Manhole Covers of Stratford, Kings County, California
Stratford is a small rural farming crossroads town in northern Kings County in the San Joaquin Valley, at an average elevation of around 203 feet above sea level. Stratford is a crossroads town, and was originally named Stratton after William Stratton, of the Empire Land and Water Company in 1901, but was changed to Stratford in 1906 through efforts of the local women's club (I guess William wasn't particularily liked by the local ladies). The town, like neighboring Lemoore, used to be on the northern edge of Tulare Lake, then the largest body of water in central California, but the lake dried up in the 1920s. Stratford is unincorporated.
Stratford currently has a population of 1,277 (2010). Stratford occupies 0.7 square miles. Stratford citizens are composed of 44.9% Caucasians, 83.7% Hispanics (of any race), 1.5% Asian, 1.3% Native American, and 1.3% African-American (yes, I know, that is more than 100%, but that is from the funny way the U.S. Census Bureau counts people by race). The median household income for Stratford residents is (in 2000) $29,205 and the per capita income is $9,790. About 5.7% of Stratford citizens over 25 years of age have earned a Bachelor's degree or higher and 31.5% have graduated from high school (in other words, not a hotbed of educated folks). The Kings River, or what is left of it, runs south a short distance to the west of town.
One highway passes through Stratford, State Route 41. Most Stratford residents work (the 70% with jobs) outside of the town (they commute), mostly in agricultural jobs. Ranching and farming are the primary economy of Stratford and Kings County. Cotton, fruit, grapes, and nuts are primary crops supporting Stratford and Kings County. Dairy farming is very important, first established in Kings County in 1893. 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 Stratford can be found at Town of Stratford, and everthing you ever could think about knowing about Stratford Info.
I could find 4 varieties of manhole covers in Stratford.
