The name Madera is Spanish for "wood," a reference to the county’s early lumber industry.[6] Portions ofYosemite National Park lie within the county, and tourism, along with agriculture—particularlyalmonds,grapes, andpistachios—form major parts of the local economy.[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the county’s median household income is below the state average, and its poverty rate is higher than the California average.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, 59.6% of Madera County’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and 20.3% of residents are foreign-born, both above the national averages.[7] Nearly half of the county’s residents speak a language other than English at home.[7] The area also has a significantNative American population, and its history includes immigration and migration dating back to theCalifornia Gold Rush.
Madera County was formed in 1893 fromFresno County during a special election held in Fresno on May 16, 1893. Citizens residing in the area that was to become Madera County voted 1,179 to 358 for separation from Fresno County and the establishment of Madera County.[10]
The Madera County Sheriff's Department employed the first woman in California to die in the line of duty as a sworn law enforcement officer—Tulare native Lucille Helm (1914–1959). For 15 years, the Madera housewife and mother of four worked on call as a "matron" assisting with female transfers.[11]
Following theMexican–American War, the region retained a significant population of residents of Mexican descent.[14] During theCalifornia Gold Rush, people from across the United States and abroad settled in the area.[15] Chinese laborers contributed to construction of the Madera Flume and worked in theSugar Pine lumber yards. Their numbers declined after federal immigration restrictions such as theChinese Exclusion Act and theImmigration Act of 1917. Mexican immigrants later filled many of these labor roles.[16][17]: 81
In the 1930s, Madera County received significant numbers of refugees from theDust Bowl, particularly from Oklahoma and Arkansas.[18][19]
During the mid-20th century, theBracero Program brought agricultural laborers from Mexico to address shortages duringWorld War II and theKorean War. The Madera County Chamber of Commerce supported extending the program, which ended in 1964.[20][21] After the program ended, migration from Mexico continued. By the 1990s, an estimated 5,000Mixtec migrants from Oaxaca were working in the county’s agricultural sector.[22][23]
The county has a total area of 2,153 square miles (5,580 km2), of which 2,137 square miles (5,530 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2), or 0.8 percent, is water.[24] The highest point isMount Ritter, at 13,149 feet (4,008 m).
Climate ranges from arid in the valley to alpine in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada.[24]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Madera County had a population of 156,255 in 2020.[32] The county’s median household income was $76,920, compared to $91,551 for California and $69,717 nationally.[33] The poverty rate was 24.3 percent, higher than the state average of 12.2 percent and the national average of 22.0 percent.
The homeownership rate was 69.0 percent, compared with 55.8 percent statewide. Median gross rent was $1,189, below the California average of $1,870.[33]
In 2022, 59.6 percent of residents identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 20.3 percent of the population was foreign-born. About 46.5 percent of residents reported speaking a language other than English at home.[33] Estimates place the number of undocumented immigrants in the county between 12,500 and 15,000.[34][35]
Educational attainment was below the state average, with 21.4 percent of residents holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.[33]
Madera County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Madera County's origins are deeply rooted in boom-and-bust cycles, primarily driven by extractive industries. Initially, the county's economy was heavily reliant on mineral extraction and timber harvesting. Over time, agriculture and ag related industries became the predominant employer and economic force.
Gold mining in Madera County began during theCalifornia Gold Rush. When the county was created in 1893 from a portion ofFresno County, it included many of the region’s productive mines. These were located along the contact between theSierra Nevada batholith and older schist and slate formations, extending fromGrub Gulch toHildreth.[55]
Grub Gulch developed in the late 19th century as a mining settlement near present-dayHighway 49. At its peak, the town supported several businesses, including saloons, a general store, a post office, and a boarding house.[56] Of the estimated $1.35 million in gold extracted from Madera County, about $1 million came from mines in the Grub Gulch area.[55]
In the mid-20th century, tungsten was mined in Madera County’sHigh Sierra nearMammoth Lakes,Central Camp, andFish Camp. The Strawberry Tungsten Mine was valued at $1 million in 1955 and by 1981 had the capacity to process 310 metric tons of ore daily.[57]
Mining in the region declined in the 1980s due to lower tungsten prices and competition from imports, particularly from China. Tungsten production in Madera County and the Sierra Nevada has since ceased.[58]
The record-breaking Madera log flume was 65 mi (105 km) long.
The first sawmill in Madera County was constructed in 1852 on the east fork of Redwood Creek, north ofOakhurst, in an area known as Old Corral. It supplied lumber to miners and settlers in theCoarsegold and Fresno Flats (now Oakhurst) areas.[59] In 1854,Charles Converse and Bill Chitister relocated the mill to Crane Valley, nowBass Lake.[59]
In 1872, theCalifornia Lumber Company established a steam mill nearNelder Grove and constructed a 65 mi (105 km)log flume to transport lumber to Madera.[59] The company was reorganized in 1874 and operated for several decades.[60]: 146
Logging operations in the county declined during theGreat Depression. Activity resumed in 1941 with the opening of a new sawmill in North Fork, which used trucks and modern equipment to reach deeper areas of theSierra National Forest. The industry contracted again in the early 1990s due to federal regulations that reduced timber harvests. The North Fork mill closed in February 1994.
