Shandon, California
History
Shandon is located at the bottom of the San Juan Valley, where San Juan Creek and Cholame Creek come together to form the Estrella River, which flows west to meet the Salinas River north of Paso Robles. Shandon is also at the junction of State Routes 41 and 46, at the southwestern portion of the stretch where the two highways merge for approximately six miles. The even smaller town of Cholame is about six miles northeast of Shandon, where the two highways diverge again. The San Andreas Fault cuts perpendicular to the highways here, six miles from Shandon.
Grasslands and low hills surround the town, with the area immediately southwest of town being an agricultural region.
Overview
Shandon is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 1,295 at the 2010 census, up from 986 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Shandon is located at 35�39?22?N 120�22?44?W / 35.65611�N 120.37889�W / 35.65611; -120.37889 (35.656178, -120.378817).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), 98.56% of it land and 1.44% of it water.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Shandon had a population of 1,295. The population density was 433.2 people per square mile (167.3/km�). The racial makeup of Shandon was 840 (64.9%) White, 34 (2.6%) African American, 18 (1.4%) Native American, 7 (0.5%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 352 (27.2%) from other races, and 42 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 693 persons (53.5%).
The Census reported that 1,293 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 2 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 371 households, out of which 187 (50.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 219 (59.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 46 (12.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 24 (6.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 18 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 62 households (16.7%) were made up of individuals and 15 (4.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.49. There were 289 families (77.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.83.
The population was spread out with 418 people (32.3%) under the age of 18, 127 people (9.8%) aged 18 to 24, 373 people (28.8%) aged 25 to 44, 284 people (21.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 93 people (7.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males.
There were 412 housing units at an average density of 137.8 per square mile (53.2/km�), of which 239 (64.4%) were owner-occupied, and 132 (35.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%. 732 people (56.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 561 people (43.3%) lived in rental housing units.
