San Juan Bautista, California


San Juan Bautista is a city in San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, up from 1,549 at the 2000 census. The city of San Juan Bautista was named after Mission San Juan Bautista. San Juan is primarily an agricultural town.
The Juan Bautista de Anza House, the General José Castro house, and the San Juan Bautista Plaza Historic District are National Historic Landmarks. El Teatro Campesino is based in San Juan Bautista.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, 99.94% of it land and 0.06% of it water.

Climate

This region experiences warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, San Juan Bautista has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area around San Juan Bautista was populated by the Mutsunes, a branch of the Ohlone Indians. The Mutsunes lived in villages composed of thatched huts made of willow and grass, and as they lived the simple hunter-gatherer lifestyle common to California Indians, left little mark on the land. Today, the Mutsunes are extinct, with the last full-blooded native, Ascención Solórzano, dying in 1930.
In 1797, the Spanish Franciscan priest fray Fermín de Lasuén founded Mission San Juan Bautista to facilitate the conversion of the native people to Catholicism; in the process, he claimed the land for the Spanish Empire. Lasuén chose the site because of the area's fertile cropland, steady water supply, and sizable Indian population. At its height, the Mission had over 1200 neophytes living within its walls. The mission churchyard holds the remains of about 4500 Indians. Construction of the current mission church began in 1803, and has served the community continuously since 1812. The mission was located on the Camino Real, a "royal highway" which connected the California missions and which remained well-used until the 19th century.
In 1821, Mexico revolted against Spain, winning independence for itself, and making California a province of the newly independent Mexico. By 1834, a town known as San Juan de Castro has sprouted up around the mission. It drew its name from the town's prominent alcalde José Tiburcio Castro. In 1834 the mission was secularized, and Castro appointed executor of the property. Accordingly, he divided and auctioned off the former mission properties. His son, José Antonio Castro, built the Castro Adobe on the south side of the Plaza Mayor in 1840; however, Castro's frequent involvement in government kept him from spending much time there. Castro was a key member of the overthrow of governors Nicolás Gutiérrez in 1836 and Manuel Micheltorena in 1844.
After defeating Micheltorena and his ill-equipped "Cholo" army, José Antonio Castro was appointed Comandante General of California, in charge of the Mexican Army's operations in California. From San Juan Bautista, Castro ordered the army against potential foreign incursions. He kept especially close watch over the movements of John C. Frémont, an American military officer who had been let into California to conduct a survey of the interior. Though given explicit instructions to stay away from coastal settlements, Frémont soon broke the agreement by taking his team to Monterey, a potential military target. When Castro told Frémont he would have to leave the country, the situation came close to war when he obstinately refused to leave and instead set up a base on Gavilán Peak, overlooking the town of San Juan. However, fighting was avoided and Frémont, grudgingly, withdrew.
Recently, using old photographs and eyewitness accounts, researchers were able to estimate the location of the hypocenter of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake as offshore from San Francisco, or near the city of San Juan Bautista, confirming previous estimates.

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census San Juan Bautista had a population of 1,862. The population density was 2,616.4 people per square mile. The racial makeup of San Juan Bautista was 1,125 White, 12 African American, 58 Native American, 52 Asian, 2 Pacific Islander, 494 from other races, and 119 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 907 people.
The mission had 1,248 Mutsun Native Americans.
The census reported that 1,857 people lived in households, 5 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 681 households, 229 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 345 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 86 had a female householder with no husband present, 48 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 42 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 157 households were one person and 48 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 479 families ; the average family size was 3.21.
The age distribution was 431 people under the age of 18, 178 people aged 18 to 24, 476 people aged 25 to 44, 556 people aged 45 to 64, and 221 people who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
There were 745 housing units at an average density of 1,046.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 345 were owner-occupied and 336 were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 898 people. There were 615 housing units at an average density of 0.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city in 2010 was 43.9% non-Hispanic White, 0.6% non-Hispanic African American, 1.6% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.7% of the population.
Of the 567 households 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 23.6% of households were one person and 9.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.24.
The age distribution was 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,355, and the median family income was $47,656. Males had a median income of $40,089 versus $27,063 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,882. About 12.7% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the California State Legislature, San Juan Bautista is in, and in.
In the United States House of Representatives, San Juan Bautista is in.

Media

CMAP TV - Community Media Access Partnership operates Channels 17, 18, 19 & 20 on Charter/Spectrum Cable as well as streaming online, offering public access and educational programming to Gilroy and San Benito County as well as covering live civic meetings, including the City of San Juan Bautista.

Notable people