McFarland

McFarland is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. McFarland is located 6.5mi south of Delano, at an elevation of 354 feet . The population of McFarland, as of 2016, is 19,044.HistoryIn the early 1900s an educator named James Boyd McFarland moved to the Anaheim area from Zanesville, Ohio, to try his hand at real estate and walnut farming.McFarland visited Kern County in 1907 and was impressed with the land's crop growing potential near a community called Hunt's Siding. Hunt's Siding was a small agriculture and livestock based community that served about 50 families.With help from Bakersfield real estate businessman William Laird, McFarland bought 50 acres on what is now McFarland.The town was founded in 1909 and later became incorporated in the summer of 1957. McFarland grew tremendously during the Great Depression of the 1930s, then the population tapered off during World War II.In 1950, Highway 99, the major corridor of the Central Valley, was constructed, which ended up dividing the town into an east side and west side. The first post office opened in 1908. McFarland incorporated in 1957. The name honors J.B. McFarland, founder. In 2015, the movie McFarland USA was released; based on a true story that occurred in McFarland High School.Demographics2010The 2010 United States Census reported that McFarland had a population of 12,707. The population density was 4,762.7 people per square mile (1,838.9/km²). The racial makeup of McFarland was 5,433 (42.8%) White, 236 (1.9%) African American, 171 (1.3%) Native American, 84 (0.7%) Asian, 6 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 6,330 (49.8%) from other races, and 447 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,625 people (91.5%).