Volta, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Volta, California
Census-designated place
Volta, California Location in California Show map of California Volta, California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Merced
Area
• Total	4.434 sq mi (11.484 km2)
• Land	4.370 sq mi (11.318 km2)
• Water	0.064 sq mi (0.165 km2)  1.44%
Elevation	105 ft (32 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	366
• Density	82.54/sq mi (31.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	93635 (Los Banos
Area code(s)	209
GNIS feature IDs	1660110; 2583179

Volta is a small community in Merced County, California, United States. It is also known as a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area that the U.S. Census Bureau defines for gathering population data, even though it's not officially a city or town.

Volta is located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west-northwest of Los Banos. It sits at an elevation of 105 feet (32 meters) above sea level. In 2020, the population of Volta was 366 people. This was an increase from 246 people counted in 2010.

Early History of Volta

From 1858 to 1861, an important stop called Lone Willow Station was located near Volta. This station was part of the Butterfield Overland Mail route. The Butterfield Overland Mail was a stagecoach service that delivered mail and passengers across the country. Lone Willow Station was a "swing station," where fresh horses were kept for the stagecoaches. It was located east of present-day Volta, along the west bank of Mud Slough.

A post office opened in Volta in 1890 and served the community until 1972. The name "Volta" came from the Volta Improvement Company.

Where is Volta Located?

Volta is found in the southwestern part of Merced County, California. It is situated in the western area of California's large Central Valley. The community is positioned between the city of Los Banos to its southeast and another community called Santa Nella to its west.

Land and Water in Volta

The United States Census Bureau reports that Volta covers an area of about 4.4 square miles (11.4 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 98.56%, is land. The remaining 1.44% is covered by water.

Who Lives in Volta?

The 2010 United States Census collected information about the people living in Volta. Here's what they found:

Population and Diversity

In 2010, Volta had a population of 246 people. The population density was about 55.5 people per square mile (21.4 people per square kilometer).

The community is made up of people from various backgrounds:

• Most residents, about 81.7%, identified as White.
• About 2.8% identified as African American.
• About 0.4% identified as Asian.
• About 1.6% identified as Pacific Islander.
• About 11.8% identified as being from other races.
• About 1.6% identified as being from two or more races.
• A significant portion, about 53.7% of the population, identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Households and Families

All 246 people in Volta lived in households in 2010. There were 83 households in total.

• About 37.3% of these households had children under 18 years old living in them.
• Most households, about 56.6%, were married couples living together.
• About 6.0% had a female head of household with no husband present.
• About 8.4% had a male head of household with no wife present.
• The average household size was 2.96 people.
• There were 59 families in Volta, with an average family size of 3.47 people.

Age Groups in Volta

The population of Volta is spread across different age groups:

• About 24.0% of the people were under 18 years old.
• About 12.6% were between 18 and 24 years old.
• About 24.8% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• About 27.6% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• About 11.0% were 65 years old or older.

The median age in Volta was 36.6 years. This means half the population was younger than 36.6 and half was older.

Housing in Volta

There were 106 housing units in Volta. The average density of housing units was about 23.9 per square mile (9.2 per square kilometer).

• About 51.8% of the homes were owned by the people living in them.
• About 48.2% of the homes were rented.
• About 46.3% of the population lived in homes they owned, while 53.7% lived in rental homes.

See also

• In Spanish: Volta (California) para niños