Avenal (Spanish for "Oat field") is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Avenal is located southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran metropolitan area (MSA Code 25260), which encompasses all of Kings County. In area, it is the fourth-largest city in Kings County. As of the 2020 census, Avenal had a population of 13,696, which includes inmates at the Avenal State Prison, the first prison actively solicited by a community in the state of California. Many of the remaining residents largely either work at the prison or in the agriculture industry. The prison provides approximately 1,000 jobs to residents. The California Department of Finance estimated that Avenal's population was 13,496 on July 1, 2019. As of that date, Avenal State Prison held 4,165 inmates, which was about 32% of the total population of Avenal. Inmates are counted as city residents by both the United States census and the California Department of Finance.
History Early history
The City of Avenal was named by Spanish soldiers and explorers. In Spanish, means , and means . This area was covered with wild oats, "waist high," that looked like golden silk and covered the Kettleman Plains.
Early American settlers arrived in the Kettleman Hills during the 1850s with dreams of raising cattle and farming. Oil, however, would bring fame, fortune and people to the area. Native Americans had always known oil was in the hills, with natural seepage around Coalinga and Tar Canyon. The first Kettleman Hills well was drilled in 1900, followed by countless unproductive efforts.
On March 27, 1927, the Milham Exploration Company began work on Elliot No. 1. The crew toiled for 19 months, drilling past the mark. On October 5, 1928, the well blew out with a roar which was heard away, spewing forth an oil so fine that its color was white, and reportedly could be used unrefined as gasoline in automobiles.
The discovery of oil transformed Avenal into a boomtown. In 1929, Standard Oil surveyed the current site of Avenal to build a town. Makeshift houses were hauled in from Taft to take the place of the tents. A water line was laid and later a sewer plant was installed, a post office replaced a cigar box in the general store, a fire department was organized, and a community grew. Standard Oil Company built the residents a 600-seat theater and a hospital.
Also in the first year (1929), nearly 20 businesses occupied Kings Street and Skyline Boulevard. By 1936, Avenal boasted a population of 3,000—mostly oil workers—with 100 businesses and 69 private telephones and numerous community organizations. In 1940, Avenal was the second-largest town in Kings County with a population of over 4,000 and was known to have some of the best services and schools in the state.
Although today Avenal and its economy are largely reliant on the Avenal State Prison and agriculture, Avenal was once a booming oil town known as the "Oil Fields Capital."
Development of the oil fields led to rapid population growth in the area, creating a need for residential facilities and infrastructure in nearby settlement sites.
Milham City was projected by a group of Kings County citizens who owned lands on the slope of the hills east of the oil field. It scarcely had emerged from the dream stage when the Standard Oil Company announced in 1929 that a townsite had been set aside on the northwestern slope of the hills and that it would be called Avenal.
Thus the present town of Avenal came into being as the "oil capital" of the great field. Roads and streets were surveyed and laid out, water mains were laid, the town was launched on its career almost overnight.
An emergency hospital was built. Small and large homes were purposefully constructed to enjoy a fuller life in the erstwhile barren plains and trees were planted to provide much needed shade.
On December 5, 1929, the first mail arrived at the new Avenal post office located at Moore's Soda Fountain.
During World War II was the site of a training landing strip called Murray Field, part of Lemoore Army Air Field.
Growth
Among the first business establishments at Avenal were Koepp's Welding Works, The Republic Supply Company, Mac's Coffee Shop, Moore's Soda Fountain and the Cross Lumber Company. Presently, the town included 26 oil field supply houses, 12 oil field service company branches, 9 grocery stores, 9 service stations, 8 restaurants, 5 welding establishments, 4 builders' supply houses and numerous other enterprises.
While the oil fields and their urban center were populated with industrious, law-abiding people the problem of keeping the peace and maintaining the dignity of the law existed there just as it does in all other communities where there is life, action and big payrolls. To meet this commonplace problem a township was established and on April 1, 1937, E.W. Oliver was appointed as justice of the peace and William "Bill" Brendal was named constable. Aiding and cooperating with them in the enforcement of the law was Deputy Sheriff Richard "Dick" Doty, who was appointed by Sheriff L.P. Loftis in 1935.
Two other county offices maintained deputies at Avenal for service in the oil fields. They were Orville Robbins, deputy county assessor; and R. W. Zivnuska, deputy county treasurer.
By election in February 1934, the Avenal Township formed a fire district, which served efficiently both in the town and country districts. The three fire district commissioners originally elected were Ray Mohler, Floyd Rice and Jess Hamilton.
