North Fork, California

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For the community in Humboldt County formerly with this name, see Korbel, Humboldt County, California. For the community in Plumas County formerly with this name, see Seneca, California.
"Brown's" redirects here. For other uses, see Brown (disambiguation).
North Fork
wa?ahhpY'
Census-designated place
North Fork is located in California
North Fork
North Fork
North Fork is located in the United States
North Fork
North Fork
Coordinates: 37°13′47″N 119°30′34″W / 37.22972°N 119.50944°W / 37.22972; -119.50944Coordinates: 37°13′47″N 119°30′34″W / 37.22972°N 119.50944°W / 37.22972; -119.50944
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyMadera
Area
[1]
 • Total32.28 sq mi (83.6 km2)
 • Land32.24 sq mi (83.5 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation
[2]
2,638 ft (804 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total3,250
 • Density100.8/sq mi (38.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
93643
Area code559
GNIS feature IDs1659768;[2] 2804436[4]
FIPS Code06-51868

North Fork (formerly Brown's and Northfork; Mono wa?ahhpY', "cedar grove")[5] is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States.[2] As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 3,250.[3] It is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California maintains their tribal headquarters in North Fork.

Geography

CA geographic center monument.jpg

North Fork is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 2,638 feet (804 m).[2] It is 46 miles (74 km) north-northeast of Fresno, 41 miles (66 km) northeast of Madera, and 17 miles (27 km) by road southeast of Oakhurst. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the North Fork CDP has a total area of 32.3 square miles (84 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2), or 0.14%, are water.[1] The community is drained by Willow Creek and by its North Fork and South Fork. Willow Creek is a south-flowing tributary of the San Joaquin River.

The geographic center or midpoint of the state of California is located between North Fork and Italian Bar. The point is about 7.1 miles (11.4 km) driving distance from the United States Forest Service office in North Fork. The location is marked by a sign and a survey marker. NAD83 coordinates for the exact center of California are 37°09′58″N 119°26′58″W / 37.16611°N 119.44944°W / 37.16611; -119.44944 The Fresno County line is less than one mile (1.6 km), (straight-line distance), from the site's survey marker. The actual site has wooden stairs leading up the hillside about 50 feet from the road. The marker is not wheelchair accessible.

Climate

North Fork has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Cfa) with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Its average annual precipitation is 33.43 in (849 mm).[6] Its hardiness zone is 7b.[7]

North Fork (1981-2010 Normals)
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
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6.8
 
 
57
30
 
 
6.1
 
 
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5.4
 
 
63
35
 
 
2.4
 
 
69
38
 
 
1.5
 
 
78
45
 
 
0.4
 
 
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0.1
 
 
95
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0.1
 
 
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0.5
 
 
89
52
 
 
1.8
 
 
78
43
 
 
3.6
 
 
65
36
 
 
4.9
 
 
57
31
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: Western Regional Climate Center[6]
Metric conversion
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F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
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171
 
 
14
−1
 
 
155
 
 
15
−1
 
 
137
 
 
17
2
 
 
60
 
 
20
4
 
 
37
 
 
25
7
 
 
11
 
 
31
11
 
 
3
 
 
35
14
 
 
1.5
 
 
35
14
 
 
12
 
 
32
11
 
 
47
 
 
25
6
 
 
90
 
 
18
2
 
 
124
 
 
14
0
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

History

The town's original inhabitants were members of the Mono tribe, who still comprise a significant portion of the population (9.4% according to the 2000 Census). The town was originally named "Brown's" after its first white settler, Milton Brown. The name "North Fork" came from the North Fork Lumber Company. The North Fork post office opened in 1888.[8]

In the 1950s, it became a lumber town.[9] North Fork's economy was based on the timber industry until the local lumber mill closed in 1996.

The US Forest Service Crane Valley Hotshots, an elite crew of wildland firefighters, are based in North Fork.

Points of interest

North Fork is home of the Sierra Mono Museum[10] and the starting point of the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway. The town boasts two coffee shops, one grocery store, three restaurants (one of which is part of the town's bar) with another coming and one gas station.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: North Fork
  3. ^ a b "P1. Race – North Fork CDP, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: North Fork Census Designated Place
  5. ^ Sydney M. Lamb. 1957. Mono Grammar. University of California. Berkeley PhD dissertation. .pdf
  6. ^ a b "Western Regional Climate Center: 1981-2010 monthly climate summary for North Fork". Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  7. ^ "Plantmaps: Zip Code 93643 North Fork Hardiness Zone and Gardening Info". Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  8. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 810. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  9. ^ "North Fork, California". sierranevadageotourism.org. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  10. ^ Sierra Mono Museum, accessed 7/9/2012
  • "Center Of California" #608, California's Gold, Huell Howser Productions, 1995.

External links

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