Oakhurst, California
Encyclopedia : O : OA : OAK : Oakhurst, California
Oakhurst is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, 14 miles south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The population was 2,868 at the 2000 census.
Geography
A small community located in central California, Oakhurst is considered the "front door" to Yosemite National Park. Oakhurst is at the junction of Highways 41 & 49, in the gold country.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 15.4 km² (5.9 mi²). 15.3 km² (5.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.17% is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 2,868 people, 1,250 households, and 773 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 187.1/km² (484.8/mi²). There were 1,380 housing units at an average density of 90.0/km² (233.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.62% White, 0.45% African American, 2.93% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 6.03% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.94% of the population.There were 1,250 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,679, and the median income for a family was $35,495. Males had a median income of $36,979 versus $21,111 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,851. About 12.8% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. Tourism constitutes the major industry.
Industry
Sierra Online: The Birthplace of Computer Gaming
Oakhurst earned the nickname of "birthplace of computer gaming" being home to the pioneering computer game developer Sierra Online from 1981 to 1999.Many industry firsts were achieved in Oakhurst including the development of the first 3D adventure game (King’s Quest, 1984) and one of the first online gaming networks (The Sierra Network, 1989).
Sierra, now headquartered in Los Angeles, CA continues to publish games for the personal computer and popular gaming consoles.
External links
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