Tuolumne County, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tuolumne County, California | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
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 California's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1850 |
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| Seat | Sonora |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,274 sq mi (5,890 km²) 2,235 sq mi (5,789 km²) 39 sq mi (101 km²), 1.71% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
54,501 23/sq mi (9/km²) |
| Website: www.co.tuolumne.ca.us | |
Tuolumne County (pronounced /tuːˈɒləmi/ "To All o' Me", with a silent N) is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county. As of 2000 the population was 54,501. The county seat is Sonora, the county's only incorporated city.
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[edit] History
Tuolumne County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Prior to statehood, it had been referred to as Oro County. Parts of the county were given to Stanislaus County in 1854 and to Alpine County in 1864.
The name Tuolumne is of Native American origin and has been given different meanings, such as Many Stone Houses, The Land of Mountain Lions and, Straight Up Steep, the latter an interpretation of William Fuller, a native Chief. Mariano Vallejo, in his report to the first California State Legislature, said that the word is "a corruption of the Indian word talmalamne which signifies 'cluster of stone wigwams.'" The name may mean "people who dwell in stone houses," i.e., in caves.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,274 square miles (5,891 km²), of which, 2,235 square miles (5,790 km²) of it is land and 39 square miles (101 km²) of it (1.71%) is water. A California Department of Forestry document reports Tuolumne County's 1,030,812 acres (4,171.55 km2) include federal lands such as Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Bureau of Land Management lands, and Indian reservations.
[edit] Cities and towns
- Chinese Camp
- Cold Springs
- Columbia
- Confidence
- East Sonora
- Groveland-Big Oak Flat
- Jamestown
- Long Barn
- Mi-Wuk Village
- Moccasin
- Mono Vista
- Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge
- Sierra Village
- Sonora
- Soulsbyville
[edit] Special Districts
Special districts in Tuolumne County include:
- Belleview Elementary School District
- Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District
- Chinese Camp Elementary School District
- Columbia Fire District
- Columbia Union Elementary School District
- Curtis Creek Elementary School District
- Groveland Community Services District
- Jamestown Elementary School District
- Jamestown Fire District
- Mi-Wuk Fire District
- Sonora Elementary School District
- Sonora Union High School District
- Soulsbyville Elementary School District
- Strawberry Fire District
- Summerville Elementary School District
- Summerville Union High School District
- Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District
- Tuolumne County Water District No. 1
- Tuolumne Fire District
- Tuolumne Regional Water District
- Tuolumne Utilities District
- Twain Harte Fire District
- Twain Harte-Long Barn Union Elementary School District
- Yosemite Community College District
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Alpine County, California - north
- Calaveras County, California - northwest
- Stanislaus County, California - southwest
- Mariposa County, California - south
- Madera County, California - southeast
- Mono County, California - east
- Merced County, California - southwest by a corner
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Calaveras County | Alpine County |
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Mono County | ||||||
 Tuolumne County, California  |
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| Stanislaus County and Merced County | Mariposa County | Madera County |
[edit] National protected areas
- Stanislaus National Forest (part)
- Yosemite National Park (part)
[edit] Transportation Infrastructure
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Public Transportation
Tuolumne County Transit bus routes radiate from Sonora to serve most of the county. In Columbia, a connection can be made to Calaveras County Transit. Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) serves the Tuolumne Meadows portion of Yosemite National Park, however, there is no direct connection between Tuolumne County Transit and YARTS.
[edit] Airports
Columbia Airport and Pine Mountain Lake Airport are both general aviation airports.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 54,501 people, 21,004 households, and 14,240 families residing in the county. The population density was 9/km² (24/mi²). There were 28,336 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.45% White, 2.10% Black or African American, 1.82% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 2.89% from other races, and 2.84% from two or more races. 8.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 94.7% spoke English and 3.5% Spanish as their first language.
There were 21,004 households out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.70% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 111.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,725, and the median income for a family was $44,327. Males had a median income of $35,373 versus $25,805 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,015. About 8.10% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 4.00% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Politics
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 55.2% 14,700 | 42.5% 11,319 | 2.3% 620 |
| 2004 | 60.0% 15,745 | 38.5% 10,104 | 1.5% 386 |
| 2000 | 55.5% 13,172 | 39.4% 9,359 | 5.0% 1,196 |
| 1996 | 47.3% 10,386 | 40.7% 8,950 | 12.0% 2,636 |
| 1992 | 35.3% 8,525 | 38.1% 9,216 | 26.6% 6,437 |
| 1988 | 54.0% 10,646 | 44.2% 8,717 | 1.8% 352 |
| 1984 | 58.1% 10,485 | 40.4% 7,283 | 1.6% 283 |
| 1980 | 54.9% 8,810 | 33.9% 5,449 | 11.2% 1,804 |
| 1976 | 46.9% 6,104 | 49.9% 6,492 | 3.1% 407 |
| 1972 | 54.3% 5,894 | 42.3% 4,596 | 3.4% 366 |
| 1968 | 47.5% 4,330 | 42.9% 3,913 | 9.6% 876 |
| 1964 | 36.6% 2,861 | 63.2% 4,939 | 0.3% 20 |
| 1960 | 49.1% 3,691 | 50.3% 3,781 | 0.6% 44 |
Tuolumne is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Bill Clinton in 1992. Tuolumne is part of California's 19th congressional district, which is held by Republican George Radanovich. In the state legislature Tuolumne is in the 25th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Tom Berryhill, and the 14th Senate district, which is held by Republican Dave Cogdill.
In the 2008 presidential election, 14,988 votes were counted for John McCain with now president-elect Barack Obama receiving 11,532 votes. [1]
[edit] Sources
- "Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit: 2005 Pre-Fire Management Plan, September 28, 2005 Edition," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 09-28-2005, pp. 16.
- US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
- CNN News, "Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008", CNN News, November, 2008.
[edit] External links
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