Big Creek, California
Encyclopedia
Big Creek is a small census-designated place
in Fresno County, California
located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the north bank of Big Creek. It lies at an elevation of 4984 feet (1519 m). Its population is 175. The ZIP Code is 93605, and the community is inside area code 559
.
and power plant of Southern California Edison's
Big Creek hydroelectric project, one of the most extensive in the world. Other than the private helipad
owned by Southern California Edison, the only way in or out of the town is Big Creek Road, off of State Route 168
. The dam has a walkway across it to the south bank, but access is limited to employees of SCE and those residents who have been given a key. Its major industries are electric power generation and tourism
. There is camping
and water recreation in the summer and snow skiing
in the winter. Huntington Lake
is to the northeast and Shaver Lake
is to the south. Sierra Summit is only about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away. Though Big Creek's only school is an elementary, it teaches kindergarten through 8th grade.
Those who reside in Big Creek have many interesting tales of the town and its surroundings. One legend claims that some of the giant steel penstock pipes which carry water from Huntington Lake
to the hydroelectric plant, visible running down the mountainside, "are stamped with a swastika because the pipes were purchased from the Krupp Works in Nazi Germany
before the United States entered World War II
." This is a fallacy. The penstock pipes for the original two units at Big Creek Power Houses One and Two, built 1912-13, were purchased from the Krupp Works in Germany because at that time that manufacturer produced steel pipes of the tensile strength needed to contain the very high water pressures in the pipes in the 1500 foot drop down to Power House One. These pipes were purchased twenty one years before the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, and before the NSDAP party even existed. There is no visual evidence of swastikas (once used as a Hindu symbol of good luck) on any Big Creek penstock pipe. All post-World War One penstock pipes were manufactured in the United States. In addition, Big Creek is the hometown of Carver Mead
, a Caltech electrical engineering professor who is responsible for developing the first GaAs MESFET and for his pioneering contributions to VLSI design.
The first post office opened at Big Creek in 1912.
was 380.4 people per square mile (146.9/km²). The racial makeup of Big Creek was 158 (90.3%) White, 1 (0.6%) African American, 1 (0.6%) Native American, 5 (2.9%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 3 (1.7%) from other races
, and 7 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27 persons (15.4%).
The Census reported that 175 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 63 households, out of which 26 (41.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 43 (68.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 1 (1.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 2 (3.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12 households (19.0%) were made up of individuals and 2 (3.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 47 families
(74.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.21.
The population was spread out with 60 people (34.3%) under the age of 18, 4 people (2.3%) aged 18 to 24, 37 people (21.1%) aged 25 to 44, 58 people (33.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 16 people (9.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.1 males.
There were 117 housing units at an average density of 254.3 per square mile (98.2/km²), of which 22 (34.9%) were owner-occupied, and 41 (65.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 31.1%. 47 people (26.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 128 people (73.1%) lived in rental housing units.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in Fresno County, California
Fresno County, California
Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the north bank of Big Creek. It lies at an elevation of 4984 feet (1519 m). Its population is 175. The ZIP Code is 93605, and the community is inside area code 559
Area code 559
Area code 559 is an area code in Central California, serving the counties ofFresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare. It was created on November 14, 1998, when the southern half of the area code 209 reached full capacity....
.
History
Big Creek was built at the site of the first damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and power plant of Southern California Edison's
Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison , the largest subsidiary of Edison International , is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California, USA. It provides 14 million people with electricity...
Big Creek hydroelectric project, one of the most extensive in the world. Other than the private helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
owned by Southern California Edison, the only way in or out of the town is Big Creek Road, off of State Route 168
California State Route 168
State Route 168 is a state highway in California, USA, which is separated into three distinct segments, in part by the Sierra Nevada mountains....
. The dam has a walkway across it to the south bank, but access is limited to employees of SCE and those residents who have been given a key. Its major industries are electric power generation and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. There is camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and water recreation in the summer and snow skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
in the winter. Huntington Lake
Huntington Lake
Huntington Lake is a reservoir in Fresno County, California on Big Creek, located in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 2,130 meters . Several smaller streams also flow into the lake and it receives additional water from the underground tunnels of Southern California Edison's Big Creek...
is to the northeast and Shaver Lake
Shaver Lake
Shaver Lake is an artificial lake on Stevenson Creek, in the Sierra National Forest of Fresno County, California. At elevation , several smaller streams also flow into the lake and receives water from the underground tunnels of Southern California Edison's Big Creek hydroelectric project...
is to the south. Sierra Summit is only about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away. Though Big Creek's only school is an elementary, it teaches kindergarten through 8th grade.
Those who reside in Big Creek have many interesting tales of the town and its surroundings. One legend claims that some of the giant steel penstock pipes which carry water from Huntington Lake
Huntington Lake
Huntington Lake is a reservoir in Fresno County, California on Big Creek, located in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 2,130 meters . Several smaller streams also flow into the lake and it receives additional water from the underground tunnels of Southern California Edison's Big Creek...
to the hydroelectric plant, visible running down the mountainside, "are stamped with a swastika because the pipes were purchased from the Krupp Works in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
before the United States entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
." This is a fallacy. The penstock pipes for the original two units at Big Creek Power Houses One and Two, built 1912-13, were purchased from the Krupp Works in Germany because at that time that manufacturer produced steel pipes of the tensile strength needed to contain the very high water pressures in the pipes in the 1500 foot drop down to Power House One. These pipes were purchased twenty one years before the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, and before the NSDAP party even existed. There is no visual evidence of swastikas (once used as a Hindu symbol of good luck) on any Big Creek penstock pipe. All post-World War One penstock pipes were manufactured in the United States. In addition, Big Creek is the hometown of Carver Mead
Carver Mead
Carver Andress Mead is a US computer scientist. He currently holds the position of Gordon and Betty Moore Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology , having taught there for over 40 years.Mead studied electrical engineering at Caltech, getting...
, a Caltech electrical engineering professor who is responsible for developing the first GaAs MESFET and for his pioneering contributions to VLSI design.
The first post office opened at Big Creek in 1912.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Big Creek had a population of 175. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 380.4 people per square mile (146.9/km²). The racial makeup of Big Creek was 158 (90.3%) White, 1 (0.6%) African American, 1 (0.6%) Native American, 5 (2.9%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 3 (1.7%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 7 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27 persons (15.4%).
The Census reported that 175 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 63 households, out of which 26 (41.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 43 (68.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 1 (1.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 2 (3.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12 households (19.0%) were made up of individuals and 2 (3.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 47 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(74.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.21.
The population was spread out with 60 people (34.3%) under the age of 18, 4 people (2.3%) aged 18 to 24, 37 people (21.1%) aged 25 to 44, 58 people (33.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 16 people (9.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.1 males.
There were 117 housing units at an average density of 254.3 per square mile (98.2/km²), of which 22 (34.9%) were owner-occupied, and 41 (65.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 31.1%. 47 people (26.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 128 people (73.1%) lived in rental housing units.