Frazier Park, California

History

The earliest record relating to Frazier Park was a report in 1854 that lumber was being produced there from Frazier Mountain trees for use at the new Army post at nearby Fort Tejon. Local historian Bonnie Ketterl Kane wrote that the mill was "supposedly" at the southeast end of the present community. She cited another report that a Kitanemuk Indian referred to the site Campo del Soldado (Soldier's Camp), "which was where the soldiers stayed when they cut timber from a mountain they called Pinery Mountain, today's Frazier Mountain."

The community itself was established in 1925 by Harry McBain, who named it in 1926 for Frazier Mountain, on its southern flank. Its post office was established on September 14, 1927, with Charles B. Fife as the first postmaster. The current Mayor of Frazier Park is Thomas Lauchlan.

Frazier Park was also used in filming for The Waltons television show.

Frazier Park is also the setting of the 2011 film The FP.

Geography

Frazier Park lies within Cuddy Canyon in the San Emigdio Mountains, within the Los Padres National Forest. Mount Pinos is the highest peak in the area at 8,831 ft (2,692 m).

Other nearby communities include Lake of the Woods (3.6 miles), Lebec (4.6 miles), Pine Mountain Club (14.5 miles), and Mettler (16.7 miles). Santa Clarita is the nearest large city, to the south on Interstate 5.

The San Andreas fault runs through the region, turning southeast on the west side of Interstate 5, just southwest of the Frazier Park exit in what is known as the Big Bend of the San Andreas.

The nearest highway is Interstate 5 (I-5), east of the community. The main road through Frazier Park is Frazier Mountain Park Road, which runs east to Lebec and I-5 and west to Lake of the Woods.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Frazier Park has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Frazier Park had a population of 2,691. The population density was 531.2 people per square mile (205.1/km²). The racial makeup of Frazier Park was 2,297 (85.4%) White, 16 (0.6%) African American, 31 (1.2%) Native American, 22 (0.8%) Asian, 3 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 212 (7.9%) from other races, and 110 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 528 persons (19.6%).

The Census reported that 2,691 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,086 households, out of which 342 (31.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 487 (44.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 116 (10.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 69 (6.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 83 (7.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 7 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 312 households (28.7%) were made up of individuals and 97 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48. There were 672 families (61.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.08.

The population was spread out with 643 people (23.9%) under the age of 18, 243 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 616 people (22.9%) aged 25 to 44, 874 people (32.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 315 people (11.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.4 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

There were 1,354 housing units at an average density of 267.3 per square mile (103.2/km²), of which 673 (62.0%) were owner-occupied, and 413 (38.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%. 1,627 people (60.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,064 people (39.5%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

A total of 2,348 people lived in Frazier Park in 2000, of which 2,055 (87 percent) were white. Other residents included 34 American Indians or Alaska natives, 19 Asians, and 14 blacks. There were 292 Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

The median age for Frazier Park residents was 38 years compared with 35 for the nation as a whole.

Frazier Park also had slightly more veterans than its share — 293, or 17 percent, compared to 13 percent around the country.

It had a significantly higher percentage of disabled people than the rest of the nation — 36 percent against 19 percent.

In contrast with the country at large, where 64 percent of the adults were working, Frazier Park had just 48 percent employed. Those who were working had to travel some 42 minutes to their jobs, compared to 25 minutes for most Americans.

Frazier Park households had a lower median income than the nation as a whole — $46,857, compared to $50,046.

There were 291 people (or 12 percent) below the poverty level in Frazier Park in 2000. That is the same proportion as the country as a whole.

Almost a quarter of Frazier Park's 1,203 housing units (23 percent) were vacant when the census was taken in March 2000 — much higher than the national rate of 9 percent. This may be explained by the fact that many Frazier Park properties are second or seasonal homes. Property owners lived in about seven of every 10 occupied units, renters in the other three — just about the same as in the rest of the nation.

Government

Frazier Park is governed by the Kern County Board of Supervisors. On August 13, 2009, County Supervisor Ray Watson announced that he wanted to appoint an advisory council to assist him in the governance of the area, which includes Frazier Park, Lebec, Fort Tejon and Tejon Village, Pinon Pines, Lake of the Woods, and Pine Mountain Club. A resolution to form the Mountain Communities Municipal Advisory Council and its bylaws would be brought to the Kern County Board of Supervisors for approval, he said.

The five members he selected for initial appointment were Stacey Havener, Linda MacKay, Steve Newman, Robert Peterson, and Anne Weber. “These individuals were selected based on demonstrated leadership, community service and broad representation of community interests and geographic areas," Watson said. "We are leaving open the option to extend membership to seven at some point depending on the need to represent additional interests within the communities.

Havener, a real estate broker and president of the Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce, lives in Pine Mountain Club. MacKay of Frazier Park works for the Family Resource Center. She has served two terms on the Mountain Communities Town Council, one term as president. She is one of the original group that researched and suggested the formation of MCMAC. Newman, retired after 34 years as a sergeant of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department, lives in Frazier Park. He has been a member of the El Tejon Unified School District Board for nine years, four of them as chairman. Peterson of Lebec works for Tejon Ranch. He has 28 years of experience in real estate, land planning, economic development and maintenance of sustainable development standards. He serves on the Tehachapi Fire Safety Council. Weber lives in Frazier Park. She established the Mountain Communities Family Resource Center in 1999.

Education

The community is a part of the El Tejon Unified School District. Frazier Park Elementary School is the only non-charter school that lies within Frazier Park; it educates children in kindergarten through fourth grade. El Tejon Middle School in Lebec takes district students from the fifth through the eighth grade. Frazier Mountain High School, also in Lebec, was founded in 1995 for ninth- through 12th-graders.

Homeschooling is important in Frazier Park and surrounding areas, according to a March 2008 report in the Mountain Enterprise, which added:

Per capita, the Mountain Communities may have one of the highest rates of homeschooling in the state, far above the national average of 2 to 4 percent, Holly Van Houten . . . [a home-school parent of the area] said. Estimates range between 8 and 30 percent—somewhere between 100 and 400 children, she reports.

Frazier Park hosts a branch of the Valley Oaks Community Charter School, headquartered in Bakersfield. The charter school is designed to "provide opportunities, support, and accountability for parents in their homeschooling endeavors."

Transportation

Kern Regional Transit provides bus service Mondays through Saturdays during the summer months to Lebec, Gorman, Lake of the Woods, Pinon Pines, and Pine Mountain Club. It offers a dial-a-ride service all year. Connections can be made in Lebec to a scheduled service via Kern Regional Transit to Bakersfield or via Amtrak bus to Newhall and further connection in those cities to Greyhound and Amtrak train in Bakersfield or MetroLink in Newhall.

Communications

Wired telephone numbers in Frazier Park follow the format (661) 245-xxxx. The ZIP Code is 93225.

In popular culture

The Black Six (1973), a blaxploitation biker film directed by Matt Cimber and featuring several NFL stars was made in the area.

In 2011, an American independent film The FP was released. The comedy film written and directed by brothers Brandon and Jason Trost focuses on two gangs—the 248 and the 245—that are fighting for control of The FP (i.e. Frazier Park).