Furnace Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Inyo County, California. The population was 24 at the 2010 census, down from 31 at the 2000 census. The elevation of the village is 190 feet (58Â m) below sea level.
The visitor center, museum, and headquarters of the Death Valley National Park are located at Furnace Creek. The village is surrounded by a number of Park Service public campgrounds.
Two of the Park's major tourist facilities, the Inn at Death Valley and Ranch at Death Valley, are located here. The Furnace Creek Golf Course (originally Death Valley Golf Course) attached to the Ranch claims to be the lowest in the world, at 214 feet (65 m) below sea level. Some of the lodging is closed in the summer, when temperatures can surpass 125 °F (52 °C), but the golf course remains open; the resort went so far as to establish a summer tournament in 2011 called the Heatstroke Open, which drew a field of 48. There are also a restaurant, cafe, store, and gas station in Furnace Creek village. The Furnace Creek Airport is located about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) west of the park headquarters.
Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 31.5 square miles (82Â km2), over 99% of it being land.
Springs in the Amargosa Range created a natural oasis at Furnace Creek, which has subsequently dwindled due to diversion of this water to support the village.
From 1911 through 2006, Furnace Creek had an average high temperature of 91.4 °F (33.0 °C) and an average low temperature of 62.9 °F (17.2 °C). During that time period, the hottest month was July with an average daily high temperature of 116.5 °F (46.9 °C) and the driest month was June with an average monthly precipitation of 0.05 in (1.3 mm).
Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest recorded temperature in the world, reaching 134 °F (56.7 °C) on July 10, 1913. Some meteorologists dispute the accuracy of the 1913 temperature measurement.
In addition, a ground temperature of 201 °F (93.9 °C) was recorded in Furnace Creek on July 15, 1972; this may be the highest natural ground surface temperature ever recorded. (Temperatures measured directly on the ground may exceed air temperatures by 30 to 50 °C.)
History
The Timbisha Native Americans inhabited what is now known as the Furnace Creek oasis for centuries.
Greenland Ranch was established by the William Tell Coleman Borax Company in 1883. It was named after the green Alfalfa fields planted at the location. A Weather Station was established at the ranch in 1891. Greenland Ranch was renamed Furnace Creek Ranch in 1933.
The Timbisha tribe currently live at their Death Valley Indian Community reservation here. The Timbisha people provided many of the artisans and builders to construct the original Fred Harvey Company resort buildings, the Indian Village, and Park Service structures. They were one of the first tribes to secure tribal status through the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Federal Acknowledgment Process.
In present times, as the federally recognized Death Valley Timbisha Shoshone Band of California, they are the majority residents of Furnace Creek's permanent population at the tribe's reservation, the 'Death Valley Indian Community.'
Furnace Creek was formerly the center of Death Valley mining and operations for the Pacific Coast Borax Company and the historic 20 Mule Teams hauling wagon trains of borax across the Mojave Desert.
On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, a temperature of 134 °F (56.7 °C) was recorded at Greenland Ranch. This temperature stands as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth. (A report of a temperature of 58 °C (136.4 °F) recorded in Libya in 1922 was later determined to be inaccurate.)
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Furnace Creek had a population of 24. The population density was 0.8 people per square mile (0.3/km²). The racial makeup of Furnace Creek was six (25.0%) White, 16 (66.7%) Native American and two (8.3%) from two or more races.
The Census reported that 24 people (100% of the population) lived in households.
There were 15 households, out of which two (13.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, four (26.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, four (20.0%) had a female householder with no husband present. Eight households (53.3%) were made up of individuals and three (20.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.60. There were seven families (46.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.29.
The population comprised two people (8.3%) under the age of 18, two people (8.3%) aged 18 to 24, five people (20.8%) aged 25 to 44, nine people (37.5%) aged 45 to 64, and six people (25.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.0 years.
There were 18 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.2/km²), of which 11 (73.3%) were owner-occupied, and four (26.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 19 people (79.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and five people (20.8%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 31 people, 15 households, and 9 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1.0 persons per square mile (0.4/km²). There were 18 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.2/km²). There were six White people and 25 Native Americans.
There were 15 households out of which four had children under the age of 18 living with them, five were married couples living together, three had a female householder with no husband present, and six were non-families. Six of the households were made up of individuals and two had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.33.
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $25 625, and the median income for a family was $32 500. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14 929. There were 12.5% of families and 20.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including everyone under eighteen and nobody over 64.
Politics
In the state legislature, Furnace Creek is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Republican Tom Berryhill, and the 26th Assembly District, represented by Republican Devon Mathis.
Federally, Furnace Creek is in California's 8th congressional district, represented by Republican Paul Cook.
References
External links
- Official Death Valley National Park website
- Official Timbisha Shoshone Tribe website
- Furnace Creek interactive map of local points of interest
