Greenfield, California
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Greenfield is a city in Monterey County,
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. Formerly Clarke Colony, it lies in the
Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Salinas'') is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and ...
, southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,937, up from 16,330 in the 2010 census. Its most well-known public event is the annual Harvest Festival. Greenfield is a member of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.


History

In 1902, the California Home Extension Association, founded by John S. Clark, purchased of land that had been part of Rancho Arroyo Seco, a Mexican land grant deeded to Joaquín de la Torre in 1840. The land was put up for sale at a public drawing in Los Angeles in 1905. Buyers could purchase an acre with water rights for about $37.50. A purchase of came with an added benefit — a lot in town. In addition to the acreage, Clark got the water rights to the land. He formed the Clark Colony Water Company, which became the organization for water distribution and filled the city with water from the nearby Arroyo Seco. The organized water canal system and ideal growing conditions attracted people of Danish, Swiss and other nationalities from surrounding areas to settle in this new colony. Originally, the town was going to be named "Clark City", but that was nixed by the U.S. Postal Service which informed the city there were too many "Clark Cities" in the state. Instead, the community named the town after one of its early founders and president of the Association, Edward Greenfield. In the 1930, wells were dug to supplement water being drawn from the river, which created a year-round water supply. The Clark Colony Water Company still holds 1916 Prior Rights guaranteeing delivery to its members a certain amount of water from the Arroyo Seco before any other agencies. The early canals are still viable and visible throughout the original land acreage. Greenfield was recognized as a municipality by the state legislature and incorporated on January 7, 1947. Greenfield's first mayor was Tom Rogers. Greenfield’s first directly elected mayor and first Hispanic/ Latino mayor was Elias de Leon, Jr. in 1986.


Geography and climate

The city of Greenfield is located in the heart of the
Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Salinas'') is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and ...
, between the Gabilan Range to the east and the
Santa Lucia Range The Santa Lucia Range (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Mountains is a rugged mountain range in coastal Central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than fro ...
to the west. Greenfield is approximately by highway south of
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 ...
, south of San Jose and north of Paso Robles.
U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...
passes through the city, with access from four exits. 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 , of which , or 1.29%, are water. Due to its location near California's Central Coast, the area is filled with rich soil and desirable climate, ideal for many agricultural and wine companies. Some of the vineyards and wineries located nearby are Chalone, Scheid Vineyards, Paraiso Vineyards, Pisoni Vineyards, Hahn Estates Smith & Hook, San Saba, J.Lohr, Kendall-Jackson, Ventana, Hess Select, Estancia, the Michaud Vineyard, and Graff Family Vineyard. The climate for Greenfield is moderate with average temperatures around in winter and about in summer. High temperatures may reach the low 90s °F (32-33 °C) during mid-summer. Most rain falls between October and March; there are 14-20 inches (35.6 – 51 cm) of rain annually.


Demographics


2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Greenfield had a population of 18,937. The population density was . The racial makeup of Greenfield 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 ...
, 0.5%
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 ...
, 8.9% Native American, 1.1% 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 ...
, 48.6% from other races, and 26.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 94.0% of the population. The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 36 people (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 4,090 households, out of which 66.5% included children under the age of 18, 59.0% were married-couple households, 8.2% were cohabiting couple households, 21.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 11.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 7.6% of households were one person, and 2.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 4.62. There were 3,654
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 ...
(89.3% of all households). The age distribution was 35.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% aged 18 to 24, 29.7% aged 25 to 44, 17.7% aged 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 27.3years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males. There were 4,207 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,090 (97.2%) were occupied. Of these, 49.7% were owner-occupied, and 50.3% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 40.6% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 15.6% spoke only English at home, 82.1% spoke Spanish, 0.1% 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. ...
, 0.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.7% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 50.6% were high school graduates and 8.9% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $78,946, 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 $20,336. About 9.5% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line.


2010

At the 2010 census Greenfield had a population of 16,330. The population density was . The racial makeup of Greenfield was 5,976 (36.6%) White, 183 (1.1%) African American, 878 (5.4%) Native American, 179 (1.1%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 8,453 (51.8%) from other races, and 648 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,917 persons (91.3%). The census reported that 16,301 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 29 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 3,460 households, 2,358 (68.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,273 (65.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 526 (15.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 301 (8.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 251 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 22 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 282 households (8.2%) were one person and 115 (3.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.71. There were 3,100 families (89.6% of households); the average family size was 4.72. The age distribution was 5,843 people (35.8%) under the age of 18, 2,159 people (13.2%) aged 18 to 24, 5,023 people (30.8%) aged 25 to 44, 2,530 people (15.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 775 people (4.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 25.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.9 males. There were 3,752 housing units at an average density of 1,757.2 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,829 (52.9%) were owner-occupied and 1,631 (47.1%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 7,874 people (48.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,427 people (51.6%) lived in rental housing units.


