Gilroy, California

Gilroy is a city located in Santa Clara County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 41,464. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the city experienced a sharp boom in new housing due to the development of former farms and orchards for urban use.

Gilroy is well known for its garlic; it hosts the Gilroy Garlic Festival annually, which features various types of garlicky foods including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces many mushrooms. Famous residents in Gilroy include Jeff Garcia, Don Christopher, and Paul Lacoste.

Gilroy also is home to the Gilroy Premium Outlets, a gigantic shopping mall consisting entirely of outlet stores.

Like neighboring Watsonville and Morgan Hill, Gilroy has a large Latino population.

Geography

Location of Gilroy, California

Gilroy is located at 37°0'43" North, 121°34'48" West (37.012048, -121.580080)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.1 km² (15.9 mi²). 41.1 km² (15.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.06% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 41,464 people, 11,869 households, and 9,590 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,010.1/km² (2,615.2/mi²). There are 12,152 housing units at an average density of 296.0/km² (766.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 58.91% White, 1.80% African American, 1.59% Native American, 4.37% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 27.73% from other races, and 5.35% from two or more races. 53.78% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 11,869 households out of which 47.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% are married couples living together, 14.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% are non-families. 14.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.46 and the average family size is 3.74.

In the city the population is spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $62,135, and the median income for a family is $65,330. Males have a median income of $45,759 versus $34,710 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,071. 10.4% of the population and 7.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Town Folklore

As with most small towns, Gilroy is home to a small number of urban legends of minor interest most of the longtime residents are aware of as general knowledge. For example, the Togo's restaurant on the west end of First Street is rumored to have had an employee amputate his own finger whilst cutting a sandwich. The story is commonly recounted having the employee not notice his missing finger until after already handing the wrapped up sandwhich to the paying customer.

It is also rumored that an unoccupied house on Hudson Court is haunted. The rumors are thought to have spread from squatters.

"Gilroy to San Jose" is a slang term for a poker hand containing three tens. It refers to the distance between the two cities before the advent of suburban sprawl in the 1970's and 1980's; currently the distance is around 15 miles.

External links

• Official Gilroy Garlic Festival web site