The Avenal district owned one well-equipped White fire truck and a half interest with the West Side Fire Protection District, of a two-ton Reo fire truck. Two full-time drivers were regularly employed and 20 firemen worked call. The firehouse provided living quarters for the employees. Fire Chief L. H. Dell was assisted by M. L. Sperling.
By April 1930, Dr. S. V. Dragoo was the head of the emergency hospital. Dr. Dragoo was assisted by one office worker and two nurses, having two special nurses on call. Between five and six hundred calls per month with about thirty accident cases were handled by this organization, not to mention the ambulance service extended.
Appointed postmistress in November 1931, Mrs. Marie Eads served in that office until July 1933, when she resigned and Charles E. Day was appointed. The post office later occupied a two-story building leased by the Standard Oil Company in 1935. Later in Avenal's history, the Post Office leased a space adjacent to Finster's Market (later T&T Market). In the late 1990s, the post office was relocated to its current location near the intersection of Skyline Blvd and San Joaquin Street.
The collapse of oil and gas production came with the intrusion of salt water into the oil reservoir, leaving 65 to 70 percent of the North Dome of the Kettleman Hills still undisturbed.
In 1953, oil companies with holdings in the area fields named the Standard Oil Company of California to operate the fields. Avenal's economy dwindled and with it, many stores, buildings and houses were vacated until the 1960s when an influx of agricultural workers made a major impact on Avenal and surrounding area.
The early 1970s saw two substantial projects that had significant impacts on the city: the completion of the California Aqueduct which brought in needed water to the westside of the San Jaoquin valley, and the opening of Interstate 5.
The citizens of Avenal voted for incorporation in September 1979, and while going through the early stages of being a new city, the citizens pursued and were successful in bringing a state prison to Avenal. Avenal State Prison opened in 1987. By 2009, it housed 6,577 inmates and employed 1,517 people, making it a vital part of the community. The building of the facility dramatically increased the city's total valuation with construction, improvements and activity that could be seen in every area of the city.
Avenal is also home to the Central California Soaring Club headquartered at the Avenal Gliderport. This year-round operation is one of the few glider-only airports in the western United States, and one of only a few in the entire US that owns/operates its own airport. A soaring contest is held there every spring.
Construction has been completed on the renovation of Skyline Boulevard (California State Route 269) in the city's joint effort with Caltrans. Avenal has also completed a massive public improvement project with the development of of new curbs, gutters and sidewalks throughout the city.
In November 2010, the Avenal Police Department was initiated with 14 sworn officers. Jack Amoroso was the first police chief.
Although Avenal's future is no longer closely tied to oil, it will always mark its beginnings from "the day Milham came in," and the cigar box on the counter of the general store which was its first post office.
In 2019, USA Today named Avenal the 10th-worst city in America due to high unemployment and violent crime.
Geography Avenal is located at , north of Los Angeles and south of both San Francisco and Sacramento. The city is located on the Kettleman Plain, between the Kettleman Hills and the Chalk Buttes. The city boasts at being located, "Half the way from the Bay to L.A." According to the United States Census Bureau, Avenal has a total area of , all of it land. Most of the population resides in the southwestern portion of the city. The northeastern areas, separated by the Kettleman Hills, and where Interstate 5 passes through, remain mostly rural.
Climate According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Avenal has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
Demographics
Avenal is a small city of approximately 13,696 people, including prison inmates. Avenal owes its origin to the discovery of oil on October 4, 1928, in the adjacent Kettleman Hills. Avenal was the site of a "tent city" as the boom started, but foresight made the boom orderly, so that by 1940 Avenal was the second largest town in Kings County with a population of 4,600.
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Avenal had a population of 13,696 and a population density of . The age distribution was 23.7% under age 18, 8.8% age 18 to 24, 36.0% age 25 to 44, 26.2% age 45 to 64, and 5.2% age 65 or older. The median age was 35.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 200.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 243.6 males age 18 and over.
The census reported that 9,408 people (68.7% of the population) lived in households and 4,288 (31.3%) were institutionalized. 97.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,479 households, of which 58.7% had children under the age of 18. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 10.2% were cohabiting-couple households, 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 14.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 10.9% of households were one person, and 3.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.8. There were 2,094 families (84.5% of all households).
There were 2,586 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,479 (95.9%) were occupied. Of occupied units, 43.9% were owner-occupied and 56.1% were renter-occupied. The vacancy rate for housing units was 4.1%; the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.4%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 3,216 23.5% Black or African American 125 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 254 1.9% Asian 92 0.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 15 0.1% Some other race 8,316 60.7% Two or more races 1,678 12.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 11,545 84.3%
2023 ACS 5-year estimates