Casmalia, California

Casmalia
Census-designated place
Casmalia in 2023.
Casmalia in 2023.
Location of Casmalia in Santa Barbara County, California.
Location of Casmalia in Santa Barbara County, California.
Casmalia is located in California
Casmalia
Casmalia
Position in California.
Coordinates: 34°50′15″N 120°31′52″W / 34.83750°N 120.53111°W / 34.83750; -120.53111
Country United States
State California
CountySanta Barbara
Area
[1]
 • Total
0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2)
 • Land0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation
[2]
276 ft (84 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total
147
 • Density877.3/sq mi (338.73/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
93429
Area code805
GNIS feature ID2582965
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Casmalia, California

Casmalia (Chumash: Kasma’li, meaning "it is the last")[4][5] is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Santa Maria. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The population was 147 at the 2020 census.[3]

History

Casmalia is located on the 1840 Mexican land grant, Rancho Casmalia. The formal town was founded by Antonio Tognazzini in the mid-1890s and was then named Someo, after the village of origin of the Tognazzini family, Someo, Switzerland.[6] When the post office was opened, however, it was named Casmalia, rather than Someo, because of a name conflict with another California town and the name, Someo, was eventually dropped.

The new railroad town soon swelled to more than 1500 people in its early years. 100 years later, that population had shrunk to less than 200 because of the Casmalia Resources Hazardous Waste Landfill facility. During the heyday of the Casmalia Oil Field, the present town served as the red light district for the Union Oil Company workers who lived in the nearby Casmalia Hills.[7]

1.2 miles (1.9 km) north of the town, this 252-acre (1.02 km2) hazardous waste landfill began operating in 1973 and accepted toxic chemicals like PCBs, motor oil, and pesticides. In 1989, the facility was closed down following a number of permit violations. In 1992, it was taken over by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which began the process of cleaning up and administering the site.[8]

The soil and groundwater at the site were significantly contaminated and the former dump became a Superfund site. During its operation, 5.6 billion pounds of hazardous waste from up to 10,000 individuals, businesses and government agencies were buried at the site.[9]

The public area of the hotel built by Antonio Tognazzini and operated by Frank A. Vandoit more than 100 years ago still exists, although the guest rooms were torn down in 1944. The building is now occupied by The Hitching Post barbecue restaurant.

The superfund site still continues to be worked on over the hill.[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2), all of it land.

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, Casmalia has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[11]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2010138—
20201476.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1860–1870[13][14] 1880-1890[15]
1900[16] 1910[17] 1920[18]
1930[19] 1940[20] 1950[21]
1960[22][23] 1970[24] 1980[25]
1990[26] 2000[27] 2010[28]
2020

Casmalia first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.[28]

Racial and ethnic composition

Casmalia CDP, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010[29] Pop 2020[30] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 74 73 53.62% 49.66%
Black or African American alone (NH) 3 0 2.17% 0.00%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian alone (NH) 1 1 0.72% 0.68%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 2 10 1.45% 6.80%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 58 63 42.03% 42.86%
Total 138 147 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Casmalia had a population of 147. The population density was 875.0 inhabitants per square mile (337.8/km2). 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[31] For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.7 males age 18 and over.[32]

The racial makeup of Casmalia was 95 (64.6%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 0 (0.0%) Native American, 8 (5.4%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 25 (17.0%) from other races, and 19 (12.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63 persons (42.9%).[33][34]

The age distribution was 38 people (25.9%) under the age of 18, 11 people (7.5%) aged 18 to 24, 39 people (26.5%) aged 25 to 44, 42 people (28.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 17 people (11.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. There were 73 males and 74 females.[33][32]

The whole population lived in households. There were 46 households, out of which 23 (50.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 22 (47.8%) were married-couple households, 1 (2.2%) were cohabiting couple households, 12 (26.1%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 11 (23.9%) had a male householder with no partner present. 11 households (23.9%) were one person, and 7 (15.2%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.2.[33][32] There were 30 families (65.2% of all households).[35]

There were 53 housing units at an average density of 315.5 units per square mile (121.8 units/km2), of which 46 (86.8%) were occupied. Of these, 27 (58.7%) were owner-occupied, and 19 (41.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 0.0%.[33][32]

References

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Casmalia, California
  3. 1 2 "Casmalia CDP, California - Census Bureau Profile". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  4. ↑ Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
  5. ↑ McCall, Lynne; Perry, Rosalind (2002). California's Chumash Indians : a project of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Education Center (Revised ed.). San Luis Obispo, Calif: EZ Nature Books. ISBN 0936784156.
  6. ↑ One Hundred Years Ago: 1896 by Wilmar N. Tognazzini, Compiler, http://wntog.tripod.com/96.html Archived 2011-05-07 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ David W. Kean, Wide Places in the California Roads: The encyclopedia of California's small towns and the roads that lead to them (Volume 1 of 4: Southern California Counties), p. 39.
  8. ↑ Finucane, Stephanie (October 1, 1995). "EPA Fights to Contain Casmalia Toxins". Santa Barbara News-Press. pp. B1.
  9. ↑ Emily Bosanquet (October 1, 2001). "CASMALIA WETLAND MITIGATION ALTERNATIVES FOR THE CASMALIA RESOURCES DISPOSAL SITE" (PDF). Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  10. ↑ Casmalia Resources Superfund Site, https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0901257
  11. ↑ Climate Summary for Casmalia, California
  12. ↑ "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ↑ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  16. ↑ "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  18. ↑ "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  19. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  20. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  21. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  22. ↑ "1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  23. ↑ "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  24. ↑ "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  26. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  27. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  28. 1 2 "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  29. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Casmalia CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  30. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Casmalia CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  31. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  32. 1 2 3 4 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Casmalia CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  34. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Casmalia CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
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