2006

Greenfield is the second most populous city in the
Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Salinas'') is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and ...
and the fifth most populous city in Monterey County. In 2006, Greenfield was the fourth fastest growing city in
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 ...
growing 15.6%, from 13,270 in 2005, to 15,335 in 2006. As of the 2007 California Department of Finance estimate, there were 16,629 people in 2,643 households, including 2,360 families, in the city.


Immigration

In recent years, the town has seen an influx of immigrants from the Mexican state of
Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...
. Many Oaxacans speak indigenous languages not related to English or Spanish. Probably the largest single bloc of such immigrants are speakers of the Copala Triqui language, who have fled from poverty and long-standing armed conflict in their native region.


Media

Local radio stations include K-DON FM - 102.5. Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area (DMA). Locale newspapers include the ''South County Index'', ''Greenfield News'', and '' Monterey County Herald''.


Economy

The city of Greenfield is centered in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. About 60 percent of the leaf
lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in Green salad, green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiche ...
grown in the United States is grown in the
Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Salinas'') is one of the major valleys and most productive Agriculture, agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and ...
. The area has often been coined as the "Salad Bowl of the World." More than $3 billion (US) worth of fruits, vegetables and nuts are produced and shipped annually across the U.S. and abroad. (2018 crop report). As a result, many major vegetable producers are headquartered in the nearby city of Salinas. Local tourism is increasing as more people are attracted to the area, which is also known as the center of "Steinbeck Country" because of famed author
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...
. The area is also known as a premier wine grape growing region due to the rich soil and desirable climate. Vineyards, wineries and wine tasting rooms continue to expand throughout the region.


Education

The Greenfield Union School District(GUSD) has four elementary schools and one middle school. The district serves around 2,500 students grades K-8. The city does have a high school but does not belong to GUSD. Greenfield High School (GHS) belongs to South Monterrey County Joint Union High School District (SMCJUHSD). Greenfield High School serves around 974 students. On February 27, 2008, Greenfield Elementary was placed under no help due to the school's achievement in raising their Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Results under the
No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 United States Act of Congress promoted by the presidential administration of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisio ...
for the past five years by Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. * Cesar Chavez Elementary * Mary Chapa Academy * Oak Avenue Elementary * Vista Verde Middle School * Arroyo Seco Academy * Greenfield High School (SMCJUHSD)


Arts and culture

Greenfield holds an annual harvest festival each third Sunday of October. A northern campus for the
Yanks Air Museum The Yanks Air Museum is an aviation museum dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts in order to show the evolution of American aviation, located at Chino Airport in Chino, California. History A pair of F ...
of Chino, California is under construction in Greenfield on a plot known as the Hanson Ranch, which was purchased in 1994 by museum founders Charles and Judith Nichols. In World War II the Hanson Ranch was the site of the Hanson Auxiliary Field. The new airstrip will use the original location and will see World War II aircraft landing there some 75 years later. This planned project will include a museum facility and the runway that will support both museum flight operations as well as serve the private aviation needs of both museum visitors and local aviators. The new museum facility is not intended to replace the existing facility in Chino, but to greatly expand the opportunities. Greenfield is constructing the Tom Rogers Community Museum. Named after the first mayor of Greenfield, it will showcase the history of the city as far back as 1905. First Night Monterey with the Arts Council of Monterey County has opened, in conjunction with the City of Greenfield, the Greenfield Cultural Arts Center located at 215 El Camino Real.


Sister cities

* King City, California *
Soledad, California Soledad is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is in the Salinas Valley, southeast of Salinas, California, Salinas, the county seat. Soledad's population was 24,925 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from ...
* Gonzales, California * Chualar, California * Chupicuaro, GTO, MX


See also

*
Coastal California Coastal California, also known as the California Coastline and the Golden Coast, refers to the coastal regions of the U.S. state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by cultural, economic ...
*
List of school districts in Monterey County, California List of school districts in Monterey County, California On February 27, 2008, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell (American politician), Jack O'Connell placed several school districts in the county in t ...


References


External links

*
Greenfield Union School DistrictGreenfield News Online
{{authority control 1947 establishments in California Cities in Monterey County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1947 Salinas Valley