Winterhaven (formerly, Karmack) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in Imperial County,

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 ...

. Winterhaven is east of Pilot Knob, The population was 394 at the 2010 census, down from 529 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Centro, CA Metropolitan Area. North of

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay (San Diego), Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, San Diego, Californi ...

and bordering

Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...

, the town is partly in the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation. The

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

marks the town's southern border.

Telephone and mail service

Telephone service is provided by Winterhaven Telephone Company, a subsidiary of

TDS Telecom TDS Telecom is an American telecommunications company with headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc, and is the seventh-largest local exchange carrier in the U.S. TDS Telecom offers t ...

, and wired telephones in the area have numbers following the format (760) 572-xxxx. These numbers are assigned to subscribers in Winterhaven, Bard, and Felicity. The communities of

Bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise ...

and Felicity appear in the US Geological Survey, National Geographic Names Database, and the US Postal Service database and adjoin the community of Winterhaven. The communities of Felicity and Winterhaven share a ZIP code: 92283. Bard does not have postal delivery, and post office boxes for the community have a ZIP code of 92222. The first post office at Winterhaven operated from 1916 to 1921. It was re-established in 1934.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Winterhaven is the southeasternmost settlement in California.

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, nota ...

system, Winterhaven has a

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 deser ...

, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010

The 2010 census reported that Winterhaven had a population of 394. The population density was . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

was 245 (62.2%) White, 4 (1.0%) African American, 37 (9.4%) Native American, 4 (0.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 84 (21.3%) from other races, and 23 (5.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 261 people (66.2%). The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized. There were 151 households, 59 (39.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 53 (35.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 34 (22.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 10 (6.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 11 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 48 households (31.8%) were one person and 27 (17.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61. There were 97 families (64.2% of households); the average family size was 3.30. The population was spread out, with 116 people (29.4%) under the age of 18, 39 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 63 people (16.0%) aged 25 to 44, 110 people (27.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 66 people (16.8%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. There were 186 housing units at an average density of ,of which 151 were occupied, 62 (41.1%) by the owners and 89 (58.9%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%. 154 people (39.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 240 people (60.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 529 people, 183 households, and 118 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 219 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the CDP was 45.6%

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 ...

, 3.0%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 6.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 38.4% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. 56.3%. 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 183 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 32.8% of households were one person, and 19.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.9 and the average family size was 3.7. The age distribution was 35.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males. The median household income was $11,563 and the median income for a family was $16,417. Males had a median income of $26,458 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $7,220. About 41.9% of families and 47.1% 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 ...

, including 60.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

, Winterhaven is in , and . Federally, Winterhaven is in .

Government

The Winterhaven County Water District provides water service to Winterhaven.Executive Officer's Report
Retrieved November 16, 2022

Sites of interest

* Museum of History in Granite

Nearby

Felicity, California Felicity is an unincorporated community in Imperial County, California. The town was established in 1986 by Jacques-Andre Istel. Istel first bought the land in the 1950s and later developed it in the 1980s after selling off his parachute busin ...

* Los Algodones, Baja California * Chocolate Mountains

References

External links

County of Imperial,California County of Yuma, Arizona
{{authority control Census-designated places in Imperial County, California Populated places in the Sonoran Desert Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley Census-designated places in California California populated places on the Colorado River