Greenfield, California

For the community in Kern County with this name, see Greenfield, Kern County, California.

City of Greenfield
—  City  —
View of Greenfield
Nickname(s): Broccoli Capital of The World
Motto: "Where Historic El Camino Real Meets Monterey Wine Country."
Location in Monterey County and the state of California
Coordinates: 36°19′15″N 121°14′38″W / 36.32083°N 121.24389°W / 36.32083; -121.24389Coordinates: 36°19′15″N 121°14′38″W / 36.32083°N 121.24389°W / 36.32083; -121.24389
Country	United States
State	California
County	Monterey
Founded	1947
Government
– Mayor	John P. Huerta,Jr.
– Senate	Anthony Cannella (R)
– Assembly	Anna M. Caballero (D)
– U. S. Congress	Sam Farr (D)
Area[1]
– Total	2.135 sq mi (5.530 km2)
– Land	2.135 sq mi (5.530 km2)
– Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation[2]	289 ft (88 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	16,330
– Density	7,648.7/sq mi (2,953/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	93927
Area code(s)	831
FIPS code	06-30994
GNIS feature ID	1660698
Website	http://ci.greenfield.ca.us

Greenfield (formerly, Clarke Colony) is a city in Monterey County, California, United States.^[2] Greenfield is located 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Salinas,^[3] at an elevation of 289 feet (88 m).^[2] The city was the fastest growing in the county during the 2000s, the population was 12,583 in 2000,^[4] increasing to 16,330 in the 2010 census. Its most well-known public event is the annual Harvest Festival. Greenfield is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

History

John S. Clarke and other promoters laid out the town from 1902 to 1905 on part of the Rancho Arroyo Seco Mexican land grant.^[3] The original name of Clarke City was rejected by the post office which established Greenfield post office in 1905.^[3] Greenfield incorporated in 1947.^[3]

Greenfield traces its roots to 1905 and the creation of Clark Colony Water Company, which built a network of irrigation canals and filled them with water from the nearby Arroyo Seco AVA. Greenfield's central location makes it a "springboard" to a number of Southern Monterey County attractions. There are plans on building a museum on Greenfield's history. Construction is said to start in 2008 or 2009.

Geography

Salinas Valley, on River Road near Marina.

The city of Greenfield is located between the Gabilan mountain range to the east and the Santa Lucia mountain range to the west.Greenfield is located in the heart of the Salinas Valley, approximately 135 miles south of San Francisco, 95 miles south of San Jose and 60 miles north of Paso Robles

Greenfield is located in one of the developing wine grape growing regions of California with over twenty vineyards and wineries within a thirty mile radius, several of which have tasting rooms and offer a wide selection of wines for sale. Some of the Vineyards and Wineries located nearby are Chalone, Scheid, Paraiso Vineyards, Pisoni Vineyards, Hahn Estates Smith & Hook, San Saba, J.Lohr, Kendall-Jackson, Ventana, Hess Select, Estancia, The Michaud Vineyard, and Graff Family Vineyard.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land.

Climate

The climate for Greenfield is moderate with average temperatures around 50 degrees in winter and about 70 degrees in summer. High temperatures may reach the low 90's during mid-summer. Most rain falls between October and March, though even then, rainfall amounts are low.

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[5] reported that Greenfield had a population of 16,330. The population density was 7,647.9 people per square mile (2,952.9/km²). The racial makeup of Greenfield was 5,976 (36.6%) White, 183 (1.1%) African American, 878 (5.4%) Native American, 179 (1.1%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 8,453 (51.8%) from other races, and 648 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,917 persons (91.3%).

The Census reported that 16,301 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 29 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,460 households, out of which 2,358 (68.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,273 (65.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 526 (15.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 301 (8.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 251 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 22 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 282 households (8.2%) were made up of individuals and 115 (3.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.71. There were 3,100 families (89.6% of all households); the average family size was 4.72.

The population was spread out with 5,843 people (35.8%) under the age of 18, 2,159 people (13.2%) aged 18 to 24, 5,023 people (30.8%) aged 25 to 44, 2,530 people (15.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 775 people (4.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.5 years. For every 100 females there were 109.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.9 males.

There were 3,752 housing units at an average density of 1,757.2 per square mile (678.5/km²), of which 1,829 (52.9%) were owner-occupied, and 1,631 (47.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 7,874 people (48.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,427 people (51.6%) lived in rental housing units.

