Val Verde, California

Val Verde
—  census-designated place  —
Location of Val Verde in Los Angeles County, California.
Coordinates: 34°26′43″N 118°39′26″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Area
• Total	2.565 sq mi (6.644 km2)
• Land	2.565 sq mi (6.644 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	1,188 ft (362 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,468
• Density	962.2/sq mi (371.5/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	91384
Area code(s)	661
FIPS code	06-81967
GNIS feature ID	1661607

Val Verde is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 2,468 at the 2010 census, up from 1,472 at the 2000 census. The predominant feature is the small rural valley in which this town sits, north of the San Fernando valley, isolated from development and unlikely to be visited by anyone who does not already know of it. There is a park in the town with the typical rolling hills of California which is especially pleasant in the springtime, when the grass is green and not golden, as it is in the rest of the year. Thus it is possible to watch birds fly from above them, while sitting on the hills.

History

Originally the settlement of Val Verde was a short-lived boom town built by Spanish settlers near a gold strike in the 19th century. Later, the modern settlement was founded in the mid-1920s as the name Eureka. That later incarnation was designed as a resort community for African Americans as in that period African Americans were frequently barred from public beaches and swimming pools. The town became known as the "Black Palm Springs." Later the name reverted to the original name of Val Verde.

With the advent of civil rights reforms in the 1960s, many African Americans moved out of the area for larger areas they were previously segregated from. The town now boasts a large percentage of Latinos and Whites.

Geography

Val Verde is located at 34°26′43″N 118°39′26″W (34.445211, -118.657240).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), all land.

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Val Verde had a population of 2,468. The population density was 962.1 people per square mile (371.5/km²). The racial makeup of Val Verde was 1,404 (56.9%) White, 105 (4.3%) African American, 26 (1.1%) Native American, 48 (1.9%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 732 (29.7%) from other races, and 152 (6.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,507 persons (61.1%).

The Census reported that 2,466 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 671 households, out of which 331 (49.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 404 (60.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 87 (13.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 43 (6.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 37 (5.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 90 households (13.4%) were made up of individuals and 22 (3.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.68. There were 534 families (79.6% of all households); the average family size was 4.00.

The population was spread out with 706 people (28.6%) under the age of 18, 288 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 726 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 624 people (25.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 124 people (5.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.7 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.

There were 715 housing units at an average density of 278.7 per square mile (107.6/km²), of which 521 (77.6%) were owner-occupied, and 150 (22.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%. 1,873 people (75.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 593 people (24.0%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,472 people, 424 households, and 318 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,428.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,722.2/km²). There were 444 housing units at an average density of 1,335.9 per square mile (519.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 55.98% White, 4.28% African American, 0.68% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 33.22% from other races, and 4.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.63% of the population.

There were 424 households out of which 50.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47 and the average family size was 3.89.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,593, and the median income for a family was $53,843. Males had a median income of $30,583 versus $24,861 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,626. About 3.6% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 37.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Val Verde is located in the 17th Senate District, represented by Republican Sharon Runner, and in the 37th Assembly District, represented by Republican Jeff Gorell. Federally, Val Verde is located in California's 25th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +7 and is represented by Republican Buck McKeon.