Editing Bishop, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      =
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
| image_skyline      = Downtown Bishop with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background.jpg
| imagesize          = 256px
| image_caption      = Downtown Bishop looking south along [[U.S. Route 395 in California|U.S. 395]]
| image_seal         = Bishop ca seal.png
| image_map          = File:Inyo County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Bishop Highlighted 0606798.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Bishop in Inyo County, California
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = USA California
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in California
| pushpin_image      = California Locator Map with US.PNG
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]]
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Karen Kong<ref name="Mayor and Bishop City Council">{{cite web |title=City of Bishop, California |url=https://www.cityofbishop.com/government/city_council/city_council.php |website=www.cityofbishop.com |access-date=June 7, 2023 |ref=2 |language=en |archive-date=August 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808175420/https://www.cityofbishop.com/government/city_council/city_council.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
| established_title  = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = May 6, 1903<ref>{{Cite web
 |url=http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc 
 |title=California Cities by Incorporation Date 
 |format=Word 
 |publisher=California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s 
 |access-date=April 11, 2013 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc 
 |archive-date=November 3, 2014 }}</ref>
| named_for          = [[Bishop Creek (Inyo County)|Bishop Creek]]
<!-- Area------------------>| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 30, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318033728/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.91
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.86
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.05
| area_total_km2     = 4.95
| area_land_km2      = 4.83
| area_water_km2     = 0.12
| area_water_percent = 2.5
| area_note          = 
| elevation_ft       = 4150
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 3819
| population_metro   = 14,500
| population_density_km2 = 791.14
| population_density_sq_mi = 2048.82
| timezone           = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;8
| coordinates        = {{coord|37|22|00|N|118|23|45|W|region:US-CA|display=it}}
| timezone_DST       = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;7
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code        = 93514, 93515
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| area_code          = [[Area codes 442 and 760|442/760]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info         = {{FIPS|06|06798}}
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info        = 2409852<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2409852}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|www.cityofbishop.com/}}
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
}}

'''Bishop''' (formerly '''Bishop Creek''')<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|1148}}</ref> is the only incorporated city in [[Inyo County, California]], United States. It is located near the northern end of the [[Owens Valley]] within the [[Mojave Desert]], at an elevation of {{convert|4150|ft}}.<ref name=gnis /> The city was named after [[Bishop Creek (Inyo County)|Bishop Creek]], flowing out of the [[Sierra Nevada]] range; the creek was named after [[Samuel Addison Bishop]], a settler in the Owens Valley. Bishop is a commercial and residential center, while many vacation destinations and tourist attractions in the Sierra Nevada are located nearby. The city covers approximately {{Convert|1.9|sqmi}}, making it the county's largest community by population and land area.

The population of the city was 3,879 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], up from 3,575 at the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]]. The population of the built-up zone containing Bishop is much larger; more than 14,500 people live in a compact area which includes Bishop, [[West Bishop, California|West Bishop]], [[Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, California|Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek]], and the [[Bishop Paiute Tribe|Bishop Paiute Reservation]]. It is by far the largest settlement in Inyo County.

A number of western films were shot in Bishop, including movies starring [[John Wayne]], [[Charlton Heston]], and [[Joel McCrea]].<ref name="Schneider, Jerry L. 2016 Page 149">Schneider, Jerry L. (2016). ''Western Filming Locations California, Book 6''. CP Entertainment Books. Page 149. {{ISBN|9780692722947}}.</ref>

==History==
The Bishop Creek post office operated from 1870 to 1889 and from 1935 to 1938.<ref name=CGN /> The first Bishop post office opened in 1889.<ref name=CGN />

In order to support the growth aspirations of [[Los Angeles]], water was diverted from the [[Owens River]] into the [[Los Angeles Aqueduct]] in 1913. From the 1910s to 1930s, the [[Los Angeles Department of Water and Power]] purchased much of the valley for water rights and control. The result was a substantial change to the Owens Valley culture and environment. The economy of Bishop suffered when farmers, ranchers and land owners sold much of their property. [[Jack Foley (sound effects)|Jack Foley]], a Bishop resident and sound effects specialist, mitigated the economic loss by persuading several Los Angeles studio bosses that the town of Bishop would be ideal as a location to shoot westerns.

