Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California

Yokuts Valley (formerly, Squaw Valley) is a census-designated place located in Fresno County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 3,162, up from 2,691 at the 2000 census. Yokuts Valley is located north-northeast of Orange Cove and east of Fresno, at an elevation of .

Name

Yokuts Valley is named after either the surrounding basin or a narrow valley that connects it to the San Joaquin Valley. The basin may have originally been named "Woman's Land", after a depression in a rock overlooking the valley that resembles a woman's moccasin print. By 1873, non-native hunters had given it the name "Squaw Valley", referring to its population of native women. The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) officially assigned the name Squaw Valley to the community in 1957 and to the basin in 1959.

On August 28, 1958, at the behest of Representative B. F. Sisk, the BGN decided that Squaw Valley would only refer to this community, not to a newer community in Placer County that was about to host the 1960 Winter Olympics. The latter would become known as Olympic Valley. Nevertheless, the name "Squaw Valley" continued to refer informally to both communities, creating considerable confusion.

Since 2020, a coalition that includes members of local tribes has petitioned the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to rename the community "Nuum Valley" and later "Yokuts Valley", citing the derogatory connotations of the word "squaw".

In September 2022, the Board on Geographic Names renamed the surrounding valley to Yokuts Basin as part of a program to remove "squaw" from geographical names across the country. Supervisor Nathan Magsig solicited feedback from 1,400 households soliciting feedback about the proposed renaming and organized a town hall meeting with local activists that turned contentious. A few days later, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law directing state and local authorities to remove "squaw" from geographic features and place names throughout the state, including Squaw Valley, by 2025. In 2023, the Board on Geographic Names voted on and approved a name change to "Yokuts Basin."

History

Present-day Yokuts Valley was originally the home of Yokuts and Mono people. In 1869, the Simpson Drake family became the first known non-native family to settle in the basin. An early reference to Yokuts Valley appears in an 1884 issue of an Idaho newspaper.

The first post office opened in Squaw Valley in 1879. It was renamed Squawvalley in 1895 before closing in 1918. It reopened in 1923, renamed back to Squaw Valley in 1932, and closed again in 1945 in favor of the nearby Orange Cove post office. The Squaw Valley post office was established a third time in 1960.

In the 1960s, the community moved east to its current location.
The Board on Geographic Names, part of the Department of the Interior, voted to rename the unincorporated community to Yokuts Valley in 2023.

Geography

The community is located in the Yokuts Basin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which over 99% is land.

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Squaw Valley had a population of 3,162. The population density was . The racial makeup of Squaw Valley was 2,700 (85.4%) White, 30 (0.9%) African American, 77 (2.4%) Native American, 47 (1.5%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 159 (5.0%) from other races, and 147 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 525 people (16.6%).

The census reported that 3,160 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 1,188 households, 343 (28.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 715 (60.2%) were married couples living together, 101 (8.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 66 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 75 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 7 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 239 households (20.1%) were one person and 99 (8.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66. There were 882 families (74.2% of households); the average family size was 3.01.

The age distribution was 709 people (22.4%) under the age of 18, 200 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 597 people (18.9%) aged 25 to 44, 1,111 people (35.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 545 people (17.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 46.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.

There were 1,419 housing units at an average density of 25.1 per square mile (9.7/km),of which 1,188 were occupied, 1,009 (84.9%) by the owners and 179 (15.1%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 2,648 people (83.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 512 people (16.2%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,691 people, 1,025 households, and 779 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,160 housing units at an average density of 20.5 per square mile (7.9/km). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.33% White, 1.37% African American, 2.38% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 4.83% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. 12.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,025 households 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 19.3% of households were one person and 8.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.98.

The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

The median household income was $39,417 and the median family income was $47,739. Males had a median income of $38,375 versus $27,850 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,719. 8.9% of the population and 2.6% of families were below the poverty line. 14.4% of those under the age of 18 and 2.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Notable people

* Stuart Erwin actor

References

External links

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Census-designated places in Fresno County, California
Populated places established in 1879
Census-designated places in California