Inyokern, California
Encyclopedia
Inyokern is a census-designated place
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...

 (CDP) in Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Inyokern is located 8 miles (13 km) west of Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest, California
Ridgecrest, formerly known as Crumville, was incorporated as a city in 1913. It is located in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, California, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake . Ridgecrest is the only incorporated city along US 395 in Kern County...

, at an elevation of 2434 feet (742 m). Located in the Indian Wells Valley. The population was 1,099 at the 2010 census, up from 984 at the 2000 census. It was a railroad town established along the Southern Pacific railroad Lone Pine Branch (now removed). It is served by Inyokern Airport
Inyokern Airport
Inyokern Airport is a public airport located in Inyokern, California, United States, serving the Indian Wells Valley area of Kern County. It is owned by the Indian Wells Valley Airport District...

.

Geography

Inyokern is located at 35°38′49"N 117°48′45"W. It lies in Indian Wells Valley, with the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada rising to the west.

It is on U.S. Route 395, the main north-south artery, connecting the Inland Empire
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...

 to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

. US 395 also connects Inyokern to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 via State Route 14
California State Route 14
State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...

 through Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...

.

State Route 178
California State Route 178
State Route 178 is a route that exists in two constructed segments. The gap in between segments is connected by various local roads and State Route 190 through Death Valley National Park....

, the main east-west artery, connects Inyokern to Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....

, the county seat, via Lake Isabella
Lake Isabella, California
Lake Isabella is a census-designated place in the southern Sierra Nevadas, in Kern County, California, United States, located near Lake Isabella. Lake Isabella is located east-northeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2513 feet...

 in the west, and to Death Valley via Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest, California
Ridgecrest, formerly known as Crumville, was incorporated as a city in 1913. It is located in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, California, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake . Ridgecrest is the only incorporated city along US 395 in Kern County...

 in the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28.2 km²), over 99% of it land.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Inyokern had a population of 1,099. The population density
Population 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 100.7 people per square mile (38.9/km²). The racial makeup of Inyokern was 930 (84.6%) White, 14 (1.3%) African American, 24 (2.2%) Native American, 25 (2.3%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 49 (4.5%) 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 55 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 116 persons (10.6%).

The Census reported that 1,099 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 484 households, out of which 111 (22.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 219 (45.2%) 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, 38 (7.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 21 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 29 (6.0%) 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 4 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 179 households (37.0%) were made up of individuals and 73 (15.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27. There were 278 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...

 (57.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.01.

The population was spread out with 222 people (20.2%) under the age of 18, 74 people (6.7%) aged 18 to 24, 201 people (18.3%) aged 25 to 44, 406 people (36.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 196 people (17.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.2 years. For every 100 females there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.8 males.

There were 537 housing units at an average density of 49.2 per square mile (19.0/km²), of which 355 (73.3%) were owner-occupied, and 129 (26.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 776 people (70.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 323 people (29.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 984 people, 418 households, and 270 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population 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 88.9 people per square mile (34.3/km²). There were 519 housing units at an average density of 46.9 per square mile (18.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.70% White
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...

, 0.41% Black
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...

 or African American
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...

, 4.88% Native American
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...

, 2.24% Asian
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...

, 1.02% 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 3.76% from two or more races. 6.50% of the population were Hispanic
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...

 or Latino
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...

 of any race.

There were 418 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,046, and the median income for a family was $41,500. Males had a median income of $50,938 versus $33,889 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the CDP was $21,707. About 10.5% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Meteorology

The meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...

 in Inyokern, California is predominantly influenced by its high desert
High Desert (California)
The High Desert is an unofficial and vaguely-defined geographic area of southern California located to the northeast of the San Gabriel Mountains. The term "High Desert" is used most commonly by the news media, especially in weather forecasts, and in the names of businesses and organizations...

 location. The climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...

 is characterized by hot days and cool nights with extremely arid conditions prevailing throughout the summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...

 months. The mean annual temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...

 for the Inyokern area is 70F degrees. There are wide annual temperature fluctuations that occur from a high of 118F degree
Degree (temperature)
The term degree is used in several scales of temperature. The symbol ° is usually used, followed by the initial letter of the unit, for example “°C” for degree Celsius...

s to a low of 8F degrees.

January is the coolest month with an average maximum temperature of 47°F and an average minimum temperature of 22°F. The all-time minimum temperature of -12°F was recorded on December 23, 1972, and January 7, 1973. Inyokern is a desert, with an average of less than 5 inches of "equivalent rainfall" per year, which includes less than 2 inches of snow.

July is the hottest month with an average maximum temperature of 108°F and an average minimum temperature of 80°F. The all-time maximum temperature of 118°F was recorded on July 31, 1985,

History

Inyokern was founded in the mid 19th century as a small agrarian community located in the northernmost corner of the Mojave Desert. It expanded during construction of the Owens Valley aqueduct. The first post office opened in 1910. The Inyokern Elementary School was founded in 1913, and though the sign might make one think that the original building is still in use, the original building was demolished in the early 1970s. With the onset of World War II the Department of the Navy located its new warfare center in Inyokern. This accounts for the length of the runways and the size of the county airport in the town. The military base was subsequently moved to the east 12 miles (19.3 km) and the city of Ridgecrest was born as a commercial support center for that base.

Today Inyokern serves as a sparsely populated bedroom community for those workers on the military base and in the town of Ridgecrest desiring a more rural lifestyle or those who cannot afford housing in Ridgecrest.

