Avenal, California

"Avenal" redirects here. For the suburb of Invercargill in New Zealand, see Avenal, New Zealand.

Avenal, California
City
City of Avenal
The Avenal Theater in 2011
The Avenal Theater in 2011
Location of Avenal in Kings County, California
Location of Avenal in Kings County, California
Avenal, California is located in the United States
Avenal, California
Avenal, California
Location in the contiguous United States
Coordinates: 36°00′15″N 120°07′44″W / 36.00417°N 120.12889°W / 36.00417; -120.12889
Country United States
State California
County Kings
IncorporatedSeptember 11, 1979[1]
Government
 • City Council
  • Alvaro Preciado (Mayor)
  • Alejandro Ramirez (Mayor Pro Tem)
  • Louis Gravalle
  • Ricardo Verdugo
  • Pablo Hernandez
[2]
 • City ManagerAntony V. López[3]
 • Police ChiefRobert A. Nevárez[4]
Area
[5]
 • Total19.48 sq mi (50.46 km2)
 • Land19.48 sq mi (50.46 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation
[6]
807 ft (246 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total13,696
 • Density702.97/sq mi (271.42/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
93204
Area code559
FIPS code06-03302
GNIS feature IDs1660285, 2409764
Websitewww.cityofavenal.com

Avenal (Spanish for "Oat field") is a city in Kings County, California, United States.[6] Avenal is located 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Hanford,[7] at an elevation of 807 ft (246 m).[6] It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25260), which encompasses all of Kings County. In area, it is the fourth-largest city in Kings County. The ZIP Code for this community is 93204, and telephone numbers use the sequence (559) 386-XXXX. The population was 15,505 in the 2010 census, which includes inmates at the Avenal State Prison, the first prison actively solicited by a community in the state of California. Many of the remaining residents largely either work at the prison or in the agriculture industry. The prison provides approximately 1,000 jobs to residents. The California Department of Finance estimated that Avenal's population was 13,496 on July 1, 2019.[8] As of that date, Avenal State Prison held 4,165 inmates, which was about 32% of the total population of Avenal.[9] Inmates are counted as city residents by both the United States census and the California Department of Finance.

  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (doc) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "Mayor and City Council". City of Avenal. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  3. ^ "City Manager". City of Avenal. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  4. ^ "Avenal Police Department". City of Avenal. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  5. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Avenal". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  7. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 996. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  8. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  9. ^ "Monthly Total Population Report Archive". May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2019.