Delano was founded on July 14, 1869 as a railway city, not because the railroad passed through the city, but because the railroad that came down from San Francisco and from the north ended in Delano. The name was officially given by Southern Pacific Railroad in honor of Columbus Delano, then the US Secretary of Interior. The first post office opened in 1874. Delano joined in 1913.

The city, of course, began to flourish. With Delano at the end of the southern railway, it became the headquarters of hundreds of workers who were building the railroad to the city, and who finally finished building the railroad to Bakersfield the following year. Meanwhile, all the goods that were previously trucked from Visalia to Bakersfield and then to Walker Pass, or perhaps Tejón Pass, en route to Los Angeles, now coming from the south, east, and west, were also transported by ox or mule equipment. Large quantities of ingots were delivered here from the mines in the mountains. Delano became the northern end of the passenger stages that extended south to Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Bakersfield's fare to Delano was $7.00 per trip.

Delano was an important center of efforts to organize agricultural workers and the politics of the Chicano movement. Filipino immigrants Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Dulay Itliong played a decisive role in leading the agricultural workers movement in the 1950s.

On September 8, 1965, Larry Itliong and other Filipino leaders led the predominantly Filipino Organizing Committee of Agricultural Workers (AWOC) on a "walk" from table grape farms, now known as the Delano grape strike. The strikers' objective was to improve the wages and working conditions of agricultural workers. The National Association of Agricultural Workers (NFWA), a largely Hispanic union led by César Chávez, joined the strike in one week. During the strike, the two groups joined and formed the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). In 1970, UFW won a contract with California's leading grape producers.

Leading agricultural employers in Delano include Wonderful Citrus, Columbine Vineyards, Munger Farms, Lucich Farms and Hronis. Other major employers include Delano Regional Medical Center, Walmart, Vallarta Supermarkets, Delano Joint Union High School District, Delano Union Elementary School District, Sears, Kmart, and North Kern-South Tulare Hospital District

Delano is located at coordinates 35°46′08″N 119°14′49″W / 35.76889, -119.24694 . According to the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.3 km² (10.2 mi²), of which 26.2 km² (10.1 mi²) is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) (0.49%) is water. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km²); more than 99% of which is land.

The climate of Delano is typical of the San Joaquin Valley. It is located within a desert climate zone with Mediterranean characteristics. The city receives 7.51 inches (191 mm) of rain annually, mainly in winter. The climate is warm and dry during the summer and cold and humid in the winter. The fog of frequent winter land known regionally as tule fog may obscure vision. Record temperatures range from 115°F (46°C) (2006) to 14°F (-10°C) (1990).

2010 The 2010 US Census reported that Delano had a population of 53,041. The population density was 3,694.9 people per square mile (1,426.6 / km²). The racial composition of Delano is 19,304 (36.4%) white, 4,191 (7.9%) African American, 501 (0.9%) Amerindian, 6,757 (12.7%) Asian, 30 (0.1%) Pacific Islands, 20,307 (2) 38.3%) of other races, and 1,951 (3.7%) of two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 37,913 people (71.5%).

The Census reported that 42,144 people (79.5% of the population) lived in homes, 178 (0.3%) lived in uninstitutionalized group neighborhoods, and 10,719 (20.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 10,260 households, of which 6,535 (63.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,968 (58.2%) were married couples of the opposite sex, 2,089 (20.4%) had a woman as head of a family without a present, 894 (8) 7%) had a male head of household with no wife present. There were 833 (8.1%) unmarried opposite sex couples and 61 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or couples. 990 households (9.6%) were composed of individuals and 424 (4.1%) had someone who lived alone and who was 65 years old or older. The average family size was 4.11. There were 8,951 families (87.2% of all households); the average family size was 4.31. The population was 15,089 persons (28.4%) under 18 years old, 7,813 persons (14.7%) aged 18 to 24 years, 17,248 persons (32.5%) aged 25 to 44 years, 9.9 644 people (18.2%) aged 45-64, and 3,247 people (6.1%) aged 65 or over. The mean age was 28.5 years. For every 100 women there were 149.1 men. For every 100 women over the age of 18, there were 172.3 men.

There were 10,713 housing units with an average density of 746.3 per square mile (288.1 / km²), of which 5,764 (56.2%) were occupied by their owners, and 4,496 (43.8%) were occupied by tenants. The vacancy rate for the owner was 1.6%; the unemployment rate for rent was 3.5%. 24,363 people (45.9% of the population) lived in housing units occupied by their owners and 17,781 people (33.5%) lived in rental units.

