Lemoore ( ; formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) at an elevation of . The spillway was wide, shallow and confusing, choked with tall tule rushes, and without observable landmarks. Only one commercial boat is known to have sailed from Tulare Lake to the San Francisco delta. Tulare Lake had huge economic importance in the region, both for the very large population of Indians, and the white pioneers. The lake supported a large commercial fishery feeding San Francisco, and a steam powered ferry servicing several towns and settlements. The receding lake continually opened up new agricultural lands for settlement. Because of its source streams being diverted, the last time the lake overflowed was 1878, and today it no longer exists.

Because the natural summit or border between the Kings River basin and the San Joaquin River's watershed, and the Kings River itself nearly intersect near Lemoore, a number of huge water works that control regional water flow are also located nearby. For example, in flood years the Kings River is diverted west into the so-called "North Fork Kings River," to Crescent Weir and related major levees eastward to the north-flowing Fresno Slough and to the sea, preventing a resurgence ("flooding") of Tulare Lake to the south. This "switch point" is located just north of Lemoore right off of Highway 41 and Elgin Ave at the New Island Weirs. In many cases the prehistoric Kings River bed has been obliterated and new channels have been constructed. However, as of 2014, in satellite images (such as Google maps, etc.) the remains of many of the old channels can still be detected.

Other towns built just above the Tulare Lake high-water shoreline include Kettleman City and Alpaugh (once also called Hog Island, Root Island, and Atwell's Island). Satellite maps indicate that highways, railroads, and property lines are aligned with the historic lake shores. Also, many of the farms can be seen to be much larger within its various historic shore lines than in the surrounding areas.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lemoore has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Lemoore had a population of 27,038. The population density was . The median age was 31.2 years. The age distribution was 28.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% aged 18 to 24, 30.4% aged 25 to 44, 20.5% aged 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.0 males age 18 and over.

The census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households and 0.1% were institutionalized. In addition, 98.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 9,518 housing units at an average density of , of which 9,183 (96.5%) were occupied. Of occupied units, 54.3% were owner-occupied and 45.7% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%, and the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Lemoore had a population of 24,531. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lemoore was 13,925 (56.8%) White, 1,566 (6.4%) African American, 333 (1.4%) Native American, 2,010 (8.2%) Asian, 102 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 4,935 (20.1%) from other races, and 1,660 (6.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9,820 persons (40.0%).

The Census reported that 24,514 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 11 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 8,196 households, out of which 3,787 (46.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,076 (49.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,387 (16.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 607 (7.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 641 (7.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 44 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,532 households (18.7%) were made up of individuals, and 436 (5.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99. There were 6,070 families (74.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.42.

The population was spread out, with 7,547 people (30.8%) under the age of 18, 3,053 people (12.4%) aged 18 to 24, 7,184 people (29.3%) aged 25 to 44, 4,955 people (20.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,792 people (7.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

There were 8,632 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,323 (52.7%) were owner-occupied, and 3,873 (47.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 13,562 people (55.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,952 people (44.6%) lived in rental housing units.

thumb|Tachi Palace Casino

At the time of the 2010 census, the median income for a household in the city was $40,314, and the median income for a family was $44,006. Males had a median income of $34,726 versus $25,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,876. About 11.4% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over. The estimated unemployment rate in November 2016 was 8.3%.

Economy

Major employers in Lemoore include Naval Air Station Lemoore, Tachi Palace, Leprino Foods and Olam International.

Government

Lemoore is incorporated as a general law city under the California Constitution. The city has a council-manager government with a city manager appointed by the city council. The city council is made up of five members. The mayor and mayor pro tem are elected by the city council from among its members. On December 6, 2022, the city council elected Patricia Matthews as mayor. Other city council members are Frank Gornick, Jonathan Brewster, Jonathan Cruz and Stuart Lyons.

In the United States House of Representatives, Lemoore is in .

Transportation

Amtrak Thruway 18 provides a daily connection to/from 300 E Street to/from Visalia on the east, and Santa Maria on the west, with several stops in between.

Education

The Lemoore Union Elementary School District provides kindergarten through eighth grade education for most of the city. It operates the following elementary and junior high schools:

  • Cinnamon Elementary
  • P.W. Engvall Elementary
  • Lemoore Elementary
  • Meadow Lane Elementary
  • Liberty Middle School
  • University Charter School
  • Freedom Elementary

The Central Union School District serves much of the outlying parts of the Lemoore area beyond the city limits and provides kindergarten through eighth grade education. It operates the following elementary schools:

  • Akers Elementary at NAS Lemoore
  • Neutra Elementary at NAS Lemoore that was designed by the renowned architect Richard J. Neutra
  • Central Union Elementary School
  • Stratford Elementary School

The Island Union Elementary School District serves the Island District northwest of Lemoore and operates Island Elementary School which has grades kindergarten through eighth.

The Lemoore Union High School District provides public secondary education. It operates the following schools:

  • Lemoore Union High School
  • Donald C. Jamison High School
  • Lemoore Middle College High School
  • Gundacker Community Day School
  • Yokuts High School at the Santa Rosa Rancheria

West Hills College Lemoore is a community college in Lemoore.

Private Schools in Lemoore include:

  • Kings Christian School - pre-kindergarten through high school.
  • Mary Immaculate Queen School - kindergarten through eighth grade.

Media

The city formerly had a local paper called The Lemoore Advance and the Advance Extra, which is now defunct.

KGAR, 93.3 FM, is a low-power FM radio station operated by Lemoore High School students on the campus of Lemoore High School.

Notable people

  • David Ausberry, professional football player for the Oakland Raiders
  • Astronaut Michael A Baker, retired captain in the United States Navy, former NASA astronaut, and the International Space Station Program Manager for International and Crew Operations, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Graduated from Lemoore Union High School, Lemoore, California, in 1971; received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 1975.
  • Eric Fox, former outfielder for the Oakland Athletics
  • Former NFL fullback Lorenzo Neal, played for Lemoore High School and California State University, Fresno. Neal was a state champion wrestler as a heavyweight for Lemoore High School as well.
  • Chris Pendleton, folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, two-time NCAA National Wrestling Champion and three-time All-American
  • Alex Perez, flyweight mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Perez started his combat sports career as a wrestler, competing at Lemoore High School and Lemoore College (formerly West Hills Community College).
  • Rock musician and Journey leader Steve Perry, moved to Lemoore from Hanford as a teenager and began developing his craft while attending high school there.
  • Daniel Rhoads, a California pioneer and rancher who helped rescue the Donner Party. El Adobe de los Robles Rancho (California Historical Landmark #206), a building built by Rhoads, can be found north of Lemoore along state highway 41.
  • Sprinter Tommie Smith, ran high school track at Lemoore High School before setting a world record in the 200 m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Smith, along with his teammate John Carlos, is best known for his Black Power salute during the medal ceremony.
  • Zilpha Keatley Snyder, noted author of books for children and young adults, was born in Lemoore. She wrote 43 books in her lifetime, including three Newbery Honor books.

Notes

References

  • Lemoore Health Center
  • Sarah A. Mooney Memorial Museum