of the population.
There were 985 households out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,727, and the median income for a family was $48,843. Males had a median income of $39,355 versus $31,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,475. About 7.5% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Three Rivers was one site of a handful of U.S. boarding schools run by the Hare Krishna movement. These schools, called "gurukulas," were closed by the mid-1980s. Other locations included Los Angeles; Moundsville, W. Va.; and Dallas.
Due to its small population, Three Rivers has only a K-8 school with about 200 children.
The two national parks, Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park which border the town to the northeast, are the prime attraction of Three Rivers.
[edit] History
[edit] Kaweah Colony
In 1886, a group of utopian socialists founded an intentional community along the upper North Fork of the Kaweah River. Named Kaweah Colony, it was inspired by the ideas of Laurence Gronlund. When Congress created Sequoia National Park they lost their timber claims and in 1891 were ordered off the land.[4]
[edit] Rhodesian pioneers
The Three Rivers cemetery contains the bodies of nine Rhodesian pioneers who lived in Africa ca. 1900 and fought in several Anglo-African wars:
- Frederick Russell Burnham (May 11, 1861 - September 1, 1947), best known for his service in the First Matabele War, Second Matabele War, the Second Boer War, and for teaching woodcraft (i.e., scoutcraft) to Robert Baden-Powell, becoming one of the inspirations to the founding of the Boy Scouts and recognized today as the father of the international scouting movement.
- Blanche Blick Burnham (February 23, 1862 - December 22, 1939), wife of Fred Burnham, lived in Africa during the First Matabele War and the Second Matabele War.
- Roderick Deane Burnham (August 22, 1886 - July 1, 1976), son of Fred & Blanche Burnham, moved to Africa at age four and lived there from 1893-1897. Served in World War I and went on to lead a rich and adventurous life after finding oil at Dominguez Hills.
- John Charles Blick (September 11, 1875–1960), who fought and won a famous hand-to-hand duel with a Ndebele after the charge broke the impis on their last effort to take Bulawayo in the Second Matabele War.
- Judd Dunning Blick (March 17, 1873 - December 9, 1951), participated in the Barotseland expedition of 1895, during which he and his party nearly died of thirst, and fought in the Second Matabele War.
- Pearl "Pete" Ingram Mills (1871 - December 11, 1933), a Montana cowboy who was one of only three men to survive the Shangani Patrol (along with Burnham) during the First Matabele War. Also fought in the Second Matabele War. At the time of death, he had a son, Ray Ingram of Pasadena and two grandchildren.[5]
- Grace Blick Ingram (July 22, 1870 - May 22, 1951), wife of Pete Ingram and a member of the Blick clan.
- Homer Ephraim Blick (January 22, 1865 - December 1947), fought in the Second Matabele War. Married Linnie Adell Nye (April 8, 1866 - June 1943), Fairview, Kansas, on October 17, 1886.
- James Shannon Blick or Blickensderfer (November 15, 1833 - October 14, 1916). Born in Blue Ridge, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph von Blickensderfer and Catherine von Neiswanger, married Phebe Elenor Dunning (November 18, 1840 - ?), on September 29, 1858 in Marion County, Indiana. Patriarch of the Blick family, a carpenter and painter by trade, fought in the Second Matabele War.
The Burnhams and Blicks started a 5,000-acre (20 km2) cattle ranch, La Cuesta, in Three Rivers and built homes there. The scenery at Three Rivers is said[who?] to be almost identical to that of the Rhodesian kopje country. La Cuesta was sold by John and Judd Blick in 1947 for $90,000.[6]
[edit] Artists' Colony
In the 1960s several local artists held exhibitions in the old Apple House on the North Fork Drive. Some of these artists included Adrian Green, Gene Gray, Caroll Barnes, Frank Treuting, Jean Caulfeild and Pauline Whitsun. Present day artists open their studios every other year for the Three Rivers Artists' Biennial Studio Tour, which was started in 1994 by Elsah Cort (then associated with the Cort Gallery.) More than thirty artists are living and working in Three Rivers, including Mona Fox Selph, James Entz, and Aranga Firstman, who all taught at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California. Other well-known artists are Martha Widmann, Rick Badgley, Jana Botkin, Nikki Crain, Tina St. John, Wendy McKellar and Nadi Spencer.
The Arts Alliance of Three Rivers is the local arts organization, started in 1985, with many local artists and art patrons as members. It sponsors the annual Redbud Arts and Craft Festival every May. It also established the Lorraine Young Scholarship Fund, which awards art scholarships to local Three Rivers graduating high school students. This fund was established by the Arts Alliance in honor of the many years of service Lorraine gave to both the Arts Alliance and to the community of Three Rivers. The Arts Alliance became a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization in 2010.
[edit] Politics
In the state legislature Three Rivers is located in the 18th Senate District, represented by Republican Roy Ashburn, and in the 34th Assembly District, represented by Republican Connie Conway. Federally, Three Rivers is located in California's 21st congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +13[7] and is represented by Republican Devin Nunes.
[edit] Schools
- Three Rivers Union Elementary School (K-8)
- Woodlake Union High School (9-12)
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Census
- ^ All data are derived from the United States Census Bureau reports from the 2010 United States Census, and are accessible on-line here. The data on unmarried partnerships and same-sex married couples are from the Census report DEC_10_SF1_PCT15. All other housing and population data are from Census report DEC_10_DP_DPDP1. Both reports are viewable online or downloadable in a zip file containing a comma-delimited data file. The area data, from which densities are calculated, are available on-line here. Percentage totals may not add to 100% due to rounding. The Census Bureau defines families as a household containing one or more people related to the householder by birth, opposite-sex marriage, or adoption. People living in group quarters are tabulated by the Census Bureau as neither owners nor renters. For further details, see the text files accompanying the data files containing the Census reports mentioned above.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The History of Kaweah Colony". The Kaweah Commonwealth. http://www.kaweahcommonwealth.com/kaweahcolonyhistory.html. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ^ "Boer War Hero Laid to Last Rest". Los Angeles Times: 8. December 12 1931.
- ^ "Ranch Sells for $90,000". Los Angeles Times. February 8 1947.
- ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
Pastor Warren Mark Campbell http://www.thechurchatkaweah.org
[edit] External links
- The Kaweah Commonwealth: Weekly newspaper and visitor information online
- Three Rivers Village information
- Sequoia Foothills Chamber of Commerce
- Blog about happenings in the Three Rivers area
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon official website
- Three Rivers Historical Museum