The town infrastructure consists of two churches, a post office, market and gas station, hardware store, welding and blacksmith shop, a county park with living grass and trees, two restaurants, a motel, an autobody shop and several antique shops. In the 1990s the building which formerly housed the library was demolished and replaced by a Senior Citizen's Center. Inyokern also has a California Highway Patrol substation and a Caltrans road maintenance center. The town water and sewer system is managed by the Community Services Center. The population of the town peaked in approximately 1988 following a period of expansion on the nearby Naval base, but has dwindled since that time, and many properties were abandoned during the military downsizing of the 1990s. Until the 1990s, the main commercial block of the town along highway 178 was a somewhat picturesque street of older buildings constructed of fitted local rocks and bricks, including a vintage post office, and cafe, 3 bars, and a small Chinese restaurant. This street was sometimes used in filming Hollywood westerns. This block was bulldozed to clear land for a planned truck stop and travel plaza.

Environment

Characterized by extreme aridity, Inyokern is situated in a wide valley at the base of the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Rugged mountains more than 7,000 ft (2150 m) in elevation west of the area create a pronounced rain-shadow effect, resulting in a shrub-steppe habitat zone with annual rainfall of less than 3 inches (76.2 mm). The flora of the valley floor consists primarily of Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), Burrobush (Ambrosia dumosa), and several varieties of native bunch grasses. The transition zone of the nearby foothills also contain mixtures of Pinion Pine, Joshua tree forests, and concentrated riparian habitat surrounding the small streams descending from the mountain peaks.
Wildlife ranges from black bear, mountain lion, and mule deer in the mountain and transition zones to the kangaroo rat and the endangered desert tortoise on the valley floor. A special note on the local wildlife is the local subspecies of rattlesnake, the Mojave rattlesnake (also called the Mojave green rattlesnake). This snake, which is common in the area, produces pit viper venom common to the general species but also produces a neuro-toxin that paralyzes the victim within 15 minutes. Fortunately the subspecies is docile and a fatal bite is rare.

Unique features

Inyokern is often indicated on world climate maps. This notoriety is unique for a town of its size. Inyokern has the highest insolation of any locale on the North American continent, having over 355 days of sunshine each year.

The town is home to the past and current world champion musical saw players.

The Inyokern Airport is a popular location for car commercials, the grand Sierra Nevada Mountains for the backdrop.

Indigenous animals that can be found in the valley floor are kit foxes, coyotes, bobcats, and roadrunners. Bears and Mountain Lions occasionally come down from the adjacent Sierra Nevada Mountains looking for food.

Notable locations

  • Inyokern Airport / SkyWest Airlines
  • Inyokern Town Hall
  • Inyokern Senior Citizens Building

Churches

  • Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
  • Inyokern Baptist Church
  • Inyokern Community Methodist Church

Media

Inyokern is served by two newspapers, The Daily Independent and the News Review, as well as a mixture of local broadcast stations and repeaters from radio and TV stations based in Los Angeles, California. The repeaters are operated by the IWV TV Booster

AM radio stations

  • KIRN (670 AM; 35 kW; SIMI VALLEY, CA; Owner: LOTUS OXNARD CORP.)
  • KLOA (1240 AM; 1 kW; RIDGECREST, CA; Owner: ADELMAN COMMUNICATIONS INC)
  • KLAC (570 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.)
  • KSPN (710 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: KABC-AM RADIO, INC.)
  • KWDJ (1360 AM; 1 kW; RIDGECREST, CA)
  • KMJ (580 AM; 50 kW; FRESNO, CA; Owner: INFINITY RADIO OPERATIONS INC.)
  • KFI (640 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: CAPSTAR TX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP)
  • KPLS (830 AM; 50 kW; ORANGE, CA; Owner: CRN LICENSES, LLC)
  • KFWB (980 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: INFINITY BROADCASTING OPERATIONS, INC.)
  • KDIS (1110 AM; 50 kW; PASADENA, CA; Owner: ABC,INC.)
  • KTNQ (1020 AM; 50 kW; LOS ANGELES, CA; Owner: KTNQ-AM LICENSE CORP.)
  • KERI (1180 AM; 50 kW; WASCO-GREENACRES, CA; Owner: KWSO, INC.)
  • KWRU (940 AM; 50 kW; FRESNO, CA)

FM radio stations

  • KZIQ-FM (92.7 FM; RIDGECREST, CA; Owner: JAMES KNUDSEN & DONNA KNUDSEN)
  • KLOA-FM (104.9 FM; RIDGECREST, CA; Owner: ADELMAN COMMUNICATIONS, INC.)
  • KRAJ (100.9 FM; JOHANNESBURG, CA; Owner: ADELMAN BROADCASTING INC.)
  • KGBM (89.7 FM; RANDSBURG, CA; Owner: EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION)
  • K266AH (101.1 FM; BENA, CA; Owner: CALVARY CHAPEL OF TWIN FALLS, INC.)
  • KTQX (90.1 FM; BAKERSFIELD, CA; Owner: RADIO BILINGUE, INC.)
  • KMYX-FM (92.5 FM; ARVIN, CA; Owner: FARMWORKER EDUC. RADIO NETWORK, INC.)
  • KKZQ (100.1 FM; TEHACHAPI, CA; Owner: HIGH DESERT BROADCASTING LLC)
  • KVLI-FM (104.5 FM; LAKE ISABELLA, CA; Owner: ROBERT J. AND KATHERINE M. BOHN)
  • KCNQ (102.5 FM; KERNVILLE, CA; Owner: ROBERT J. & KATHERINE M. BOHN)
  • K218DU (90.9 FM; RIDGECREST, CA; Owner: CALVARY CHAPEL OF TWIN FALLS, INC.)
  • KCEL (106.9 FM; CALIFORNIA CITY, CA; Owner: KCEL RADIO, LLC)
  • K206CO (89.1 FM; RIDGECREST, CA; Owner: EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION)
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