Coarsegold, California

Coarsegold
—  census-designated place  —
Coarsegold Location in California
Coordinates: 37°15′44″N 119°42′04″W / 37.26222°N 119.70111°W / 37.26222; -119.70111Coordinates: 37°15′44″N 119°42′04″W / 37.26222°N 119.70111°W / 37.26222; -119.70111
Country	United States
State	California
County	Madera County
Area[1]
– Total	10.988 sq mi (28.459 km2)
– Land	10.988 sq mi (28.459 km2)
– Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation[2]	2,218 ft (676 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	1,840
– Density	167.5/sq mi (64.7/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code
GNIS feature IDs	258494; 2628719
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coarsegold, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coarsegold, California

Coarsegold (formerly, Coarse Gold, Gold Gulch, Michaels, Oro Grosso, Texas Flat,^[3] and Coarse Gold Gulch^[4]) is a census-designated place^[5] in Madera County, California.^[2] It is located 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of Yosemite Forks,^[4] at an elevation of 2218 feet (676 m).^[2] The population was 1,840 at the 2010 census.

History

The place was first called Texas Flat after miners from Texas discovered gold there in 1849.^[4] By 1874, the name had changed to Michaels, honoring Charles Michaels, a local merchant.^[4] A rival mining camp inhabited by Mexicans there was called Oro Grosso.^[4]

The current name derives from the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century, when prospectors discovered coarse lumps of gold in a nearby creek. At one time, several dozen gold mines operated in the area.

The Coarse Gold Gulch post office opened in 1878, changed the name to Goldgulch in 1895 and to Coarsegold in 1899.^[4]

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census^[6] reported that Coarsegold had a population of 1,840. The population density was 167.5 people per square mile (64.7/km²). The racial makeup of Coarsegold was 1,617 (87.9%) White, 11 (0.6%) African American, 50 (2.7%) Native American, 32 (1.7%) Asian, 6 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 47 (2.6%) from other races, and 77 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 156 persons (8.5%).

The Census reported that 1,840 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 766 households, out of which 184 (24.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 452 (59.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 70 (9.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 28 (3.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (3.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 4 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 186 households (24.3%) were made up of individuals and 104 (13.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40. There were 550 families (71.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.79.

The population was spread out with 338 people (18.4%) under the age of 18, 116 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 295 people (16.0%) aged 25 to 44, 585 people (31.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 506 people (27.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.3 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

There were 864 housing units at an average density of 78.6 per square mile (30.4/km²), of which 617 (80.5%) were owner-occupied, and 149 (19.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 1,492 people (81.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 348 people (18.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Culture

The Coarsegold Historic Village is located on Highway 41 between Fresno and the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park at an altitude of approximately 2,000 feet (610 m). It is a very small town but does boast a few amenities such as a post office, a supermarket, hardware store, bank, florist, karaoke at various locations, a few restaurants and tourist shops.

Nearby towns include Oakhurst, around 7 miles (11 km) away.

Every year from mid-October to mid-November, tarantula mating season takes place and the town is full of tarantulas. Locals go out of their way to protect and respect the arachnids during this time. There is a Coarsegold Tarantula Festival, now^[when?] in its 14th year, which includes tarantula racing, a competition for the hairiest legs of both men and women, and a pumpkin dessert contest.

References

1. ^ U.S. Census
2. ^ ^{a b c} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coarsegold, California
3. ^ All U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coarsegold, California
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 760. ISBN 9781884995149. 
5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coarsegold, California
6. ^ 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.

External links

• Coarsegold website
• Karaoke with Len & Elaine (Alfonso's Hideaway & Blue Heron Lounge) http://www.alloccasion-music-entertainment.com/