Clearlake, California

Clearlake is a city in Lake County, California. Clearlake is north-northwest of Lower Lake, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 16,685, up from 15,250 in the 2010 census. It takes its name from Clear Lake.

History

The Clearlake post office opened in 1923, "Konocti" then Clearlake Highlands until incorporation in 1981 when the official name became City of Clearlake.

The first inhabitants of Clearlake were the Pomo Indians, who named many of the area's features, including Mount Konocti. Beginning in 1821, enslavement and mistreatment by Spanish soldiers and missionaries, Mexican land barons, European settlers, and gold diggers, combined with a lack of natural immunity to European diseases, resulted in a massive wave of deaths. The result of this was massive amounts of land freed up for the white settlers who arrived during the gold rush.

Geography

Clearlake is located at 38°57'30" North, 122°37'35" West.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The total area is 4.27% water.

Climate

Clearlake has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: ''Csa'') with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Diurnal temperature variation is high, especially in the summer. Snowfall is rare.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Clearlake had a population of 16,685. The population density was . The racial makeup of Clearlake was 59.3% White, 3.4% African American, 2.7% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 18.8% from other races, and 14.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.4% of the population.

The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.5% were institutionalized.

There were 6,366 households, out of which 31.9% included children under the age of 18, 31.0% were married-couple households, 10.0% were cohabiting couple households, 32.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 27.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 31.8% of households were one person, and 15.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.6. There were 3,762 families (59.1% of all households).

The age distribution was 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% aged 18 to 24, 25.2% aged 25 to 44, 24.8% aged 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 37.5years. For every 100 females, there were 103.0 males.

There were 7,665 housing units at an average density of , of which 6,366 (83.1%) were occupied. Of these, 54.6% were owner-occupied, and 45.4% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $41,580, and the per capita income was $19,944. About 17.6% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Clearlake had a population of 15,250. The population density was . The racial makeup of Clearlake was 11,262 (73.8%) White, 614 (4.0%) African American, 400 (2.6%) Native American, 161 (1.1%) Asian, 27 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,805 (11.8%) from other races, and 981 (6.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,248 persons (21.3%).

The census reported that 14,790 people (97.0% of the population) lived in households, 366 (2.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 94 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 5,970 households, 1,859 (31.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,957 (32.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,013 (17.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 448 (7.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 650 (10.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 71 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,898 households (31.8%) were one person and 739 (12.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48. There were 3,418 families (57.3% of households); the average family size was 3.11.

The age distribution was 3,656 people (24.0%) under the age of 18, 1,528 people (10.0%) aged 18 to 24, 3,384 people (22.2%) aged 25 to 44, 4,389 people (28.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,293 people (15.0%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

There were 8,035 housing units at an average density of , of which 3,190 (39.7) were owner-occupied, 2,780 (34.6%) were occupied by renters and 2065 (25.7%) were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%. 7,595 people (49.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,195 people (47.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

In the state legislature, Clearlake is in , and in .

Federally, Clearlake is in .

Infrastructure

According to a 2012 road report, approximately 44% of the city's roads are unpaved, including dozens of miles of urban residential streets.

Notable people

* Michael Berryman, actor
* Randy Hennis, baseball player, was born in Clearlake

See also

* Eastlake Landfill

References

External links

*

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1980 establishments in California
Cities in Lake County, California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places established in 1980