Mettler, California
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Mettler, California | |
|---|---|
| Mettler in 2025. Mettler in 2025. | |
| Location in Kern County and the state of California Location in Kern County and the state of California | |
| Template:Location map | |
| Coordinates: 35°03′50″N 118°58′12″W / 35.06389°N 118.97000°WCoordinates: 35°03′50″N 118°58′12″W / 35.06389°N 118.97000°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State | Template:Country data California |
| County | Kern |
| Government | |
| • Senate | Template:Representative[1] |
| • Assembly | Template:Representative[1] |
| • U. S. Congress | Template:Representative[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Land | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Water | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp 0% |
| Elevation | Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 90 |
| • Density | Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 93381 |
| Area code(s) | 661 |
| FIPS code | 06-47164 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0245837 |
Mettler, or Mettler Station, is an unincorporated area in Kern County, California. Actor James Dean received a speeding ticket here the same day as his fatal car accident. The population was 90 at the 2020 census, down from 136 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated place (CDP).
History
[edit]Founding
[edit]According to the publication California's Geographic Names, Mettler was founded in 1941,[5] but an obituary of Clifford Alvin Mettler in The Bakersfield Californian reported that the settlement was founded by him, his father, William H. Mettler, and his brother (unnamed) in the "late 1940s" in the Wheeler Ridge area, which settlement "later became known as Mettler Station."[6]
James Dean
[edit]On September 30, 1955, motion picture actor James Dean was driving north on Highway U.S. 99 when he was stopped by California Highway Patrol officer O.V. Hunter and given a ticket for speeding. The officer wrote Mettler Station as the location of the infraction. Later that day, Dean would be killed in a fatal car crash as he continued his journey north.[7]
Geography
[edit]Mettler is 25 miles (40 km) south of Bakersfield.[1] The locality has an area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) and an elevation of 541 feet (165 m).[4]
Demographics
[edit]Mettler first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.[8]
2020
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[9] | Pop 2010[10] | Pop 2020[11] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 24 | 23 | 21 | 15.29% | 16.91% | 23.33% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1.11% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.74% | 0.00% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0.00% | 2.21% | 4.44% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 133 | 109 | 64 | 84.71% | 80.15% | 71.11% |
| Total | 157 | 136 | 90 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
At the 2020 census Mettler is reported as having a population of 90. However, due to the margins of error introduced by the application of differential privacy algorithms as a "top down" disclosure avoidance measure to the 2020 census data, along with the various other operational issues[12] related to the simultaneous COVID-19 pandemic this population number is questionable.
2010
[edit]At the 2010 census Mettler had a population of 136. The population density was 584.8 inhabitants per square mile (225.8/km2). The racial makeup of Mettler was 74 (54.4%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 0 (0.0%) Native American, 0 (0.0%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 43 (31.6%) from other races, and 19 (14.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 109 people (80.1%).[13]
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 31 households, 17 (54.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17 (54.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 8 (25.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2 (6.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2 (6.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4 households (12.9%) were one person and 1 (3.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 4.39. There were 27 families (87.1% of households); the average family size was 4.74.
The age distribution was 37 people (27.2%) under the age of 18, 24 people (17.6%) aged 18 to 24, 30 people (22.1%) aged 25 to 44, 34 people (25.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 11 people (8.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 28.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.2 males.
There were 36 housing units at an average density of 154.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 18 (58.1%) were owner-occupied and 13 (41.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 62 people (45.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 74 people (54.4%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
[edit]At the 2000 census 157 people lived in 31 households (37 housing units). The average household size was about five people. Mettler's population was about six years younger than California at large.[14]
| 2000 figures | Mettler | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27 | 33.3 | 35.3 |
| White | 47.1% | 59.5% | 75.1% |
| African-American | None | 6.7% | 12.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 84.7% | 32.4% | 12.5% |
| Family income | $28,750 | $53,025 | $50,046 |
| Poverty families | 5.9% | 10.6% | 9.2% |
| Med. home value | $71,500 | $211,500 | $119,600 |
| High school diploma | 42.1% | 76.8% | 80.4% |
| College degree | 7.0% | 28.6% | 24.4% |
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Final Maps | California Citizens Redistricting Commission". Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ↑ Template:Cite GovTrack
- ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Gnis
- ↑ Template:California's Geographic Names
- ↑ Bakersfield Californian, April 30, 2006
- ↑ Warren Newton Beath, The Death of James Dean, Grove Press, 1994, pages 35 and 80.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named2000CensusCA - ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Mettler CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mettler CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mettler CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ Passel, D’Vera Cohn and Jeffrey S. (June 8, 2022). "Key facts about the quality of the 2020 census". Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ↑ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Mettler CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.