Manhole Covers of Hanford, California

Created 8 July 2006

This page was last updated on 29 January 2008
All photos copyrighted by David L. Magney 2006

This is a study of manhole covers from the City of Hanford, Kings County, California.

Manhole Covers of Hanford, Kings County, California

Hanford is a small rural farming town in the northern Kings County in the San Joaquin Valley, at an average elevation of around 249 feet above sea level. Hanford was a farming/railroad town, named for James Hanford, treasurer of Central Pacific Railway. Hanford was founded in 1877, incorporated in 1891, and is the county seat. Hanford currently has a population of 41,686 (2000), to about 45,368 people in 2003, and an estimate of 48,070 in 2005. Hanford citizens are composed of 64.1% Caucasians, 38.7% Hispanics, 5% African-American, 2,9% Asians, and 1.4% Native American. The median household income for Hanford residents is $37,582 and the per capita income is $17,504.

Two highways pass through Hanford, State Routes 43 and 198. The average commute time for working Hanford residents is 20 minutes, indicating that a large percentage works near town. The East Branch Peoples Ditch, a distributary creek of the Kings River, passes through the east side of town, with Peoples Ditch on the west side. None of the rivers or streams flowing through Kings County reach the ocean; rather, what is left over from extractions for irrigation, drains into the Pleistocene lake bed of Tulare Lake. Tulare Lake only appears rarely after very high rainfall years, resulting in the flooding of many farms.

Ranching and farming are the primary economy of Hanford and Kings County. Cotton, fruit, grapes, and nuts are primary crops supporting Hanford and Kings County. Dairy farming is very important, first established in Kings County in 1893. The first vineyard was planted in 1890. The climate is hot in the summer and cool, often foggy, in the winter, with only about 10 inches of precipitation during the winter months. Additional information about Hanford can be found at Hanford Info and at the Official Hanford site.

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