North Fork is a small unincorporated town located in Madera County, California at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park. According to the 2000 U.S. Census the population of the 93643 zip code area was 3,360 with a median age of 44.8 years. The ZIP Code is 93643. The community is inside area code 559.

Geographic Center of California

Photopgraph of visitors sitting at the monument at the exact geographic center of the State of Caifornia.

The location is marked by a sign and a survey marker. NAD83 coordinates for the exact center of California are The Fresno County line is less than one mile, (straight-line distance), from the site's survey marker. The site is also marked on the United States Forest Service road map of Sierra National Forest, which can be purchased at the North Fork USFS office. The actual site has wooden stairs leading up the hillside about 50 feet from the road. The marker is not wheelchair accessible.

Italian Bar Rd., the road to the geographic center marker, is paved with a smooth surface and is usable by ordinary passenger cars. The road is narrow and meeting a large truck, such as Forest Service fire rig, may require maneuvering to allow passage. A local resident of Italian Bar Road with a sense of humor has posted a sign in their front yard: GEOGRAPHIC CENTER PARKWAY.

Sierra Vista Scenic Byway

The Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, a spectacular 87 mile route through the Sierra National Forest, can be accessed from North Fork. The other end of the Byway is near Oakhurst, California.

History

The town's original inhabitants were members of the Mono tribe, who still comprise a significant portion of the population (9.4% according to the 2000 Census). North Fork's economy was based in the timber industry until the local lumber mill closed in 1996.

North Fork was the place of the notorious Edmund Kemper's first killings (his grandparents).

Sources

• "Center Of California" #608, California's Gold, Huell Howser Productions, 1995.

External links

• North Fork Chamber of Commerce
• Mono Indian museum in North Fork
• North Fork Community Development Council

vo:North Fork (California)