2,000

From the 2000 census, there were 38,824 people, 8,409 households, and 7,248 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,842.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,484.2 / km²). There are 8,830 housing units in an average density of 873.8 per square mile (337.6 / km²). The racial composition of the city is 26.16% White, 5.45% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 158% Asian (mainly Filipino), 0.06% Pacific Islands, 47.07% Other Races, and 4.47% of two or more races. 68.47% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. There were 8,409 households of which 56.3% had children under the age of 18 who lived with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female head without the husband's presence, and 13.8% were non-families. 10.8% of all houses were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The average family size was 4.02 and the average family size was 4.27. In the city, the population was dispersed with 32.5% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% than they were 65 years old or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 women, there were 129.9 males. For every 100 women aged 18 years and above, there were 143.1 men. Historical population Census Pop. % ± 1920 805 - 1930 2,632 27.0% 1940 4,573 73.7% 1950 8,717 90.6% 1960 11,913 1970 14,559 22.2% 1980 16,491 13.3% 1990 22,762 38.0% 2000 38,824 70.6% 2010 53,041 36.6% Est. 2016 52,707 -0.6% US Ten-Year Census Average income for a house in the city was $28,143, and median income for a family was $29,026. Men had an average income of $38,511 compared to $21,509 for women. The city's per capita income was $11,068.Approximately 25.7% of families and 28.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under the age of 18 and 20.7% of those over the age of 65.

Education The city of Delano has the Delano Union School District (DUSD), which operates eight primary and three secondary schools. In addition, the Delano Joint Union (DJUHSD) Preparatory Schools District provides three full secondary schools, a follow-on secondary school, and an adult education center.

Primary schools

• Albany Park Elementary School
• Academy of Sciences and Mathematics of the Vista
• Fremont Elementary School
• Harvest Elementary School
• Morningside Elementary School
• New Vista Language Academy
• Pioneer School
• Princeton Street Primary School
• Terrace Elementary School

Secondary Schools

• Almond Tree Middle School
• Cecil Avenue Academy of Mathematics and Sciences
• La Vina Middle School

Preparations

• Delano High School
• Cesar E. Chavez Secondary School
• Robert F. Kennedy High School
• Valley High School

Private schools

• Sequoia Christian Academy
• Paramount Bard Academy

Bakersfield College, a community college, serves the Delano community and rural communities of Northern Kern and Southern Tulare counties with a satellite campus at the Delano Center, about 35 miles north of Bakersfield, California.

The Delano Rapid Transit Area (DART) provides 4-lane fixed-route bus service and Dial-A-Ride service to Delano citizens and citizens residing within the immediate county area surrounding the city within the state limits Route 43 West, County Line Road North, Pond Road South, and Kyte Avenue East.

Delano Municipal Airport is an uncontrolled airfield offering a 5,651-foot runway and light aviation services and is open to the public. There is no scheduled airline service at the airport. The airport serves a variety of other important users. Many military personnel, charter flights, air ambulances and other flight services operate regularly from the airport.

Several private taxi services are available throughout the city of Delano.

The May Five Festival celebrates Mexican culture with live entertainment and a carnival at the memorial park. These four-day celebrations commemorate May Five. Delano is home to the annual Philippine weekend festival that strives to celebrate Philippine culture through performing arts and cultural activities. The festival aims to continue the preservation of the rich art and history of the Philippines. The festival includes a pork marinade, a grand parade, a neighborhood party, basketball tournament, cultural entertainment, live performance, dance and singing contest and bingo. Celebration of September 16th Harvest the holidays with a golf tournament, a softball tournament and a ten thousand kilometer race. The Grand Marshal and Queen BBQ is held on Saturday after the children's parade. In addition, the city of Delano, in addition to the Delano Union Elementary School District, hosts the Harvest Holidays Kiddie Parade, which allows young people to be the stars for a day while greeting the crowd on Main Street. The four-day event ends with mechanical games, games, food and music at Memorial Park. Christmas parade.

The nearby National Sequoia forest includes a host of giant skyscrapers, stunning granite monoliths, picturesque canyons and meadows. Tule Elk State Reserve provides protection to Tule Maple, which was once in danger of extinction. Lake Woollomes is a popular place. Kern National Wildlife Refuge is nearby. The Shirley Meadows ski area in Green Horn Mountain offers ski opportunities. The nearby Kern River and Lake Isabella are popular during the summer.

The city of Delano has twelve parks for families and children to enjoy.

• Albany Park
• Cecil Park
• Cesar Chavez Park
• Delano Soccer Park
• Delano Skate Park
• Jefferson Park
• Kalibo Park
• Morningside Park
• Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
• Veneto Park
• Heritage Park Park Park Park
• Memorial Park

• Cesar E. Chavez, activist
• Larry Itliong, activist
• Harold H. Kelley, Professor of Psychology, UCLA
• Leamon King, Olympic runner
• Dack Rambo, actor
• Olympic runner Lon Spurrier
• Luis Valdez, film director, known by La Bamba
• Benita Valente, classical singer (soprano)

Delano has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Arida, Japan
• Asti, Italy
• Jacona, Michoacán, Mexico
• Kalibo, Philippines.