North Fork (formerly Brown's and Northfork; Mono wa?ahhpY', "cedar grove") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States. As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

it had a population of 3,250. It is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California maintains their tribal headquarters in North Fork.

Geography

North Fork is located in the foothills of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

at an elevation of . It is north-northeast of Fresno, northeast of Madera, and by road southeast of Oakhurst. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the North Fork CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.14%, are water. The community is drained by Willow Creek and by its North Fork and South Fork. Willow Creek is a south-flowing tributary of the San Joaquin River. The geographic center or midpoint of the state of California is located between North Fork and Italian Bar. The point is about driving distance from the United States Forest Service office in North Fork. The location is marked by a sign and a survey marker. NAD83 coordinates for the exact center of California are The Fresno County line is less than one mile (1.6 km), (straight-line distance), from the site's survey marker. The actual site has wooden stairs leading up the hillside about 50 feet from the road. The marker is not wheelchair accessible.

Climate

North Fork has a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen ''Cfa'') with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Its average annual precipitation is . Its

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

is 7b.

History

The town's original inhabitants were members of the Mono tribe, who still comprise a significant portion of the population (9.4% according to the 2000 Census). The town was originally named "Brown's" after its first white settler, Milton Brown. The name "North Fork" came from the North Fork Lumber Company. The North Fork post office opened in 1888. In the 1950s, it became a lumber town. North Fork's economy was based on the timber industry until the local lumber mill closed in 1996. The US Forest Service Crane Valley Hotshots, an elite crew of wildland firefighters, are based in North Fork.

Points of interest

North Fork is home of the Sierra Mono MuseumSierra Mono Museum
accessed 7/9/2012 and the starting point of the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway. The town boasts two coffee shops, one grocery store, three restaurants (one of which is part of the town's bar) with another coming and one gas station.

Notable people

* Edmund Kemper, then 15 years old, shot his grandparents to death at a ranch in 1964 * Jeff King, four-time champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race * Sam Peckinpah, director, spent much of his youth on his grandparents ranch in North Fork

References

* "Center Of California" #608, ''California's Gold,'' Huell Howser Productions, 1995.

External links

North Fork Chamber of Commerce

North Fork Community Development Council

California's Gold (1991–2012) - Center of California (released August 6, 1995)
{{Authority control Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Madera County, California Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Madera County, California