===History and heritage===
[[File:California - Inyo - Bishop - 2023 - June 10.jpg|thumb|Bishop Civic Center]]
The city of Bishop&nbsp;was named for one of the first European settlers in the area, Samuel A. Bishop. [[Owens Lake]] was named for Richard Owens, a member of [[John C. Frémont|John C. Fremont]]'s 1845 exploration party which included [[Kit Carson]] and Ed Kern. Later the entire valley became known as The Owens Valley (see First Settlers below). The [[Northern Paiute|Paiute Indians]] called Owens Lake by the name of "Pacheta" and the [[Owens River]] "Wakopee." Geographically, Inyo County is today the second largest county in California with a population of slightly over 18,000 residents. The county is so large that several eastern states put together would fit neatly within its boundaries. Inyo County contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States; [[Mount Whitney|Mt. Whitney]], {{convert|14,496|ft|m}} above sea level, and [[Badwater Basin|Badwater]] in [[Death Valley]], {{convert|282|ft|m}} below sea level. The "Inyo" in Inyo County is commonly believed to be a Paiute word meaning "dwelling place of the great spirit," although some scholars are now convinced that it is a mistranslation of the word ''Indio'', which is Spanish for Indian. It is possible that the Paiute were trying to explain to the earliest English speaking settlers in the Owens Valley that this was their land by using a form of "Indio" they had learned from other Indian tribes, who in turn, had learned it from the Spanish or Mexicans, not realizing that not all Europeans spoke the same language. Thus Inyo may actually mean "Indian Land."{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

===First American settlers===
[[File:SamuelAddisonBishop.jpg|thumb|right|Samuel Addison Bishop in 1870]]
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2020}}
The first American explorers in the Owens Valley of Eastern California included the famous mountain men [[Jedediah Smith]] in 1833<ref name="Owens Valley"/>  and Joseph Walker in 1834.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gilbert|first=Bil|title=Westering Man: The Life of Joseph Walker|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h7BQjaTxHy8C|year=1985|orig-year=1983|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|location=Tulsa|isbn=0806119349|access-date=October 22, 2023|archive-date=November 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108161158/https://books.google.com/books?id=h7BQjaTxHy8C|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|144}} This remote area of California had never been explored by the Spanish and even though it was shown as Mexican territory on early maps, the Eastern Sierra region remained unvisited by them.

The most renowned early explorer to visit the area was John C. Fremont. He was the first [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate to run for President of the United States in 1856 and later a famous [[Union Army|Union]] Civil War general. Officially sanctioned by the federal government, his 1845 mapping party to the Eastern Sierra included the celebrated Indian scout [[Kit Carson]], for whom the capital of Nevada, [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]], was named. Also in the party were Ed Kern for whom [[Kern County, California]] was named, and Richard Owens, who gave his name to Owens Lake near [[Lone Pine, California]] and later [[Owens Valley]] itself. Fremont lost a cannon which he had brought along in case of [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] attacks near present-day [[Bridgeport, California]] (about {{convert|80|mi|km|disp=sqbr}} north of Bishop).{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

The city of Bishop came into being due to the need for beef in a booming mining camp some eighty miles to the north, [[Aurora, Nevada]], (Aurora was believed to be on the California side of the border at that time and was the county seat of Mono County, California). In 1861 cattlemen drove herds of cattle some three hundred miles from the great San Joaquin Valley of California, through the southern Sierra at Walker Pass, up the Owens Valley, and then through Adobe Meadows to Aurora. Along the way, some cattlemen noticed that the unsettled northern Owens Valley was perfect for raising livestock.

To avoid the long journey from the other side of the mountains, a few of them decided to settle in the valley. Driving about 600 head of cattle and 50 horses, [[Samuel Addison Bishop]], his wife, and several hired hands arrived in the Owens Valley on August 22, 1861 from [[Fort Tejon]] in the [[Tehachapi Mountains]]. Along with Henry Vansickle, Charles Putnam, Allen Van Fleet, and the McGee brothers, Bishop was one of the first white settlers in the valley.

Sheepmen soon followed the cattlement and they initially struggled due to a lack of forage for their stock in the area. Remnants of the early settlers' stone corrals and fences can still be seen north of Bishop along Highway 395 in [[Round Valley, California]] (barb wire fencing was not invented until 1873). Establishing a homestead, the [[San Francis Ranch]], along the creek which still bears his name, Samuel Bishop set up a market to sell beef to the miners and business owners in Aurora. One of the residents of Aurora at that time was a young [[Samuel Clemens]] who later gained fame as author [[Mark Twain]] (see Twain's book [[Roughing It]] for his comments on the area). By 1862, a frontier settlement (and later town), known as [[Bishop Creek (Inyo County)|Bishop Creek]], was established a couple of miles east of the San Francis Ranch. Though the town continues to prosper, the only reminder of Samuel Bishop's ranch today is a monument placed near the original site at the corner of Highway 168 West and Red Hill Road, two miles west of downtown Bishop.

