Yokuts Valley, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yokuts Valley, California
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The Post Office in Yokuts Valley in 2018, before the community's name change
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Location in Fresno County and the state of California
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 Yokuts Valley, California
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Fresno |
| Named for | The Yokuts, an Indigenous ethnic group comprising many tribes of Central California |
| Area | |
| • Total | 56.610 sq mi (146.618 km2) |
| • Land | 56.559 sq mi (146.487 km2) |
| • Water | 0.051 sq mi (0.131 km2) 0.09% |
| Elevation | 1,631 ft (497 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,564 |
| • Density | 62.957/sq mi (24.308/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes |
93646, 93675
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| Area code(s) | 559 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1659853, 2408799 |
Yokuts Valley, once known as Squaw Valley, is a small community in Fresno County, California. It sits at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Kings Canyon National Park.
This area is officially a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's a special area defined by the government for counting people. In 2010, about 3,162 people lived here. Yokuts Valley is located about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Orange Cove and 30 miles (48 km) east of Fresno. It is about 1,631 feet (497 meters) above sea level.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Valley" refers to the area around the community. Long ago, the basin might have been called "Woman's Land." This was because a rock in the valley looked like a woman's moccasin print.
By 1873, settlers started using the name "Squaw Valley." The word "squaw" was a term they used for Indigenous women. However, this word is now known to be offensive and disrespectful. The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) officially named the community Squaw Valley in 1957.
In 1958, the BGN decided that "Squaw Valley" would only refer to this community. Another place in Placer County was about to host the 1960 Winter Olympics. That place became known as Olympic Valley. Even so, people sometimes still confused the two places.
Changing the Name
From 2020 to 2023, local groups, including members of Native American tribes, asked for the community's name to be changed. They wanted to remove the offensive word. They suggested "Nuum Valley" and later "Yokuts Valley."
In September 2022, the BGN renamed the surrounding area to "Yokuts Basin." This was part of a bigger effort to remove the word "squaw" from place names across the country. Some local people disagreed with the change, but many Native Americans and others supported it. They wanted to remove a name that was hurtful to Indigenous women.
A few days later, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law. This law required all state and local groups to remove the word "squaw" from place names by 2025. In January 2023, the BGN officially renamed the community to "Yokuts Valley." Soon after, a welcome sign with the old name was taken down.
A Look Back in Time
The area where Yokuts Valley is today was originally home to the Yokuts and Mono people. These are Native American groups who lived in this region for a very long time.
In 1869, the Simpson Drake family became the first non-Indigenous family to settle in the basin. The first post office in the community opened in 1879. It closed and reopened a few times over the years.
In the 1960s, the community moved a bit to its current spot. Also, the local library, the Bear Mountain Branch, moved to Yokuts Valley in 1994. It had been in Dunlap since 1915.
Where is Yokuts Valley?
The community is located in the Yokuts Basin. According to official measurements, the area is about 56.6 square miles (146.6 square kilometers). Almost all of this area is land. The Squaw Valley-Miramonte AVA is a special region for growing grapes that is centered around this community.
People of Yokuts Valley
The population of Yokuts Valley has grown over the years. In 2000, there were 2,691 people. By 2010, the population had increased to 3,162 people.
Who Lives Here?
In 2010, most people in Yokuts Valley were White (85.4%). There were also smaller groups of African American (0.9%), Native American (2.4%), and Asian (1.5%) residents. About 16.6% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
Most people (99.9%) lived in homes with their families or housemates. There were 1,188 households in total. Many households (60.2%) were married couples living together. About 28.9% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.66 people.
The age of people in Yokuts Valley varied. About 22.4% were under 18 years old. About 35.1% were between 45 and 64 years old. And 17.2% were 65 years or older. The average age was 46.3 years.
Most homes (84.9%) were owned by the people living in them. The rest (15.1%) were rented.
Famous People
- Stuart Erwin – an actor
- Don Knight – an actor
See also
In Spanish: Yokuts Valley para niños
