Geography
Florin is located at (38.490157, -121.410862). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.Demographics
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Florin had a population of 52,388. The population density was . The racial makeup of Florin was 19.1% White Americans, White, 13.5% African Americans, African American, 1.3% Native Americans in the United States, Native American, 34.8% Asian Americans, Asian, 2.5% Pacific Islander Americans, Pacific Islander, 17.4% from Race (United States Census), other races, and 11.4% from two or more races. Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28.7% of the population. The census reported that 98.8% of the population lived in households, 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.2% were institutionalized. There were 16,068 households, out of which 39.2% included children under the age of 18, 42.8% were married-couple households, 7.2% were cohabitation, cohabiting couple households, 31.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 20.5% of households were one person, and 9.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.22. There were 11,803 family (U.S. Census), families (73.5% of all households). The age distribution was 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% aged 18 to 24, 26.5% aged 25 to 44, 23.8% aged 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 35.4years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. There were 16,465 housing units at an average density of , of which 16,068 (97.6%) were occupied. Of these, 53.7% were owner-occupied, and 46.3% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 33.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 45.5% spoke only English at home, 20.1% spoke Spanish language, Spanish, 5.5% spoke other Indo-European languages, 27.9% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.9% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 74.5% were high school graduates and 13.7% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income was $66,323, and the per capita income was $27,497. About 16.3% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line.2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Florin had a population of 47,513. The population density was . The racial makeup of Florin was 15,034 (13.0%) White (U.S. Census), White, 7,521 (12.5%) African American (U.S. Census), African American, 543 (2.6%) Native American (U.S. Census), Native American, 13,605 (35.8%) Asian (U.S. Census), Asian, 815 (2.6%) Pacific Islander (U.S. Census), Pacific Islander, 6,756 (14.2%) from Race (United States Census), other races, and 3,239 (7.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic (U.S. Census), Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Census), Latino of any race were 13,048 persons (29.3%). The Census reported that 47,212 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 294 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 7 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 14,804 households, out of which 6,434 (43.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,551 (44.3%) were marriage, opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,972 (20.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,317 (8.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,077 (7.3%) POSSLQ, unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 127 (0.9%) same-sex partnerships, same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,173 households (21.4%) were made up of individuals, and 1,322 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19. There were 10,840 family (U.S. Census), families (73.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.71. The population was spread out, with 13,801 people (29.0%) under the age of 18, 5,154 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 12,447 people (26.2%) aged 25 to 44, 10,747 people (22.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,364 people (11.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. There were 16,070 housing units at an average density of , of which 8,173 (55.2%) were owner-occupied, and 6,631 (44.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%. 24,612 people (51.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 22,600 people (47.6%) lived in rental housing units.Government
In the California State Legislature, Florin is in , and in . In the United States House of Representatives, Florin is in .History
Prewar
During the early 20th century Florin's economy focused on agricultural production. Strawberries were the most common produce grown. Japanese immigrants were the dominant group in Florin and they were the predominant farmers in Florin, making the area noted for being a Japanese immigrant community. This immigrant group's rendering of land in Florin had some popular renown. "In his report to Governor William Stephens, Colonel John P. Irish, president of the California Delta Association, described Japanese triumph: 'They [the Californians] had seen the Japanese convert the barren land like that at Florin and Livingston into productive and profitable fields, orchards and vineyards, and intelligence of their industry.'" The presence of Japanese immigrants in Florin was not always met with such good will as expressed by Colonel Irish. "As soon as a Jap can produce a lease," The Sacramento Bee, the ''Sacramento Bee'' warned, "he is entitled to a wife. He sends a copy of his lease back home and gets a picture bride and they increase like rats. Florin [a valley farming town] is producing 85 American-born Japs a year." This article was in critical response to the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 between the US and Japan.World War II
Local and federal treatment of Nisei (Japanese immigrants and US-born Japanese Americans) in Florin took a drastic downturn upon the Attack on Pearl Harbor, bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent war between the US and Japan. At the time, about 2,500 Florin residents were Nikkei, forming a majority of the town's population.Mary Tsukamoto, in John Tateishi, ed., And Justice for All: An Oral History of the Japanese American Detention Camps (1999), 4-5. With a little fear and a lot of racial hostility, the federal government sent Japanese and Japanese Americans to internment camps according to Franklin D. Roosevelt, FDR's Executive Order 9066. Florin Japanese American resident and educator Mary Tsukamoto recalled "everyone was given short notice for removal. Signs had been nailed to the telephone poles saying that we had to report to various spots."Ronald Takaki, Strangers from a Different Shore: A history of Asian Americans, Back Bay Books 1998, 591: 379. Florin's Japanese and Japanese American residents were forced to "register as families. We had to report to the Elk Grove Masonic Building where we were given our family numbers, No. 2076." The Elk Grove Masonic Building referred to by Tsukamoto was located in neighboring Elk Grove near a railroad station where the Florin residents were shipped in rail cars to distribution hubs. At these distribution hubs Florin's residents of Japanese descent were then sent to internment camps far from the coast. The internment forever changed the character of Florin. Japanese and Japanese American residents had to sell their property within only a few days and often at prices far below their fair market value. When the Japanese and Japanese Americans were released from the internment camps some were able to return to Florin and start over. Most had to move on to other areas. Florin ceased to be a Japanese American community as it was before the internment.See also
*Bob Emmett Fletcher, American agricultural inspector who assisted Japanese American families during World War II *Leonard M. Landsborough, early agriculturalist and politicianReferences
External links
Sacramento State Special Collection