Cantua Creek (formerly, Cantua and Cantuna) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Fresno County Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in Cali ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 466, down from the 655 reported at the 2000 census. Cantua Creek is located south-southwest of

Tranquillity Tranquillity (also spelled tranquility) is the quality or state of being tranquil; that is, calm, serene, and worry-free. The word tranquillity appears in numerous texts ranging from the religious writings of Buddhism, where the term ''passaddhi'' ...

, at an elevation of 295 feet (90 m).

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Cantua Creek has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

History

The community of Cantua Creek is located near Cantua Creek, a tributary of the

Fresno Slough Fresno Slough is a distributary of the Kings River that connects the North Fork Kings River to the San Joaquin River in San Joaquin Valley, Kings County, California. Until 1879 when irrigation diversions prevented it, Fresno Slough was also an ou ...

that flows down from the Coast Range to the west toward the Fresno Slough. That creek originally, Arroyo de Cantua, was a stopping place on the

El Camino Viejo El Camino Viejo a Los Ángeles ( en, the Old Road to Los Angeles), also known as El Camino Viejo and the Old Los Angeles Trail, was the oldest north-south trail in the interior of Spanish colonial Las Californias (1769–1822) and Mexican Alta Cal ...

. The hideout of

Joaquin Murrieta Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo (sometimes spelled Murieta or Murietta) (1829 – July 25, 1853), also called the Robin Hood of the West or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a Mexican-American figure of disputed historicity. The novel '' The Life and A ...

was located in the vicinity of this creek in the mountains to the west of this community. The Cantua post office operated in 1888, and from 1890 to 1892. The Cantua Creek post office opened in 1941.

Demographics

2010

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

reported that Cantua Creek had a population of 466. The population density was . The racial makeup of Cantua Creek was 244 (52.4%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 5 (1.1%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 3 (0.6%) Native American, 1 (0.2%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 199 (42.7%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 14 (3.0%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 461 persons (98.9%). The Census reported that 461 people (98.9% of the population) lived in households, 5 (1.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 113 households, out of which 66 (58.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 77 (68.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 15 (13.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 12 (10.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 6 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6 households (5.3%) were made up of individuals, and 1 (0.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.08. There were 104

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

(92.0% of all households); the average family size was 4.24. The population was spread out, with 144 people (30.9%) under the age of 18, 56 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 137 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 92 people (19.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 37 people (7.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 130.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.3 males. There were 128 housing units at an average density of , of which 113 were occupied, of which 48 (42.5%) were owner-occupied, and 65 (57.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%. 198 people (42.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 263 people (56.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 655 people, 141 households, and 131 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 42.60%

, 0.15%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 0.61% Native American, 52.06% from

, and 4.58% from two or more races. 93.74% of the population were

of any race. There were 141 households, out of which 66.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.4% were non-families. 2.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.51 and the average family size was 4.52. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 36.5% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 134.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,484, and the median income for a family was $26,484. Males had a median income of $0 versus $26,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $5,693. About 26.7% of families and 38.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 46.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Fresno County, California Populated places established in 1888 Census-designated places in California