# Newell, California

Newell is a census-designated place in Modoc County, California in the United States. It is located 50 miles (80 km) west-northwest of Alturas, at an elevation of 4,042 feet (1,232 m). Its population is 301 as of the 2020 census, down from 449 from the 2010 census.
The community is located along State Route 139 south of Tulelake and about 10 miles (16 km) south of the Oregon border. It is less than 8 miles (13 km) south of Tulelake on the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangle, Newell, California. The U.S. Geological Survey, National Geographic Names Database, calls its existence official with a feature ID of 1659219 and lists the coordinates of the community as 41°53′18″N 121°22′20″W﻿ / ﻿41.88833°N 121.37222°W﻿ / 41.88833; -121.37222. The ZIP Code is 96134: a code shared with several other local towns. The community is inside area code 530.

## History

The town was named in honor of Frederick Haynes Newell, director of the United States Reclamation Service.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km$^2$), 99.76% of it land, and 0.24% of it water.

## Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Newell had a population of 449. The population density was 186.1 inhabitants per square mile (71.9/km$^2$). The racial makeup of Newell was 199 (44.3%) White, 2 (0.4%) African American, 23 (5.1%) Native American, 1 (0.2%) Asian, 5 (1.1%) Pacific Islander, 193 (43.0%) from other races, and 26 (5.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 271 persons (60.4%).
The Census reported that 449 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 136 households, out of which 69 (50.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 74 (54.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 24 (17.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 8 (5.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 10 (7.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 23 households (16.9%) were made up of individuals, and 8 (5.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.30. There were 106 families (77.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.68.
The population was spread out, with 167 people (37.2%) under the age of 18, 36 people (8.0%) aged 18 to 24, 116 people (25.8%) aged 25 to 44, 90 people (20.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 40 people (8.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.9 males.
There were 209 housing units at an average density of 86.6 per square mile (33.4/km$^2$), of which 83 (61.0%) were owner-occupied, and 53 (39.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%. 259 people (57.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 190 people (42.3%) lived in rental housing units.

## Politics

In the state legislature, Newell is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Megan Dahle, and the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican Heather Hadwick.
Federally, Newell is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.

## Migrant Centers
### Newell Migrant Center

47 cabins were built at the migrant center in 1972. In 2006, Modoc County began construction on new units after demolishing the old cabins. The new units were compact with two small bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and small living room. The units are 2- or 3-bedroom duplexes. The facility has a resource center, a playground, a laundry facility, and a public services program.

### Castlerock Farmworker Center

The Castlerock Farmworker Center opened in the spring of 2020. This center is for domestic, foreign, or H2A farm labor without families. There are 47 units with a laundry facility in the center; each unit can house 3 individuals. The units are rented to businesses needing housing for their farm labor.

### Sierra Cascade

In 2006, Modoc County’s largest grower, Sierra Cascade, was sued by laborers brought to California from Mexico via the H2A contract labor program over poor housing and living conditions. The H2A program requires growers to provide housing to workers. Sierra Cascade housed their workers in a warehouse on the county fairgrounds. One former worker recalls the grim conditions, “During the first two weeks, on many occasions, we would have a cup of coffee for breakfast, a small portion of greasy tough meat with rice for lunch, and cereal, coffee and bread with jelly for dinner.” In the warehouse, couples and single men and women alike were all held openly together, despite promises of family quarters. The workers were tasked with trimming the roots of strawberry seedlings. Their contracts specified they’d be required to process upwards of 1,000 plants per hour. If a worker failed to meet their quota, Sierra Cascade would fire them and put them on a bus back to Mexico. Some workers still failed to meet their quota despite working through their breaks. A state court judge later ruled that the production quotas were legal.

## Landmarks

* There are many grain and horseradish storage facilities in or near Newell.
* Newell Elementary School, operated by Tulelake Basin Joint Unified School District, is a local landmark.
* Tulelake Municipal Airport (FAA identifier: 081 or zero-eight-one) features a 3,500-foot (1,100 m) paved runway. The Common Traffic Advisory Frequency is 122.9 MHz.
* The site of the World War II U.S. Army facility named the Tule Lake War Relocation Center is near the north end of the community. The center was a prison camp for interned Japanese nationals, and U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry, during a portion of the war.
* The Union Pacific Railroad Modoc Subdivision tracks run along the west side of town and parallel to SR139.
* Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge, a unit of Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, is northwest of the town. This is a U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federal reservation.