About Corcoran

Corcoran is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Corcoran is located 17 miles (27 km) south-southeast of Hanford, at an elevation of 207 feet (63 m). It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,813 at the 2010 census, up from 14,458 at the 2000 census. The California Department of Finance estimated that Corcoran's population was 23,154 on January 1, 2013.

Corcoran is most famous as the site of the California State Prison, Corcoran, home to a number of notable inmates such as Charles Manson, and Juan Corona. The California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran is a separate facility that is also located in the city. As of January 1. 2013, the two prisons held a combined total of 10,325 inmates. Inmates are counted as city residents by both the United States Census and the California Department of Finance. Thus, the incarcerated persons in the two prisons comprise just under 45% of the total population of Corcoran.

The largest employers in Corcoran include California State Prison, Corcoran; California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran; Corcoran Unified School District; the J. G. Boswell Company; and Corcoran District Hospital.

Corcoran was founded by Hobart Johnstone Whitley, a prominent land developer from southern California, promoter who platted some 150 towns in the West, who took the lead in building Corcoran (the main street of the community is named in his honor). Liking what he saw during a visit to the area in 1905 (a blacksmith shop, small store, scattered homes and a lush, untapped vista with herds of grazing wild hogs, horses and steers) Whitley purchased 32,000 acres (130 km2) to start development. Much like in the San Fernando Valley (Van Nuys and Canoga Park his "creations"), Whitley "leveraged" his holdings with the support of important Los Angeles businessmen. Whitley first intended the town be named "Otis", after Harrison Gray Otis of the Los Angeles Times, and streets as Otis, Sherman, Letts (the Broadway store) and Ross (after his son, Ross Whitley) show the connections. Whitley, it is claimed, purchased and platted some 150 towns over the American West—and Corcoran is one of his last.