Corcoran is located 17 miles (27 km) south-southeast of Hanford,[6] at an elevation of 207 ft (63 m).

[7] Inmates are counted as city residents by both the United States Census and the California Department of Finance.

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.

Guiberson became one of the many pioneers of the community, building the first home and business structure in Corcoran.

Strikers in Corcoran created a tent city that eventually held more than 3,000 people, more than double the town's population.

[8] Streets were staked out in the tent city, and committees of workers governed the camp.

[9] The J. G. Boswell Company was established in Corcoran in 1921 and remains a major employer in the city.

[1] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (17 km2), all of it land.

The ground under Corcoran is subsiding due to withdrawal of groundwater by agricultural interests.

Other important soil series include the Armona, Gambogy, Grangeville, Kimberlina, and Lemoore.

[11] Corcoran is occasionally subject to areal flooding due to its position in a basin.

There were 3,958 dwelling units at an average density of 530.1 per square mile (204.7/km2), of which 1,851 (51.5%) were owner-occupied, and 1,743 (48.5%) were occupied by renters.

However, the community has been affected by the Great Recession as well as the decline of the cotton industry, the California drought and restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento River delta to protect endangered species.

[19] Corcoran is located within California's 22nd congressional district, and is represented by Republican David G. Valadao.

The mainline track through Corcoran was part of a route connecting the San Francisco Bay Area to Bakersfield, California.

Today, Amtrak California's San Joaquin stops at Corcoran station.