Delano ( ) is a city in

Kern County, California Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...

, United States. Delano is located about north-northwest of

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

at an elevation of . The population was 51,428 in 2020, down from 53,041 in 2010. It is Kern County's second-largest city after Bakersfield. Agriculture is Delano's major industry. The area is particularly well known as a center for the growing of

table grape Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption as fresh fruit, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, Juicing, juice production, jelly and jam making, or for drying into raisins. ''Vitis vinifera'' table grapes can be in the form of e ...

s. Delano is also home to two California state prisons, North Kern State Prison and Kern Valley State Prison. The

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

once operated one of its largest, most powerful shortwave broadcast facilities at a station outside Delano at . The Voice of America ceased broadcasts in October 2007, citing a changing political mission, reduced budgets, and changes in technology. Delano's two school districts currently operate eight elementary schools, three middle schools, three comprehensive high schools and two alternative high schools. The city has its own

police department The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citize ...

and contracts with the

Kern County Fire Department Kern or KERN may refer to: People * Kern (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Kern (soldier), a light infantry unit in Medieval Irish armies Places * Kern, Alaska, a ghost town in Alaska * Kern, Austria, see Sankt Marienki ...

for fire services, EMS services are privately provided by local company, Delano Ambulance Service.

History

Delano was founded on July 14, 1869, as a railroad town, not because the railroad passed through the town but because the railroad coming south from

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

terminated at Delano. The name was officially given by the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

in honor of

Columbus Delano Columbus Delano (June 4, 1809 – October 23, 1896) was an American lawyer, rancher, banker, statesman, and a member of the prominent Delano family. Forced to live on his own at an early age, Delano struggled to become a self-made man. Delano ...

, at the time the Secretary of the Interior (1870–1875) for the United States. The first post office opened in 1874. Delano incorporated in 1913. The town started with a boom. With Delano as the southern terminus of the railroad, it became the headquarters for hundreds of workmen who were building the railroad into town, and who eventually built the railroad into Bakersfield the following year. Meanwhile, the merchandise that formerly was trucked south from Visalia to Bakersfield and then to Walker Pass, or perhaps Tejon Pass, en route to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, now coming via freight from the south, east and west, was likewise trucked in by ox or mule team. Great loads of bullion were delivered here from the mines in the mountains. Delano became the northern terminus for the passenger stages that ran south to Bakersfield and Los Angeles. The fare from Bakersfield to Delano was $7.00. Cesar chavez crop2

Delano was a major hub of farm worker organization efforts and

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

political movements. Filipino immigrants Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Dulay Itliong were instrumental in shaping the direction of the farm worker movement in the 1950s. On September 8, 1965, Larry Itliong and other Filipino leaders led the predominantly Filipino Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) in a "walk off" from table grape farms, now known as the

Delano grape strike The Delano grape strike was a labor strike organized by the United Farm Workers, Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), a predominantly Filipino and AFL-CIO-sponsored labor organization, against table grape growers in Delano, Californ ...

. The strikers' goal was to improve farm workers' wages and working conditions. The National Farm Workers' Association (NFWA), a largely

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 ...

union led by

Cesar Chavez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

, joined the strike within a week. During the strike, the two groups joined forces and formed the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). By 1970, the UFW won a contract with major grape growers across California.

Economy

Major farm employers in Delano include Wonderful Citrus, Columbine Vineyards, Munger Farms, Lucich Farms, and Hronis. Other major employers include Adventist Health Hospital Delano,

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

The Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., often referred to as Home Depot, is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportat ...

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

no longer here closed down (distribution only; no retail), Vallarta Supermarkets, Delano Joint Union High School District, Delano Union Elementary School District, and the North Kern-South Tulare Hospital District.

Major employers

According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

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 city has a total area of ; over 99% of which is land.

Climate

Delano's climate is typical of the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

. It is located within a

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

climatic zone with

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

features. The city receives of rainfall annually, mainly in the winter. The weather is hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter. Frequent winter ground fog known regionally as

tule fog ''Schoenoplectus acutus'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris'' subsp. ''acutus''), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant specie ...

can obscure vision. Record temperatures range between (2006) and (1990).

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Delano had a population of 51,428. The population density was . The racial makeup of Delano was 14.0%

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 ...

, 5.4%

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 ...

, 2.0% Native American, 14.5% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 50.0% from other races, and 14.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 74.8% of the population. The census reported that 83.7% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 15.9% were institutionalized. There were 11,113 households, out of which 55.7% included children under the age of 18, 52.4% were married-couple households, 7.6% 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, 25.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 10.7% of households were one person, and 5.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.88. There were 9,467

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 ...

(85.2% of all households). The age distribution was 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.3% aged 18 to 24, 32.7% aged 25 to 44, 21.1% aged 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 31.7years. For every 100 females, there were 135.8 males. There were 11,572 housing units at an average density of , of which 11,113 (96.0%) were occupied. Of these, 56.5% were owner-occupied, and 43.5% were occupied by renters.

