Hollister, California

This article is about the city in San Benito County, California. For the California surfing area, see Hollister Ranch. For the clothing store, see Hollister Co..

City of Hollister
City
Hollister's City Hall
Location in San Benito County and the state of California
Coordinates: 36°50′50″N 121°23′54″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Benito
Incorporated	March 26, 1872
Area
• Total	7.290 sq mi (18.880 km2)
• Land	7.290 sq mi (18.880 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	289 ft (88 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	34,928
• Density	4,800/sq mi (1,900/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	95023-95024
Area code(s)	831
FIPS code	06-34120
GNIS feature IDs	1658766, 2410778
Website	www.hollister.ca.gov

Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 34,928 at the 2010 census. Hollister is primarily an agricultural town.

History

The Mutsun Ohlone Indians were the first known inhabitants of the Hollister region.

The town, then located in Monterey County, was founded November 19, 1868 when the San Justo Homestead Association purchased the property from William Welles Hollister (1818–1886). Undecided about a name for the new town, an association member, Napa vintner Henry Hagen, was tired of Saint and Spanish names in nearby towns and suggested the name Hollister. The City was incorporated on August 29, 1872. The western portion of San Benito County, including Hollister, was separated from Monterey County in 1874. The county was expanded eastward in 1887 to include portions taken from Merced and Fresno Counties.

Hollister California

Geology

A local home suffering from structural distortion as a result of being situated on top of the Calaveras Fault.

Hollister is well-known among geologists because it portrays one of the best examples of aseismic creep anywhere in the world. The Calaveras Fault (a branch of the San Andreas Fault system) bisects the city north and south, roughly along Locust Ave. and Powell St. The streets running east/west across the fault have significant visible offsets. The fault runs directly under several houses. Even though they are visibly contorted the houses are still habitable as the owners have reinforced them to withstand the dislocation of their foundations. Although there was extensive damage in the town after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and the governor of California came to visit, this was due to a slip of the San Andreas Fault and was not related to the aseismic creep on the Calaveras Fault.

Hollister is one of at least three California towns to claim the title of "Earthquake Capital of the World" the other two being Coalinga and Parkfield.

Climate

Climate data for Hollister, California (1981–2010 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	59.8 (15.4)	62.5 (16.9)	66.0 (18.9)	—	74.2 (23.4)	78.4 (25.8)	80.6 (27)	81.5 (27.5)	81.2 (27.3)	76.6 (24.8)	66.9 (19.4)	59.4 (15.2)	71.4 (21.9)
Average low °F (°C)	38.1 (3.4)	40.9 (4.9)	—	—	—	51.0 (10.6)	52.9 (11.6)	53.6 (12)	52.3 (11.3)	47.8 (8.8)	41.8 (5.4)	37.6 (3.1)	45.9 (7.7)
Precipitation inches (mm)	2.92 (74.2)	2.81 (71.4)	2.28 (57.9)	0.97 (24.6)	0.39 (9.9)	0.07 (1.8)	0 (0)	0.01 (0.3)	0.21 (5.3)	0.70 (17.8)	1.67 (42.4)	2.14 (54.4)	14.16 (359.7)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	8.8	8.9	8.3	4.8	2.2	0.6	0.1	0.2	0.9	2.8	5.5	7.7	50.8
Source: NOAA

Demographics

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,413 people, 9,716 households, and 8,044 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,237.7 people per square mile (2,022.4/km²). There were 9,924 housing units at an average density of 1,510.5 per square mile (583.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city in 2010 was 29.1% non-Hispanic White, 0.7% non-Hispanic African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 65.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,716 households out of which 52.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.52 and the average family size was 3.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,104, and the median income for a family was $57,494. Males had a median income of $41,971 versus $28,277 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,857. About 6.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Hollister had a population of 34,928. The population density was 4,791.4 people per square mile (1,850.0/km²). The racial makeup of Hollister was 10,164 (29.1%) White, 341 (1.0%) African American, 617 (1.8%) Native American, 929 (2.7%) Asian, 63 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 10,437 (29.9%) from other races, and 1,780 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22,965 persons (65.7%).

The Census reported that 34,813 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 9 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 106 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 9,860 households, out of which 5,291 (53.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,900 (59.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,511 (15.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 720 (7.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 744 (7.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 55 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,324 households (13.4%) were made up of individuals and 496 (5.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53. There were 8,131 families (82.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.82.

