Mettler, California

Mettler, or Mettler Station, is a heavily Hispanic, low-income unincorporated area and census-designated place in Kern County, California. The population was 136 at the 2010 census, down from 157 at the 2000 census. It is the place where motion picture actor James Dean received a traffic ticket on the last day of his life.

Mettler
census-designated place
A watermelon stand in Mettler
Location in Kern County and the state of California
Mettler
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 35°03′50″N 118°58′12″W
Country United States
State California
CountyKern
Government
 • SenateJean Fuller (R)
 • AssemblyRudy Salas (D)
 • U. S. CongressKevin McCarthy (R)
Area
 • Total0.233 sq mi (0.603 km2)
 • Land0.233 sq mi (0.603 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation541 ft (165 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total136
 • Density580/sq mi (230/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
93381
Area code(s)661
FIPS code06-47164
GNIS feature ID0245837

Geography

Mettler, which is 25 miles (40 km) south of Bakersfield, is at 35°03′50″N 118°58′12″W.[3] The locality has an area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) and an elevation of 541 feet (165 m).[2]

History

Founding

According to the publication California's Geographic Names, Mettler was founded in 1941,[3] but an obituary of Clifford Alvin Mettler in The Bakersfield Californian reported that the settlement was founded by him, his father, William H. Mettler, and his brother (unnamed) in the "late 1940s" in the Wheeler Ridge area, which settlement "later became known as Mettler Station."[4]

James Dean

On September 30, 1955, motion picture actor James Dean was driving north on Highway U.S. 99 when he was stopped by California Highway Patrol officer O.V. Hunter and given a ticket for speeding. The officer wrote Mettler Station as the location of the infraction.[5]

Population

2010

At the 2010 census Mettler had a population of 136. The population density was 584.8 people per square mile (225.8/km2). The racial makeup of Mettler was 74 (54.4%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 0 (0.0%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 43 (31.6%) from other races, and 19 (14.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 109 people (80.1%).[6]

The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.

There were 31 households, 17 (54.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17 (54.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 8 (25.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2 (6.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2 (6.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4 households (12.9%) were one person and 1 (3.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.39. There were 27 families (87.1% of households); the average family size was 4.74.

The age distribution was 37 people (27.2%) under the age of 18, 24 people (17.6%) aged 18 to 24, 30 people (22.1%) aged 25 to 44, 34 people (25.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 11 people (8.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 28.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.2 males.

There were 36 housing units at an average density of 154.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 18 (58.1%) were owner-occupied and 13 (41.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 62 people (45.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 74 people (54.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census 157 people lived in 31 households (37 housing units). The average household size was about five people. Mettler's population was about six years younger than California at large.[7]

2000 figures Mettler California United States
Median age 27 33.3 35.3
White 47.1% 59.5% 75.1%
African-American None 6.7% 12.3%
Hispanic/Latino 84.7% 32.4% 12.5%
Family income $28,750 $53,025 $50,046
Poverty families 5.9% 10.6% 9.2%
Med. home value $71,500 $211,500 $119,600
High school diploma 42.1% 76.8% 80.4%
College degree 7.0% 28.6% 24.4%

References
  1. U.S. Census Archived 2012-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mettler, California
  3. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. Bakersfield Californian, April 30, 2006
  5. Warren Newton Beath, The Death of James Dean, Grove Press, 1994, pages 35 and 80.
  6. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Mettler CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

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