Poway, California

Poway is a city located in San Diego County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 48,044.

Table of contents

1 History 1.1 Early History 1.2 The Imaginary Railroad 1.3 Water in the valley 1.4 Recent History 2 Geography 3 Demographics

History

Early History

The name Poway (Pau-wi) is derived from the language of the Diegueno and Luiseno Indians, the peoples who roamed the area before the coming of the Spaniards. During the Spanish rule of the area, the Poway valley was used for pasturing of mission stock.

Philip Crosthwaite was believed to be the first white man in the region. He built a house and started ranching in 1859. Poway was ideal for cattle, and Crosthwaite's land was sold to the Kerran Brothers and a Mrs. Anderson who contined to ranch up until 1874.

Farmers started moving into the area, and in 1874 the "no fence" law was passed. A disaster for the ranchers, this law stated that the ranchers' livestock must be kept off farmers' land, whether or not there was a fence. The cattle were driven to Mexico and the valley's economy became strictly agricultural.

The Imaginary Railroad

During the 1880s, families were settling into homes as well as building vineyards and orchards. Dairying and beekeeping were profitable for the approximately 800 people who now inhabited the valley, and buildings sprang up throughout the community.

The settlers fully expected one, or perhaps even two, railroad lines to pass through the town. The possibility of the railroad caused a boom in real estate, and an English firm, Baird and Chapin, set out a subdivision plan for the community. A plan filed in 1887 showed names such as Devon, Norwalk, Aubrey, Edgemoor, York, Rydal, Windsor, and Midland Avenues. Residential areas were planned around small parks: Ashton Court, Chatham Court, Hampton Court, St. Alban's Court, and many others. The railroad did not materialize and gradually the valley began to lose some of its settlers. Now, the only trace of the plans are a few street names in Old Poway.

Water in the valley

In the 1950s, water came to Poway and an election was held to form the Poway Municipal Water District. The vote was favorable and in 1954 a second election was held, in which the citizens voted to annex to the San Diego County Water Authority. At a third election in 1954, the citizens voted to incur a $600,000 debt and build a water system. Finally, in 1972, the Poway Dam was created to provide a dependable supply of water.

Recent History

In 1959, the first subdivision homes were built, and the population steadily rose. On December 1, 1980, the City of Poway was incorporated. Since then, the city has steadily grown, with many new housing developments over the years.

Geography

Poway is located at 32°58'12" North, 117°2'19" West (32.969895, -117.038479)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 101.9 km² (39.3 mi²). 101.6 km² (39.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.25% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 48,044 people, 15,467 households, and 12,868 families residing in the city. The population density is 473.0/km² (1,224.8/mi²). There are 15,714 housing units at an average density of 154.7/km² (400.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 82.86% White, 1.67% African American, 0.48% Native American, 7.46% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 3.27% from other races, and 3.99% from two or more races. 10.35% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 15,467 households out of which 47.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.8% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 16.8% are non-families. 12.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.08 and the average family size is 3.35.

In the city the population is spread out with 30.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $71,708, and the median income for a family is $77,875. Males have a median income of $53,322 versus $34,742 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,788. 4.3% of the population and 3.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.9% are under the age of 18 and 3.7% are 65 or older.