unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Tulare County
Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lake ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Tooleville sits at an elevation of . The 2020 United States census reported Tooleville's population was 286. For statistical purposes, the
US Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
has designated it a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP).
Tooleville has the lowest per capita income ($3,711) of any CDP in Californi
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP covers an area of 0.07 square miles (0.17 km), all of it land.
History
Tooleville narratives indicate that the Toole family, coming from
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
in the
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...
era, purchased a large parcel of land and sold portions of it to other Dust Bowl migrants.
Demographics
The 2020 United States census reported that Tooleville had a population of 286. The population density was . The racial makeup of Tooleville was 39 (13.6%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0 (0.0%)
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 167 (58.4%) from other races, and 47 (16.4%) from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
of any race were 253 persons (88.5%).
The whole population lived in households. There were 64 households, out of which 20 (31.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 42 (65.6%) were married-couple households, 2 (3.1%) were
cohabiting
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...
couple households, 16 (25.0%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 4 (6.3%) had a male householder with no partner present. 10 households (15.6%) were one person, and 7 (10.9%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 4.47. There were 54
families
Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(84.4% of all households).
The age distribution was 104 people (36.4%) under the age of 18, 25 people (8.7%) aged 18 to 24, 57 people (19.9%) aged 25 to 44, 84 people (29.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 16 people (5.6%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 27.5years. For every 100 females, there were 70.2 males.
There were 80 housing units at an average density of , of which 64 (80.0%) were occupied. Of these, 51 (79.7%) were owner-occupied, and 13 (20.3%) were occupied by renters.
Infrastructure
Lacking a municipal
water supply network
A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following:
# A drainage basin (see water purification – sour ...
, residents have used water that comes from two
well
A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
s that are contaminated with
nitrate
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...
and
Coliform bacteria
Coliform bacteria are defined as either motile or non-motile Gram-negative non- spore forming bacilli that possess β-galactosidase to produce acids and gases under their optimal growth temperature of 35–37 °C. They can be aerobes or ...
. Tooleville is one of many areas in the Central Valley plagued for decades by contaminated drinking water caused by chemical fertilizers, animal wastes, and pesticides that have infiltrated aquifers. In 1973, the county general plan deemed as having little or no authentic future and that by withholding major public facilities such as sewer and water systems, the community would enter a process of long term, natural decline.
Tooleville residents have sought water access through nearby
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, but Exeter officials declined to provide a connection to their water system for more than 20 years. In August 2021, the
California State Water Resources Control Board
The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is one of six branches of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
History
This regulatory program has had the status of an official government department since the 1950s. The ...
sent a letter stating that the state would intervene if the city did create a consolidation plan within six months. Planning of a connection project started shortly thereafter, and the project is expected to take eight years to complete.