Cantua Creek (formerly, Cantua and Cantuna) is 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) 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 United States census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populo ...

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 ...

, 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 refers to ...

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

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 has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

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 se ...

, 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 (), 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 California (1822–1848), present d ...

. The hideout of

Joaquin Murrieta Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo (sometimes misspelled Murieta or Murietta) (c. 1829 – July 25, 1853), also called the Robin Hood of the West or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a Mexicans, Mexican figure of disputed historicity. The novel ''The Lif ...

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

Cantua Creek first appeared as 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 ...

in the 2000 U.S. Census.

2010

The 2010 United States Census 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 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 ...

, 5 (1.1%)

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 ...

, 3 (0.6%) Native American, 1 (0.2%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

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 ...

, 199 (42.7%) from other races, and 14 (3.0%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 ) 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 ...

(92.0% of all households); the average family size was 4.24. The age distribution was 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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

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 that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.61% Native American, 52.06% from other races, and 4.58% from two or more races. 93.74% of the population were

or Latino 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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. The age distribution was 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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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