Empire, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Empire
Census-designated place
Motto(s):  The Mexican City of the Central Valley
Location in Stanislaus County and the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Stanislaus
Empire City	1850
Empire	1896
Area
• Total	1.563 sq mi (4.049 km2)
• Land	1.563 sq mi (4.049 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	118 ft (36 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,202
• Density	2,688.4/sq mi (1,037.79/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95319
Area code(s)	209
FIPS code	06-22622
GNIS feature ID	1658501

Empire is a community in Stanislaus County, California, United States. It's called a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's a place that looks like a town but isn't officially governed as one.

In 2020, about 4,202 people lived in Empire. It is part of the larger Modesto area. Empire is known for its farming activities and has a strong Mexican culture influence. It is also home to the new Empire Community Park.

History of Empire

The original town, called Empire City, was started in 1854. It was located on the south side of the Tuolumne River. People say it was named after New York City, which was known as the "Empire City." Some records suggest it might have been founded even earlier, around 1850.

Empire City was an important place because steamboats could travel up the Tuolumne River only as far as this town. It even became the main government center, or county seat, for Stanislaus County.

The town faced tough times. It was almost destroyed and abandoned twice, in 1852 and 1855. A big flood in 1862, known as the Great Flood of 1862, also caused a lot of damage. In 1896, the town moved about a mile north of the river. It was then renamed Empire when the Santa Fe Railroad came through. The Santa Fe Railroad bought this line in 1898.

Downtown Empire

The downtown area of Empire is in the second, newer location of the town. It has a small post office where you can send mail. There is also a Church of the Brethren church.

A special place in downtown is the Empire Community Park. Inside the park, you can find the Empire City Historic Landmark. This landmark helps remember the original Empire City.

Geography and Climate

Empire is located in California at these coordinates: 37°38′39″N 120°54′27″W / 37.64417°N 120.90750°W / 37.64417; -120.90750.

The United States Census Bureau says that Empire covers about 1.6 square miles (4.0 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the community.

Empire's Climate

Empire has a type of weather called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. It's similar to the climate found around the Mediterranean Sea.

Population Facts

Let's look at how many people live in Empire and what the community is like.

Who Lives in Empire?

In 2010, the population of Empire was 4,189 people. This means there were about 2,679 people living in every square mile.

Many different groups of people live in Empire:

• About 54.3% of the people were White.
• About 0.5% were African American.
• About 1.3% were Native American.
• About 1.4% were Asian.
• About 0.2% were Pacific Islander.
• About 35.8% were from other races.
• About 6.4% were from two or more races.
• A large part of the population, about 54.3%, identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Most people, about 96.4%, lived in regular homes. The rest lived in group homes or other places.

There were 1,215 households in Empire. A household is a group of people living together in one home.

• About 46.9% of households had children under 18.
• About 48.1% were married couples.
• About 20.1% had a female head of household with no husband present.
• About 8.5% had a male head of household with no wife present.

The average household size was about 3.32 people. The average family size was about 3.74 people.

The population also varied by age:

• About 29.3% were under 18 years old.
• About 10.2% were between 18 and 24 years old.
• About 26.2% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• About 24.4% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• About 9.9% were 65 years or older.

The average age in Empire was 32.8 years.

There were 1,328 housing units in Empire. A housing unit is a house, apartment, or other place where people can live.

• About 59.6% of these homes were owned by the people living in them.
• About 40.4% were rented.

In 2000, there were 3,903 people living in Empire. The racial makeup was similar to 2010, with about 42.89% of the population being Hispanic or Latino. The average age was 32 years.

The median income for a household in 2000 was $27,500. This means half the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. About 21.8% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 25.1% of those under 18.

See also

In Spanish: Empire (California) para niños