'Boron' is a
census-designated place (CDP) in
Kern County,
California,
United States. The population was 2,025 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Boron is located at the border of Kern and
San Bernardino Counties along
California State Highway 58 known locally as the ''Tehachapi Freeway''. The coordinates are: (35.015177, -117.660799). Boron is 65 miles north of
Palmdale, 85 miles east of
Bakersfield, and 40 miles west of
Barstow in the
Antelope Valley region of California's
Mojave Desert.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 35.9
km² (13.9
mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 2,025 people, 801 households, and 535 families residing in the CDP. The
population density was 56.5/km² (146.2/mi²). There were 1,103 housing units at an average density of 30.7/km² (79.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.04%
White, 2.22%
Black or
African American, 2.86%
Native American, 1.58%
Asian, 0.10%
Pacific Islander, 4.74% from
other races, and 3.46% from two or more races. 9.04% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 801 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were
married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,625, and the median income for a family was $44,674. Males had a median income of $47,045 versus $23,854 for females. The
per capita income for the CDP was $18,294. About 15.2% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 32.8% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.
Trivia
The movie ''
Erin Brockovich'' (2000), starring
Julia Roberts, and various other movies have been filmed in the town and often use citizens as extras.
Boron is a big football town, and has taken many state championships in California's smallest-school division.
Boron's primary employer is Rio Tinto Minerals (formerly
U.S. Borax). Boron was originally founded as a mining town.
Boron is a hinterland community on the western edge of the
mojave desert. A unique asset of the location is that within a half day drive you can view the highest or lowest points in the continental United States
Mount Whitney and
Death Valley, the worlds oldest living organism the
Bristlecone Pine, and the cities of both
Los Angeles and the
Las Vegas metropolitan area.
External links
Boron is also the home of the worlds largest solar power production facility. Florida Power and Light operates five thermal trough technology Solar Electric Generating Stations (SEGS) plants. These units generate enough electricity to provide the electrical needs of 30,000 to 40,000 homes without the use of fossil fuels.