Madera County's employment sectors are a blend of traditional industries like farming and manufacturing, coupled hospitality and service-oriented fields.[61]: 8 Based on the average employment percentages from 2015 to 2022, the employment sectors in Madera County are ranked as follows:
The sectors that saw the largest decrease in the period were information (-25%), financial activities (-12.50%) and manufacturing (-5.71%). Looking towards the future, Government, Health and Education and Professional Sectors are forecast to be the fastest growing employment sectors.[61]: 8
Agriculture is a major sector of Madera County’s economy. In 2022, the county’s gross crop value was reported at $1.9 billion.[62] The leading commodities werealmonds,grapes, andpistachios.[63] Cattle ranching and pollination services also ranked among the county’s top five agricultural sectors.[64]
Madera County ranked first in California for fig production, and fourth statewide in almonds, pistachios, and grapes (primarily raisin varieties).[65]
In the 1990sMixtec farmworkers were a large presence in the southern part of the state, and were beginning to filter northwards here along with other Mexican indigenous agricultural laborers to work in the county's farms.[23]
The government of Madera County is mandated by the California Constitution to have a five-member Board of Supervisors elected to staggered four-year terms. The Board of Supervisors: District 1, Jordan Wamhoff; District 2, David Rogers; District 3, Robert Poythress; District 4, Leticia Gonzalez; District 5, Robert Macaulay; and County Administrator, Jay Varney; and staff provide for voter registration and elections, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, roads, and social services for the entire county. It is the local government for all unincorporated areas. Other elected offices include the Sheriff, Tyson Pogue; District Attorney, Sally Orme Moreno; Assessor, Brian Glover (acting); Auditor-Controller, David Richstone; Treasurer-Tax Collector, Tracy Kennedy; and Clerk/Registrar of Voters-Recorder, Rebecca Martinez.
The Sheriff's Office and staff provide court protection, jail administration, and coroner service for all of Madera County with its total population of approximately 156,000 residents. The Sheriff provides police patrol and detective services to the unincorporated areas of the county, which contain approximately 70,000 residents, or 45% of Madera County's total population. The Sheriff's main station and offices are in the City of Madera. There are two Sheriff's substations: Oakhurst, population 3,000, and The Madera Ranchos, population 12,000, both on Highway 41 to Yosemite National Park in the Sierras.
Madera County has three correctional facilities. The first is the Madera County Jail, managed by the elected Sheriff. The second,Valley State Prison, is a state-run prison located in Chowchilla.[68] The third, theCentral California Women's Facility, is also inChowchilla, across from Valley State Prison. Inmates are counted in the county's census population.
Madera is a stronglyRepublican county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county wasJimmy Carter in1976.
United States presidential election results for Madera County, California[71][note 2]
On November 4, 2008, Madera County voted 73.4% for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.[75]
The county is one of three counties in California to establish a separate department to deal withcorrections, pursuant to California Government Code §23013, theMadera County Department of Corrections, along withNapa County andSanta Clara County. The officers receive their powers under 831 and 831.5 of the California Penal Code.[76]
A gap of less than 10 miles (16 km) separates the end of Minaret Road, extending northeast fromNorth Fork, from the terminus of Red’s Meadow Road in the Eastern Sierra. In the 20th century, proposals were advanced to link the San Joaquin Valley and the Eastern Sierra by highway or tunnel across Minaret Summit. To preserve the option for such a project, an area southwest of the summit was excluded from theWilderness Act of 1964.
Madera County Connection provides service between the cities of Madera and Chowchilla. Routes also run to eastern Madera County. A connection to Fresno can be made atValley Children's Hospital near the county line.
The cities of Madera and Chowchilla also have their own local, intracity transit services namedMadera Metro andChowchilla Area Transit, respectively.
^Durham, David L. (1998).California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 798.ISBN1-884995-14-4.
^Johnston, Hank (1968).Thunder in the Mountains: The Life and Times of Madera Sugar Pine (Second Edition (Revised) ed.). Costa Mesa, Calif.: Stauffer Publishing.ISBN0-87046-017-X.OCLC239958.
^Carroll, Thomas R.; Schmeda, German; Karl, Nick A; Burger, Meredith H.; Long, Keith R; Reyes, Tyler A (2020)."Mineralogy".Tungsten Deposits in the United States. USGS.doi:10.5066/P9XA8MJ4. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2024.
^Stenzel, Jane, ed. (2006).As We Were Told: An Oral and Written History (Third Edition (Revised) ed.). Coarsegold, California: Coarsegold Historical Society.ISBN0-9626377-7-7.
^"Valley State Prison (VSP)". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2024.
^abcU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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