Shafter

Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Bakersfield. The population was 16,988 at the 2010 census, up from 12,736 at the 2000 census. Suburbs of Shafter include Myricks Corner, North Shafter, Smith Corner, and Thomas Lane. The first truly successful human powered airplane, the Gossamer Condor, piloted by Bryan Allen won the Kremer prize on August 23, 1977, at Shafter's Minter Field. Shafter is home to the Paramount Logistics Park (PLP) (formerly known as the International Trade and Transportation Center (ITTC)), built to facilitate Central Valley access to ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway. Ross Dress for Less announced its plans to move into the PLP in 2013. American Tire Distributors signed a 20-year lease with Roll Real Estate to lease over 1 million square feet of distribution space. The city operates a 10-mile fiber-optic network over the Shafter Connects network with near-zero downtime. The City Shafter Modified Community Correctional Facility reopened in 2013 after a two-year closure. The community was named for General William Rufus Shafter who commanded US Forces in Cuba during the SpanishAmerican War. In 2013 Shafter celebrated the 100 year anniversary of its founding. Local crops include almonds, pistachios, cotton, grapes and alfalfa as well as some carrots, potatoes and other vegetables.

History

The first post office opened in 1898, moved in 1902, closed in 1905. The community was named for General William Rufus Shafter who commanded US Forces in Cuba during the SpanishAmerican War. The first truly successful human powered airplane, the Gossamer Condor, piloted by Bryan Allen won the Kremer prize on August 23, 1977, at Shafter's Minter Field. In 2013 Shafter celebrated the 100 year anniversary of its founding. The Centennial Celebration included several events highlighting the history of the town. The Green Hotel and the Shafter Depot Museum emphasize various aspects of the daily lives of Shafter residents in years past. Both structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009, a Shafter High School senior, Anna Jelmini, received the key to the city for placing in the Junior Olympics. She also fell just short of meeting the standards for the 2008 Olympics. The Shafter Historical Society also maintains two other museums: the Green Hotel, and the Depot Museum, both of which are listed in the National register of historic places. The Minter field Airport District serves as an industrial center and airport for crop dusters and private aircraft. During World War II, approximately 7,000 troops were stationed at the airstrip which hosted up to 600 prisoners of war as well. A California State Monument is located at the field for this event. A PT-13 Training Plane that was stationed in Shafter during World War Two was flown over the town during the Centennial celebration.

Economy

Shafter is home to the Paramount Logistics Park (PLP) (formerly known as the International Trade and Transportation Center (ITTC)), built to facilitate Central Valley access to ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway. American Tire Distributors signed a 20-year lease with Roll Real Estate to lease over 1 million square feet of distribution space. Ross Dress for Less announced its plans to move into the PLP in 2013. The City of Shafter is the only municipality in the Central Valley that offers fiber-optic connections. The city currently operates a 10 Gbit/s Ethernet network over the Shafter Connect network with near-zero unscheduled downtime since the network inception in 2007. Shafter reopened its Modified Community Correctional Facility in 2013 after a two-year closure. Profits from the facility directly benefit public safety initiatives and the Sh After Education Partnership, focused on early literacy and college readiness. The network currently serves several areas of the city including: downtown, the airport, and industrial park development near Highway 99 and Lerdo Highway. The fiber-Optic Network currently serves the city's downtown area, as well as the airport and Industrial Park development near the Highway 99/Lerdo Highway junction. The Shafter Core is a mix of residential, commercial, and institutional properties. The town is located in the eastern part of the San Joaquin Valley, near the border with Bakersfield and Modesto. It has a population of around 4,000.

Education

Shafter is home to the Richland School District which oversees operation of four schools. Class sizes in grades K-3 average 20 students, while grades 4-8 average 30 students. The district has three libraries as well as a marching band program, Gifted And Talented Education (GATE), and Project Lead the Ways Gateway to Technology Program. The percentage of Richland 8th graders scoring Proficient or Advanced in Algebra quadrupled from 2008 (8%) to 2013 (33%) Shafter is also home to Shafter High School, a member of the Kern High School District. The school has undergone many recent renovations including the construction of a new cafeteria and new classroom space to meet the needs of a growing student body. The Shafter Education Partnership, in conjunction with the Kern County Library and Richlands School District, opened the Shafter Learning Center in June 2014. The Partnership is funded by the City of Shafter with a 2014-15 budget allocation of $865,618. The partnership distributes books for children to take home, offers summer and after school reading programs, and offers classes in math, keyboarding, art, science and reading to language courses. It has been in operation for over 92 years. Kern Adventist Elementary is a small, one-teacher Christian school. It is a one-year-old Christian school with a small enrollment of just over 100 students. Shafter has a history as old as the town itself. It was officially founded in 1928 and is administered by Principal Russell Shipley.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.9 square miles (72.3 km²), all of it land. The city is located on the Ohio River. It is located in the Ohio Valley region of the Rocky Mountains. The town has a population of about 2,000. It has a climate that is very similar to the rest of the state of Ohio. It also has a very different climate than most of the United States, with a high degree of dryness and low temperatures. The climate is very different from that of most other parts of the country, with very high temperatures and low humidity. The river runs through the city, and the city's population is about 1,200. It was the site of the first recorded European settlement, in 1805. The first recorded human presence in the city was recorded in 1807. The last recorded human remains were found in the town in 1852. The U.N. has a mission to protect the land in the region, and has declared a state of emergency in the area since the early 1900s. The United States Census Bureau has recorded the city as having a total population of 2,068. The population was 2,071 in 1851. The current population is 2,081. The area has a high level of dry weather, with an average temperature of °C (°F) and a low level of 0.7°F (°C).

Demographics

At the 2010 census Shafter had a population of 16,988. There were 4,230 households, 2,583 (61.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, and 2,562 (60.6%) were opposite-sex married couples or partnerships. 446 households (10.5%) were one person and 203 (4.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.86 and the average family size was 4.11. The median income for a household in the city was $29,515, and the median family income was $31,605. The racial makeup of the city is 29.0% White, 2.0%, Black or African American, 0.75% Asian,0.25% Pacific Islander, and 0.25%. 65.0%. of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. The census reported that 16,323 people (96.1% of the people) lived in households, 148 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 517 (3.0%) were institutionalized. The age distribution was 36.6% under the Age of 18, 28.7% from 18 to 24, 15.5% from 25 to 44, and 15.1%. of people aged 45 to 64. The city has a population density of 607.9 inhabitants per square mile (234.7/km²).

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Shafter, Kern County, California = 1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 42. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Shafter = 5.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 147,067 individuals with a median age of 27.4 age the population grows by 26.01% in Shafter, Kern County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 526.84 residents per square mile of area (203.41/km²). There are average 3.81 people per household in the 3,968 households with an average household income of $36,377 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 14.50% of the available work force and has dropped -4.26% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 16.98%. The number of physicians in Shafter per 100,000 population = 121.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Shafter = 6.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 36. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 271. 99 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 35.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 50, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Shafter, Kern County, California which are owned by the occupant = 55.01%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 31 years with median home cost = $119,590 and home appreciation of -18.70%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.82 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,145 per student. There are 23 students for each teacher in the school, 3301 students for each Librarian and 1650 students for each Counselor. 2.01% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 3.19% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.26% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).