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Chualar (
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
for "
Pigweed Pigweed can mean any of a number of weedy plants which may be used as pig fodder: * '' Amaranthus'' species ** ''Amaranthus albus'', white pigweed, tumble pigweed ** '' Amaranthus blitoides'', prostrate pigweed ** '' Amaranthus californicus'', Cal ...
grove") is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...
and
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, su ...
(CDP) in the
Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley is one of the major valleys and most productive agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. The Salinas River, which geologicall ...
of
Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Monter ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, United States. Chualar is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of . The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census.


Geography

Chualar is located in northeastern Monterey County at .
U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal R ...
runs along the southwest side of the community, leading northwest to Salinas and southeast to Soledad. 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 An economy is an area of th ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land. In her ''Spanish and Indian Place Names of California'' (1914), Sanchez states that ''chualar'' was the indigenous word for an abundant and native goosefoot. This plant could possibly be ''Chenopodium californicum'', the California goosefoot (also known as
pigweed Pigweed can mean any of a number of weedy plants which may be used as pig fodder: * '' Amaranthus'' species ** ''Amaranthus albus'', white pigweed, tumble pigweed ** '' Amaranthus blitoides'', prostrate pigweed ** '' Amaranthus californicus'', Cal ...
). In his ''1500 California Place Names'' (1998), William Bright writes that the name is Spanish for "where the ''chual'' grows," ''chual'' being Mexican
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...
for pigweed or goosefoot, and derived ultimately from
Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...
''tzoalli''.


History

The Chualar post office opened in 1871, closed in 1873, and re-opened in 1874. At a railroad crossing about one mile south of town, a bus carrying Mexican migrant workers collided with a train in September 1963, killing 32 passengers and injuring 25. It was the most serious road accident in U.S. history, and helped spur the abolition of the bracero guest worker program. The portion of
U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal R ...
where the accident occurred was named the "Bracero Memorial Highway" on the 50th anniversary of the accident in 2013. At that time two survivors of the crash were still alive. On December 4, 2019, a
levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastl ...
near Chualar was partially breached at 2 pm. Highway 101 was shut down due to the broken levee. Children were stranded at the local school with a few teachers overnight. The levee break also caused a nursing home to be evacuated. Chualar was once owned by the Johnson family. They ran cattle on their 15,000+ acre ranch.


Demographics


2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Chualar had a population of 1,190. The population density was . The racial makeup of Chualar was 337 (28.3%)
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1 (0.1%)
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 2 (0.2%) Native American, 11 (0.9%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 827 (69.5%) from other races, and 12 (1.0%) from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 1,151 persons (96.7%). The Census reported that 1,190 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 245 households, out of which 179 (73.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 160 (65.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 49 (20.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 22 (9.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 17 (6.9%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships POSSLQ ( , plural POSSLQs) is an abbreviation (or acronym) for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters", a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of ...
, and 4 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9 households (3.7%) were made up of individuals, and 5 (2.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.86. There were 231 families (94.3% of all households); the average family size was 4.79. The population was spread out, with 429 people (36.1%) under the age of 18, 137 people (11.5%) aged 18 to 24, 330 people (27.7%) aged 25 to 44, 235 people (19.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 59 people (5.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. There were 251 housing units at an average density of , of which 112 (45.7%) were owner-occupied, and 133 (54.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.5%. 553 people (46.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 637 people (53.5%) 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 1,444 people, 279 households, and 261 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 286 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 15.44%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.42%
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 ha ...
or
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.55% Native American, 3.19% Asian, 76.11% from other races, and 4.29% from two or more races. 93.56% of the population were
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race. There were 279 households, out of which 71.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.4% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 6.1% were non-families. 3.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.18 and the average family size was 5.22. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 39.4% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 12.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,125, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $20,667 versus $19,643 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 $10,096. About 12.4% of families and 15.0% 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 18.9% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.


References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Monterey County, California Salinas Valley Unincorporated communities in Monterey County, California Unincorporated communities in California