Beckwourth, California
Place in California, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beckwourth (formerly, Beckwith[3] and Beekwith[4]) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plumas County, California, United States.[5] Beckwourth is located on the Middle Fork Feather River 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Portola.[2][3] The population was 478 at the 2020 census.
Beckwourth | |
|---|---|
Location in Plumas County and the state of California | |
  Beckwourth Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 39°49′39″N 120°24′13″W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Plumas |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.69 sq mi (30.27 km2) |
| • Land | 11.68 sq mi (30.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) 0.04% |
| Elevation | 4,911 ft (1,497 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 478 |
| • Density | 41/sq mi (15.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 96129 |
| Area codes | 530, 837 |
| FIPS code | 06-04772 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1658022; 2407819 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beckwourth, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beckwourth, California | |
Name
The community was named for James P. Beckwourth, an explorer who discovered Beckwourth Pass in 1851.[6]
History
The Beckwith post office opened in 1870 and changed its name to Beckwourth in 1932.[3]
Geography
Beckwourth is located at 39°49′39″N 120°24′13″W (39.827528, -120.403710).[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30 km2), 99.96% of it land and 0.04% of it water.
Nervino Airport (FAA identifier: O02 or oscar-zero-two) is plotted three quarters of a mile east of Beckwourth along State Route 70 on the Reconnaissance Peak, California 7.5 minute quadrangle. It has a 4,600-foot (1,400 m) runway and is located at 39°49′05″N 120°21′20″W.[8] The US Geological Survey says variant names for the airport are Beckwourth Airport and Plumas County Airport.[9]
State facilities in the town include a State of California, Department of Water Resources maintenance yard and a Caltrans Maintenance Station. These appear to be colocated (at the same site).
Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Beckwourth has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[10]
Demographics
Beckwourth first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.[25]
2020
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[27] | Pop 2010[28] | Pop 2020[29] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 315 | 387 | 411 | 92.11% | 89.58% | 85.98% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.84% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1.75% | 1.85% | 0.21% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.46% | 0.42% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.88% | 0.23% | 0.42% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.58% | 0.00% | 0.21% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 6 | 5 | 18 | 1.75% | 1.16% | 3.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 10 | 29 | 39 | 2.92% | 6.71% | 8.16% |
| Total | 342 | 432 | 478 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The 2020 United States census reported that Beckwourth had a population of 478. The population density was 40.9 inhabitants per square mile (15.8/km2). The racial makeup of Beckwourth was 90.2% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.2% of the population.
The whole population lived in households. There were 228 households, out of which 15.4% included children under the age of 18, 53.1% were married-couple households, 4.4% were cohabiting couple households, 13.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 28.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 28.5% of households were one person, and 10.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.1. There were 148 families (64.9% of all households).
The age distribution was 12.8% under the age of 18, 4.4% aged 18 to 24, 15.1% aged 25 to 44, 34.5% aged 45 to 64, and 33.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males.
There were 360 housing units at an average density of 30.8 units per square mile (11.9 units/km2), of which 228 (63.3%) were occupied. Of these, 88.6% were owner-occupied, and 11.4% were occupied by renters.[30][31]
Politics
In the state legislature Beckwourth is located in the 1st senatorial district, represented by Republican Megan Dahle,[32] and the 1st Assembly district, represented by Republican Heather Hadwick.[33]
Federally, Beckwourth is in California's 3rd congressional district, represented by Independent Kevin Kiley.[34]
Education
The school district is Plumas Unified School District.[35]
See also
Notable people
- Jim Beckwourth, mountain man, fur trader, and explorer
- Alice Marble, a World Number One American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam championships