North Fork (formerly Brown's and Northfork; Mono wa?ahhpY', "cedar grove")[5] is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States.[2] As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 3,250.[3] It is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area.

North Fork wa?ahhpY'
Census-designated place
North Fork Show map of California North Fork Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 37°13′47″N 119°30′34″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Madera
Area [1]
• Total	32.28 sq mi (83.6 km2)
• Land	32.24 sq mi (83.5 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation [2]	2,638 ft (804 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	3,250
• Density	100.8/sq mi (38.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	93643
Area code	559
GNIS feature IDs	1659768;[2] 2804436[4]
FIPS Code	06-51868

The Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California maintains their tribal headquarters in North Fork.

Geography

North Fork is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of 2,638 feet (804 m).[2] It is 46 miles (74 km) north-northeast of Fresno, 41 miles (66 km) northeast of Madera, and 17 miles (27 km) by road southeast of Oakhurst. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the North Fork CDP has a total area of 32.3 square miles (84 km²), of which 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²), or 0.14%, are water.[1] The community is drained by Willow Creek and by its North Fork and South Fork. Willow Creek is a south-flowing tributary of the San Joaquin River.

The geographic center or midpoint of the state of California is located between North Fork and Italian Bar. The point is about 7.1 miles (11.4 km) driving distance from the United States Forest Service office in North Fork. The location is marked by a sign and a survey marker. NAD83 coordinates for the exact center of California are 37°09′58″N 119°26′58″W The Fresno County line is less than one mile (1.6 km), (straight-line distance), from the site's survey marker. The actual site has wooden stairs leading up the hillside about 50 feet from the road. The marker is not wheelchair accessible.

Climate

North Fork has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Cfa) with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Its average annual precipitation is 33.43 in (849 mm).[6] Its hardiness zone is 7b.[7]

History

The town's original inhabitants were members of the Mono tribe, who still comprise a significant portion of the population (9.4% according to the 2000 Census). The town was originally named "Brown's" after its first white settler, Milton Brown. The name "North Fork" came from the North Fork Lumber Company. The North Fork post office opened in 1888.[8]

In the 1950s, it became a lumber town.[9] North Fork's economy was based on the timber industry until the local lumber mill closed in 1996.

The US Forest Service Crane Valley Hotshots, an elite crew of wildland firefighters, are based in North Fork.

Points of interest

North Fork is home of the Sierra Mono Museum[10] and the starting point of the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway. The town boasts two coffee shops, one grocery store, three restaurants (one of which is part of the town's bar) with another coming and one gas station.

Notable people

• Edmund Kemper, then 15 years old, shot his grandparents to death at a ranch in 1964
• Jeff King, four-time champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
• Sam Peckinpah, director, spent much of his youth on his grandparents ranch in North Fork

See also

• Mission Fire

References

• "Center Of California" #608, California's Gold, Huell Howser Productions, 1995.

External links

• North Fork Chamber of Commerce
• Mono Indian museum in North Fork
• North Fork Community Development Council
• California's Gold (1991–2012) - Center of California (released August 6, 1995)