Oakhurst, California
Location in Madera County and the state of California
Coordinates: 37°19′53″N 119°38′52″W / 37.33139, -119.64778
Country	United States
State	California
County	Madera
Area
- Total	5.9 sq mi (15.3 km²)
- Land	5.9 sq mi (15.3 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation	2,274 ft (693 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	2,868
- Density	486.1/sq mi (187.5/km²)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	93644
Area code(s)	559
FIPS code	06-52764
GNIS feature ID	0277565

Shopping Center in Oakhurst

Oakhurst is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, 14 miles (23 km) south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is part of the Madera, California Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population, according to the green sign at the bottom of Deadwood, is around 13,000.

Geography

A small community located in central California near Yosemite National Park. Oakhurst is located at the junction of Highways 41 & 49, at the southern end of California's gold country.

Oakhurst is located at 37°19′53″N, 119°38′52″W (37.331487, -119.647915)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.4 km²), of which, 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) of it is land and 0.17% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 2,868 people, 1,250 households, and 773 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 484.8 people per square mile (187.1/km²). There were 1,380 housing units at an average density of 233.3/sq mi (90.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.62% White, 0.45% African American, 2.93% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 6.03% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.94% of the population.

There were 1,250 households out of which 23.7% had children under 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,679, and the median income for a family was $35,495. Males had a median income of $36,979 versus $21,111 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,851. About 12.8% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. Tourism constitutes the major industry.

On February 5, 2008 residents voted on Measure C. The outcome decided that Oakhurst would not incorporate as a city. The residents voted to remain rural.

Politics

In the state legislature Oakhurst is located in the 14th Senate District, represented by Republican Dave Cogdill, and in the 25th Assembly District, represented by Republican Tom Berryhill. Federally, Oakhurst is located in California's 19th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +10^[3] and is represented by Republican George Radanovich.

In February 2008 Measure C, to incorporate Oakhurst as a city was defeated at the ballot box.

Economy

Industry

Oakhurst earned the nickname of "birthplace of computer gaming" being home to the pioneering computer game developer Sierra On-line from 1981 to 1999.

Many industry firsts were achieved in Oakhurst including the development of the first 3D adventure game (King's Quest, 1984) and one of the first online gaming networks (The Sierra Network, 1989).

Sierra Entertainment, now headquartered in Los Angeles, CA continues to publish games for the personal computer and popular gaming consoles.

Public utilities

Cable television services for the town of Oakhurst are contracted to Northland Cable TV.^[4]

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
4. ^ Northland Cable TV

External links

• Oakhurst Area Chamber
• Oakhurst Area Home Page

• Oakhurst, California is at coordinates 37°19′53″N 119°38′53″W / 37.331487, -119.647915 (Oakhurst, California)Coordinates: 37°19′53″N 119°38′53″W / 37.331487, -119.647915 (Oakhurst, California)

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