The population was spread out with 11,076 people (31.7%) under the age of 18, 3,545 people (10.1%) aged 18 to 24, 9,927 people (28.4%) aged 25 to 44, 7,803 people (22.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,577 people (7.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

There were 10,401 housing units at an average density of 1,426.8 per square mile (550.9/km²), of which 6,030 (61.2%) were owner-occupied, and 3,830 (38.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. 20,781 people (59.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 14,032 people (40.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Government and law

County offices, such as the San Benito County Courthouse, are located in the county seat of Hollister.

The city council consists of four council members and an elected mayor who represents the city at large. The first directly-elected mayor in the city's history, Ignacio Velazquez, was elected in November 2012.

In the California State Legislature, Hollister is in the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Anthony Cannella, and in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Luis Alejo.

In the United States House of Representatives, Hollister is in California's 20th congressional district, represented by Democrat Sam Farr.

Around early 2014, Hollister hired four additional police officers to battle a perceived increase in methamphetamine use. In addition, the early 2010s saw an increase in heroin use among young adults, possibly related to tighter regulation of prescription drugs such as Oxycontin which have similar effects to heroin. Furthermore, youth violence spiked around 2013 and 2014.

Media

Print

The Hollister Free Lance is a local newspaper now published on Fridays by New SV Media. The San Juan Star is a monthly publication containing local coverage of San Benito County.

Broadcast

The following radio stations are licensed to Hollister:

• KMPG, at 1520 AM daytime, plays regional Mexican music;
• KHRI, at 90.7 FM, is an affiliate of Air 1 playing contemporary Christian music;
• KXSM, at 93.1 FM, broadcasts a regional Mexican format.
• K206BQ, at 89.1 FM, rebroadcasts KUSP.
• K265DG, at 100.9 FM, rebroadcasts KPRC-FM.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

• State Route 25 runs northwestward to Gilroy and southeastward to Pinnacles National Park and Coalinga (the latter via State Route 198). Route 25 through Hollister was until 1984 defined under State law as a segment of State Route 180.
• State Route 156 runs westward to Monterey Bay and northeastward to Los Banos in the Central Valley (via State Route 152).

Public transportation

• San Benito County Express provides local service within Hollister, regional service to San Juan Bautista and Gilroy, on-request "Dial-a-Ride" service, and paratransit.

Aviation

• Hollister Municipal Airport is a general aviation facility.

Healthcare

The State of California, Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development defines Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital as a General Acute Care Hospital in Hollister with Basic emergency care as of August 22, 2006. The facility is located in California Health Service Area 8 near (NAD83) latitude/longitude of 36°50′02″N 121°23′10″W.

Culture

Motorcycle rally

The city was the site of an annual motorcycle rallies around July Fourth since 1997. The riot at the 1947 event was the basis for the 1954 film The Wild One. The rally began in 1997, and was known as the Hollister Independence Rally.

In 2005, the Hollister City Council discontinued their contract with the event organizers, the Hollister Independence Rally Committee, due to financial and public safety concerns. The event was canceled in 2006 due to lack of funding for security, but returned in 2007 and 2008. The format of the rally in 2007 differed markedly from previous rallies, with vendors on San Benito Street instead of motorcycles. The bikes were forced to park on side streets and a strict downtown curfew was imposed, with the entire area being locked up at 9:00 pm. This event was popular with bikers and some local establishments profited, but the city footed the bill for much of the expenses and was left liable when organizers filed bankruptcy.

The 2009-2012 rallies were canceled, but the annual rally was reinstated in 2013, and was expected to be profitable for the town. The 2013 turnout was estimated at around 150,000 people.

Confusion with Hollister Co.

Hollister Co. is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. that projects a Southern California image. According to Abercrombie & Fitch, the name "Hollister" was pulled out of thin air. The city of Hollister is not affiliated with Hollister Co., and Hollister Co. does not manufacture goods nor operate a store in the city of Hollister. In 2009 Abercrombie & Fitch threatened to sue local merchants in the city of Hollister for trademark infringement for attempting to sell clothes bearing the name "Hollister", prompting at least one merchant to back down.

Sister cities

Currently: none

Former:

• Takino, Hyogo

See also

• George H. Moore, city attorney

External links

• Official website
• Virtual tours of the Calaveras Fault

• A Virtual Tour of Hollister, California and the Calaveras Fault
• A walking tour of the Calaveras fault in Hollister, California
• Geology Dept., Modesto Junior College

• Hollister motorcycle rally