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 34.0% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 27.1% spoke only English at home, 62.3% spoke

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 0.4% spoke other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, 9.4% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.8% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 63.1% were high school graduates and 8.2% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income was $61,817, and 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 ...

was $19,266. About 14.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

The Delano Union School District operates eight elementary schools and three middle schools. The Delano Joint Union High School District provides three comprehensive high schools, a continuation high school, and an adult education center.

Elementary schools

* Albany Park Elementary School * Del Vista Math and Science Academy * Fremont Elementary School * Harvest Elementary School * Morningside Elementary School * Nueva Vista Language Academy * Pioneer School * Princeton Street Elementary School * Terrace Elementary School

Middle schools

* Almond Tree Middle School * Cecil Avenue Math and Science Academy * La Vina Middle School

High schools

* Delano High School * Cesar E. Chavez High School * Robert F. Kennedy High School * Valley High School *Delano Adult School

College

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...

, a

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

, serves the community of Delano and the rural communities of northern Kern and southern Tulare counties with a satellite campus at the Delano Center, approximately 35 miles north of the main campus in

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of th ...

Transportation

Bus services

The Delano Area Rapid Transit (DART) provides fixed route bus service on four routes and demand responsive public transportation service (Dial-A- Ride) to the residents of Delano and the immediate county area surrounding the city within the boundaries of State Route 43 to the west, County Line Road to the north, Pond Road to the south, and Kyte Avenue to the east.

Airport

The Delano Municipal Airport is an uncontrolled airfield with a 5,651-foot runway and light aviation services, and is open to the public. There is no scheduled airline service, but the airport serves a variety of other significant users. Many military, air charter, air ambulance, and other flying services operate from the airport on a regular basis.

Events

The Cinco De Mayo Fiesta celebrates Mexican culture with live entertainment and a carnival at Memorial Park. This four-day celebrations commemorates

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo (; ) is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, ho ...

. Delano is home to the Annual Philippine Weekend festival which celebrates Filipino Culture through performing arts and cultural activities. The festival aims to continue the preservation of the art and history of the Philippines. The festival includes a pork

adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...

cook-off, grand parade, barrio fiesta, basketball tournament, cultural entertainment, live performance, dance and singing contest, and bingo. September 16 Celebration Harvest Holidays off with a golf tournament, softball tournament and 10k run. The Grand Marshal and Queen

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...

is held on Saturday after the Kiddie Parade. Furthermore, the city of Delano, in addition to the Delano Union Elementary School District, host the Harvest Holidays Kiddie Parade, which allows the young ones to be the stars for a day as they wave to the crowds down Main Street. The four day event ends with carnival rides, games, food, and music at Memorial Park. Christmas Parade

Recreation

The nearby Sequoia National Forest includes a vast number of

Giant Sequoia ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...

groves, impressive

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

monoliths, scenic canyons and meadows. The Tule Elk State Reserve provides protection to the

Tule elk The tule elk (''Cervus canadensis nannodes'') is a subspecies of elk found only in California, ranging from the grasslands and marshlands of the Central Valley to the grassy hills on the coast. The subspecies name derives from the tule (), ...

which in the past were in danger of extinction. Lake Woollomes is a popular location. The Kern National Wildlife Refuge is nearby. The Shirley Meadows Ski Area, located on Green Horn Mountain provides skiing opportunities. The nearby

Kern River The Kern River is an Endangered, Wild and Scenic river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between ...

and Isabella Lake are popular during the summer.

Community parks

The city of Delano has thirteen parks for families and children to enjoy. * Albany Park * Cecil Park * Cesar Chavez Park * Delano Soccer Park * Delano Skate Park * Jefferson Park * Kalibo Park * Morningside Park * Martin Luther King Jr. Park * Veneto Park * Heritage Park * Memorial Park. *Larry Itliong Park

Notable people

, activist * Thomas Guerra, first person in California to be convicted for intentionally infecting another individual with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

Larry Itliong Modesto "Larry" Dulay Itliong (October 25, 1913 – February 1977), also known as "Seven Fingers", was a Filipino-American union organizer. He organized West Coast agricultural workers starting in the 1930s, and rose to national prominence in ...

, activist * Harold H. Kelley, UCLA Professor of Psychology * Leamon King, Olympic runner * Sam Nakagama, businessman, economist, and financial advisor * Dack Rambo, actor * Lon Spurrier, Olympic runner *

Luis Valdez Luis Miguel Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and playwriting, Valdez is best known for his play '' Zoot Suit'', his movie '' La Bamba'', and his ...

, film director, known for '' La Bamba'' * Benita Valente, classical singer (soprano)

Sister cities

Delano has four

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the goal of facilitating partnerships between communities within the United States and other countries by establishing sister cities. Sister cities are agreements of ...

: * Arida, Japan * Asti, Italy * Jacona, Michoacan, Mexico * Kalibo, Philippines

References

External links

* * * {{authority control Cities in Kern County, California Delano family Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1873 1873 establishments in California