2006

Greenfield is the second most populous city in the Salinas Valley and is the fifth most populous city in Monterey County. In 2006, Greenfield was the fourth fastest growing city in California growing 15.6%, from 13,270 in 2005, to 15,335 in 2006. As of the 2007 California Department of Finance estimate, there were 16,629 people, 2,643 households, and 2,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 9,781.76 people per square mile (3,779.32/km²). There were 2,726 housing units at an average density of 1,606.5 per square mile (619.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 39.65% White, 1.18% Black or African American, 1.19% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 51.95% from other races, and 5.11% from two or more races. 87.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,643 households out of which 65.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.5% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.7% were non-families. 7.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.75 and the average family size was 4.83. In the city the population was spread out with 38.3% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 12.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,602, and the median income for a family was $35,520. Males had a median income of $25,759 versus $23,848 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,226. About 17.1% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Immigration

In recent years, the town has seen a massive influx of immigrants from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Many Oaxacans speak indigenous languages not related to English or Spanish and as a result, find communication with the large Spanish-speaking and smaller English-speaking population difficult. Probably the largest single block of such immigrants are speakers of the Copala Triqui language, who are believed to have fled from poverty and long-standing armed conflict in their native region. Tensions have arisen in the town, as some residents of Greenfield have blamed the Oaxacan migrants for an increase in crime, which they believe has gone unpunished due to Greenfield's status as a sanctuary city.^[6] It is estimated that around 3,500 indigenous people live in Greenfield, or about 20% of the population.^[7]

Economy

Organic Farmland

The city of Greenfield is centered in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. 80% of the lettuce grown in the United States is grown in the Salinas Valley. The area has often been coined as the "Salad Bowl of the World". Over $2 billion(US) worth of fruits and vegetables are produced and shipped annually across the U.S. and abroad.^[8] As a result many major vegetable producers are headquartered in the nearby city of Salinas. Local tourism is increasing as more people are attracted to the area, which is also known as the center of "Steinbeck Country" because of famed author John Steinbeck. The area is also known as a premier wine grape growing region due to the rich soil and desirable climate. Vineyards, wineries and wine tasting rooms continue to expand throughout the region.

Schools

The Greenfield Union School District(GUSD) has three elementary schools and one middle school. The district serves around 2,500 students grades K-8.The city does have a high school but does not belong to GUSD. Greenfield High School (GHS) belongs to King City Joint Union High School District (KCJUHSD). Greenfield High School serves around 974 students. On February 27, 2008, Greenfield Elementary was placed under "Intensive" help due to the school's failure to raise their Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Results under the No Child Left Behind Act for the past five years by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell.^[9]

Schools in Greenfield:

CSUMB.

• Cesar Chavez Elementary
• Greenfield Elementary
• Oak Avenue Elementary
• Vista Verde Middle School
• Greenfield High School (KCJUHSD)
• Ventana Continuation School (KCJUHSD)

Higher education

Opportunities for higher education include Hartnell College in Salinas and California State University, Monterey Bay, in nearby Seaside.

Arts and culture

Greenfield holds an annual harvest festival each third Sunday of October.

The Mesa Del Sol Vineyards is located in Greenfield.

An additional Yanks Air Museum facility will be built in Greenfield on a 440 acres (1.8 km²) plot purchased in 1994 by museum founders Charles and Judith Nichols. This planned project will include a museum facility and the 4,250 feet (1,300 m) runway that will support both museum flight operations as well as serve the private aviation needs of both museum visitors and local aviators. The new museum facility is not intended to replace the existing facility in Chino, but to greatly expand the opportunities.^[10]

Greenfield is constructing the Tom Rogers Community Museum. Named after the first mayor of Greenfield, it will showcase the history of the city as far back as 1905.^[11]

Sister cities

The City of Greenfield has joined with two cities in the sister-city program. This program seeks to reach out to other communities to share and exchange cultural opportunities and to support cooperation among our communities. This program is hosting delegations from each city. They are:

• Apaseo el Alto, Guanajuato, Mexico

• Santiago Pinotepa Naciónal, Oaxaca, Mexico

Media

See also: Media in Monterey County

Local radio stations include KLOK-FM - 99.5/99.9. Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area (DMA). Locale newspapers include the South County Index, Greenfield News, and Monterey County Herald.

See also

• Coastal California
• List of school districts in Monterey County, California
• Monterey county attractions

References

1. ^ U.S. Census
2. ^ ^{a b c} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Greenfield, California
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 902. ISBN 9781884995149. 
4. ^ "Greenfield City, California 2000 Fact Sheet". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/. Retrieved 2008-03-29. 
5. ^ 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.
6. ^ Wozniacka, Gosta (Aug 13, 2011). "Latino-indigenous Mexican divide stirs Calif. town". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/08/13/national/a083644D72.DTL. Retrieved 2011-8-13. 
7. ^ Sunita Vijayan (October 11, 2008). "Indigenous beliefs feed culture clash". The Salinas Californian. http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20081011/NEWS01/810110334&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL. Retrieved 2008-10-11. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Community Profile". The City of Greenfield. http://ci.greenfield.ca.us///. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
9. ^ "Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Framework to Bring Accountability to Challenged Schools". Office of the Governor of the State of California. 20080-2-27. http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/print-version/press-release/8883/. Retrieved 2008-05-18. 
10. ^ Our Plans for the Future. The Yanks Air Museum. http://www.yanksair.com/future-2.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-23. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ "Buy A Brick". Greenfield News. 2007-09-12. 

External links

• City of Greenfield Website
• Greenfield Union School District
• Greenfield News Online