Moorpark, California
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Moorpark is a city located in Ventura County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 31,415.
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History
The valley where Moorpark is located was originally inhabited by the Chumash. The area was part of the large Rancho San Jose De Garcia De Simi land grant given in 1795 to the Pico brothers (Javier, Patricio, and Miguel) by Governor Diego de Borica of Alta California.
Moorpark was founded in 1887 by Robert W. Poindexter, who named it after a cultivar of apricot which grew in the area. The town grew after the 1904 completion of a 7369-foot tunnel through the Santa Susana Mountains, which allowed the Southern Pacific Railroad to establish a depot there, a depot which lasted until 1964.
In 1963 Moorpark College was founded.
It was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1983.
Moorpark High School has won the Academic Decathalon twice in the past 6 years.
In March 2005, the fairly complete remains of an unusually old mammoth, possibly the rare Southern mammoth (Mammuthus meridionalis), were discovered in the foothills of Moorpark at the site of a housing development.
Geography
Moorpark is located at 34°16'52" North, 118°52'25" West (34.281056, -118.873561)Template:GR.
The city can be reached easily by routes 23 and 118 (both of which end their freeway sections in the city), and by Metrolink train service.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.9 km² (19.3 mi²). 49.3 km² (19.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.30% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 31,416 people in the city, organized into 8,994 households and 7,698 families. The population density is 637.7/km² (1,651.9/mi²). There are 9,094 housing units at an average density of 184.6/km² (478.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 74.42% White, 5.63% Asian, 1.52% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 13.95% from other races, and 3.87% from two or more races. 27.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,994 households out of which 54.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.0% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 14.4% are non-families. 9.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 2.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.49 and the average family size is 3.71.
In the city the population is spread out with 34.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $76,642, and the median income for a family is $78,909. Males have a median income of $55,535 versus $35,790 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,383. 7.0% of the population and 4.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Random Facts
The Moorpark High School football team is the Moorpark Musketeers. They are in the Marmonte League. Moorpark's Little League won the Western Regional Championships in 1996. It is one of the safest cities in the USA.
External links
- Official city website (http://www.ci.moorpark.ca.us/)
- History of Moorpark (http://www.moorparkchamber.com/pages/history.htm), from its Chamber of Commerce website
- Ventura County Line (http://www.metrolinktrains.com/lines/line_ventura_county/stations/station_moorpark.php) of Metrolink, serving Moorpark Station
- Mammoth remains unearthed (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/08/calfornia.mammoth.ap/index.html)
- Mammoth's skeleton uncovered (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002236260_mammoth09.html)