Hinkley, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hinkley
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 Hinkley
Location in California
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 1,692 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes |
92347
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| Area codes | 760/442 |
| FIPS code | 06-33924 |
| GNIS feature ID | 243490 |
Hinkley is a small, unincorporated community located in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. It is about 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Barstow. This area is known for its desert landscape.
Contents
Hinkley's History
From the 1960s to the 1980s, a large radio tower called the Hawes Radio Tower was used near Hinkley. It was part of the Hawes Auxiliary Airfield, which was active during World War II. This tower helped with military communications.
Hinkley has also been a filming location for movies. In 2015, parts of the film Sky were shot here. The community is perhaps most famous as the setting for the movie Erin Brockovich, released in 2000.
Water Concerns in Hinkley
Since 1952, the underground water in Hinkley has faced contamination. This was due to a compressor station that helped move natural gas through pipelines. The station used a chemical called hexavalent chromium.
Residents of Hinkley noticed a higher number of illnesses in their community. They believed these health issues were connected to the contaminated water. Because of this, they decided to take legal action.
The Erin Brockovich Story
In 1993, a legal clerk named Erin Brockovich started looking into the health problems in Hinkley. She worked with lawyer Edward L. Masry. Their investigation showed a link between the illnesses and the hexavalent chromium in the water.
Their efforts and the community's struggles became widely known. This was especially true after the movie Erin Brockovich came out in 2000. The film helped share the story of Hinkley with many people.
Legal Settlement
After many discussions, the case went to a special process called arbitration. In 1996, the case was settled for US$333 million. This was a very large amount for a direct-action lawsuit at the time.
Later, in 2006, the company involved, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), agreed to pay more money. They paid $295 million to settle similar claims from about 1,100 other people. These claims were also related to hexavalent chromium.
Hinkley's Population
The United States Census helps us understand how many people live in an area. Hinkley is part of a special area called a ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), which is identified by the ZIP code 92347.
In 2000, the ZCTA of 92347 had a population of 1,915 people. By the 2010 census, the population had decreased to 1,692. This was a drop of about 11.6% in ten years.
More recently, the 2020 census did not report a specific population number for the ZCTA. However, it did note that there were 241 households in the area. The employment rate was 18.1%.
Some reports in early 2016 described Hinkley as slowly becoming a ghost town. This means that fewer and fewer people were living there. The water contamination issues were a major reason for this decline.
The postal ZIP Code for Hinkley is 92347. The telephone area codes 760 and 442 serve the community.
