Niland (formerly Old Beach, Imperial Junction, and Hobgood) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in

Imperial County Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. The town is located north of

Calipatria Calipatria (portmanteau of ''California'' and ''Patria'', Spanish for "homeland") is a city in Imperial County, California. Calipatria is located north of El Centro. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,515 a ...

, southeast of the

Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf ...

. The population was 1,006 at the 2010 census, down from 1,143 in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

. The 2020 census reported Niland's population at 756. By June 2020, however, after a major fire, the estimated population had diminished to 500.Niland: In search of a miracle
/ref> It is part of the

El Centro, California El Centro ( Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban ar ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

The Old Beach post office operated from 1905 to 1907. The Imperial Junction post office opened in 1910, changed its name to Hobgood in 1913, and to Niland in 1914. The name Hobgood honors pioneer Richard H. Hobgood. The name Niland was coined by the Imperial Farm Lands Association from "Nile Land", a commendatory name for the supposed fertility of the place. From 1904 to 1960, Niland was the northern terminus of the Inter-California Railway.

The community

A visitor to Niland in 2018 found "quirky decorations, graffiti, and some questionable structural integrity" but also "establishments like motels, RV parks, laundromats, and a diner".

Government and Utilities

The Niland County Service area, operated by the Imperial County Department of Public Works, provides street lighting to Niland. Niland is served by

Golden State Water Company American States Water Co. () is an American water and electricity utility company. It was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Dimas, California. The company has 50-year privatization contracts with U.S. government as a government contract ...

's Calipatria system.

Demographics

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 1,143 people, 422 households, and 281 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 530 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 54.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 3.2%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.0% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 28.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 7.4% from two or more races. 55.3% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 422 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.3. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,592, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $36,786 versus $26,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $11,297. About 15.1% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

reported that Niland had a population of 1,006. The population density was . The racial makeup of Niland was 539 (53.6%)

, 36 (3.6%)

, 20 (2.0%) Native American, 36 (3.6%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 315 (31.3%) from

, and 60 (6.0%) from two or more races. There were 618

residents, of any race (61.4%). The Census reported that 1,006 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 367 households, out of which 131 (35.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 143 (39.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 83 (22.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 30 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 25 (6.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 5 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 99 households (27.0%) were made up of individuals, and 49 (13.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 256

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

(69.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.27. The population dispersal was 248 people (24.7%) under the age of 18, 99 people (9.8%) aged 18 to 24, 215 people (21.4%) aged 25 to 44, 284 people (28.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 160 people (15.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. There were 489 housing units at an average density of , of which 367 were occupied, of which 189 (51.5%) were owner-occupied, and 178 (48.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 7.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 23.3%. 497 people (49.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 509 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units.

2020

In the 2020 US Census the community's community's population was reported as 756.

Politics

In the state legislature, Niland is in , and . Federally, Niland is in .

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Niland has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, ''BWh'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Niland, California
/ref>

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Imperial County, California El Centro metropolitan area Imperial Valley Populated places in the Colorado Desert Census-designated places in California