Kernville | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Kernville | |
 Location inKern County and the state ofCalifornia | |
  Kernville Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:35°45′17″N118°25′31″W / 35.75472°N 118.42528°W /35.75472; -118.42528 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Kern |
| Government | |
| • State senator | Shannon Grove (R)[1] |
| • Assemblymember | Stan Ellis (R)[1] |
| • U. S. rep. | Vince Fong (R)[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.944 sq mi (33.525 km2) |
| • Land | 12.636 sq mi (32.728 km2) |
| • Water | 0.308 sq mi (0.797 km2) 2.38% |
| Elevation | 2,667 ft (813 m) |
| Population (2020)[5] | |
• Total | 1,549 |
| • Density | 122.6/sq mi (47.33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 93238 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-38310 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1660834 |
| Website | |
| Reference no. | 132 |
Kernville is acensus-designated place (CDP) in the southernSierra Nevada, inKern County,California, United States.[4] Kernville is located 42 miles (68 km) northeast ofBakersfield,[6] at an elevation of 2,667 feet (813 m).[4] The population was 1,549 at the2020 United States census,[5] up from 1,395 at the2010 census, but below the2000 census total of 1,736.
TheKern River was named after artist and topographerEdward Kern, who accompaniedJohn C. Fremont on his 1845 expedition. They camped at what was a fork of two rivers, now the middle ofLake Isabella. An 1858 gold rush led to the formation of a town briefly called Rogersville, then Williamsburg, which was in 1863 renamedWhiskey Flat after a bar opened.[7] In 1864, the town was renamedKernville.
After decades of planning, theIsabella Dam project began in 1948. As a result, Kernville was relocated upstream to its present location at the tip of the northeast fork of the man-made lake, along with certain historic buildings. Downtown visibly retains Kernville'sgold rush and Old West roots, attracting tourists along with the area's natural scenery and outdoor activities. The town's original location is slightly east ofWofford Heights. Foundations and other remnants can still be seen when the lake is low. The famous Mountain Inn, built mainly to house movie stars and crew before the 1948 move, is now (partially) at the new Kernville, renamed the River View Lodge.[8]
Whiskey Flat Days is the annual celebration of the area's Wild West roots. A parade, historical re-enactments, pioneer-style camps, a carnival, street vendors and rodeo are just part of the festivities put on every President's Day weekend and attended by thousands of visitors.
Even with its annual summer influx of tourists, Kernville remains one of the most quaint, conservative relics of early California. Many local families trace their lineage to original 19th century homesteaders. The post office, established at the original site in 1868, was moved to the new site in 1951.[6]
The original townsite is now registered asCalifornia Historical Landmark #132.[9]
Climate type occurs primarily on the periphery of the true deserts in low-latitude semiarid steppe regions.
| Climate data for Kernville | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) | 76 (24) | 80 (27) | 88 (31) | 95 (35) | 102 (39) | 105 (41) | 105 (41) | 101 (38) | 93 (34) | 81 (27) | 73 (23) | 105 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.9 (15.5) | 62.9 (17.2) | 66.6 (19.2) | 72.4 (22.4) | 81.0 (27.2) | 90.5 (32.5) | 97.5 (36.4) | 96.7 (35.9) | 90.9 (32.7) | 80.3 (26.8) | 67.3 (19.6) | 60.2 (15.7) | 77.2 (25.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 32.6 (0.3) | 35.3 (1.8) | 38.2 (3.4) | 42.8 (6.0) | 50.3 (10.2) | 58.3 (14.6) | 64.3 (17.9) | 63.1 (17.3) | 57.3 (14.1) | 47.8 (8.8) | 37.8 (3.2) | 32.4 (0.2) | 46.7 (8.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 11 (−12) | 14 (−10) | 21 (−6) | 26 (−3) | 29 (−2) | 39 (4) | 42 (6) | 44 (7) | 35 (2) | 23 (−5) | 18 (−8) | 10 (−12) | 10 (−12) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.73 (69) | 2.58 (66) | 2.04 (52) | 0.83 (21) | 0.29 (7.4) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.22 (5.6) | 0.36 (9.1) | 0.43 (11) | 1.39 (35) | 1.79 (45) | 12.93 (328) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 1.1 (2.77) |
| Source: NOAA[10] | |||||||||||||
Kernville has a large tourist industry centered on thewhite water rapids of theKern River. While white water rafting and kayaking are the main attractions, one can also enjoymountain biking,rock climbing, and other outdoor activities.Fly fishing is also popular; in particular, thegolden trout is highly sought after forcatch and release fishing. Downtown Kernville has anOld West look and contains a number of restaurants, antique shops and motels. The Kern Valley Museum[11] houses a collection of historical items and displays.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1,660 | — | |
| 1990 | 1,656 | −0.2% | |
| 2000 | 1,736 | 4.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,395 | −19.6% | |
| 2020 | 1,549 | 11.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1980[13] 1990[14]2000[15] 2010[16] | |||
Kernville first appeared as acensus-designated place in the1980 United States census.[13]
The2020 United States census reported that Kernville had a population of 1,549. The population density was 122.6 inhabitants per square mile (47.3/km2). The racial makeup of Kernville was 1,276 (82.4%)White, 9 (0.6%)African American, 19 (1.2%)Native American, 24 (1.5%)Asian, 1 (0.1%)Pacific Islander, 57 (3.7%) fromother races, and 163 (10.5%) from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 156 persons (10.1%).[17]
The census reported that 97.0% of the population lived in households, 15 people (1.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 31 (2.0%) were institutionalized.[17]
There were 787 households, out of which 109 (13.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 305 (38.8%) were married-couple households, 47 (6.0%) werecohabiting couple households, 252 (32.0%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 183 (23.3%) had a male householder with no partner present. 340 households (43.2%) were one person, and 200 (25.4%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.91.[17] There were 401families (51.0% of all households).[18]
The age distribution was 220 people (14.2%) under the age of 18, 64 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 255 people (16.5%) aged 25 to 44, 456 people (29.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 554 people (35.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males.[17]
There were 1,117 housing units at an average density of 88.4 units per square mile (34.1 units/km2), of which 787 (70.5%) were occupied. Of these, 586 (74.5%) were owner-occupied, and 201 (25.5%) were occupied by renters.[17]
The city is served by theKern Valley Airport, three miles (4.8 km) south of town. The airport features a fly-in campground on site. An airfield cafe serves both pilots and visitors.[19]
The city is also served byKern Transit, connecting the Kern River Valley with the rest of the county.
The California Historical Landmark reads:
The marker is located in the Old Kernville Cemetery, with a registration date of January 31, 1934.
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