[[File:West Line Street Cemetery.jpg|thumb|The historic cemetery on West Line St. was established in 1868.]]
In 1866, the County of Inyo was established from part of [[Tulare County, California|Tulare County]]. The Eastern High Sierra and the Owens Valley was the westernmost frontier in America at that time. In 1871, Daniel Bruhn was one of 41 wranglers herding nearly 3,000 wild Spanish mustangs from [[Stockton, California]] to [[Texas]]. Their travels brought them over the [[Sierra Nevada|High Sierra]] and into the remote Owens Valley, where they lost over 500 head of horses. The descendants of those mustangs still roam wild on the California/Nevada border just north of Bishop.

===Water conflicts of the Owens Valley===
{{main|California water wars}}
As Los Angeles expanded during the late 19th century, it began outgrowing its water supply. [[Fred Eaton]], mayor of Los Angeles, promoted a plan to take water from Owens Valley, where Bishop lies, to Los Angeles via an [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Dennis|last=McDougal|title=Privileged Son: Otis Chandler And The Rise And Fall Of The L.A. Times Dynasty|publisher=Da Capo Press|date=April 25, 2001|page=35|isbn=978-0-306-81161-6}}</ref> Between 1905 and 1907, most of the land in the Owens Valley was purchased from farmers and ranchers at bargain prices by Eaton, ostensibly for a his own use.<ref name=Cadillac>{{cite book|last=Reisner|first=Mark|title=Cadillac Desert|edition=revised|publisher=Penguin USA|year=1993|isbn=978-0-14-017824-1|title-link=Cadillac Desert}}</ref>{{rp|66}} The real goal was to send Owens Valley water south to Los Angeles.<ref name = "SmithsonianMag">{{cite news | url = http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/california.html | title = California Scheming | newspaper = Smithsonian Magazine | first = Mark | last = Wheeler | date = October 2002 | access-date = October 8, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120315135038/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/california.html | archive-date = March 15, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> In 1907, Eaton traveled to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] to meet with advisers of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] to convince them that the water of the [[Owens River]] would do more good flowing through faucets in Los Angeles than it would if used on Owens Valley fields and orchards.<ref name = "Eaton-PBS">{{cite web | title = Fred Eaton | work = PBS: New Perspectives on The West | url = https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/d_h/eaton.htm | access-date = October 8, 2011 | archive-date = October 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111010224319/http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/d_h/eaton.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> Despite a political fight with Congressman [[Sylvester C. Smith|Sylvester Smith]], who represented the area around Bishop, Roosevelt decided in favor of the aqueduct.<ref name = "LADWPConstruction">{{cite web | publisher = Los Angeles Department of Water and Power | title = A Hundred or a Thousand Fold More Important | url = http://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/historyoflaa/hundred.htm | access-date = May 23, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090223171727/http://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/historyoflaa/hundred.htm | archive-date = February 23, 2009 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The aqueduct was built from 1907 to 1913 under the supervision of [[William Mullholland]].<ref name = "ripple">{{cite book | title = The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Fresh Water in the Twenty-First Century | first = Alex | last = Prud'homme | year = 2011 | publisher = Simon and Schuster | isbn = 978-1-4165-3545-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/rippleeffectfate00prud_0 }}</ref>{{rp|151–153}} The aqueduct is {{convert|223|mi|km}} long, used no pumping stations; only gravity siphons.<ref name="ripple"/> By 1928, Los Angeles owned 90 percent of the land and subsequent water rights in Owens Valley effectively rendering all agriculture, economic and development interests in the region effectively dead. With the diversion of water to Los Angeles, the Owens Lake and lower Owens River dried up, forcing many valley residents to leave the area.<ref name="Owens Valley">{{cite book | first1 = Genny | last1 = Smith| last2 = Putnam | first2 = Jeff | last3 = James | first3 = Greg | last4 = DeDecker | first4 = Mary |  last5 = Heindel | first5 = Jo | title = Deepest Valley: Guide to Owens Valley, its Roadsides and Mountain Trails | year = 1995 | isbn = 978-0-931378-14-0 | publisher = Genny Smith Books}}</ref> For a number of years, Owens Valley residents expressed much animosity toward the city of Los Angeles;<ref name="Owens Valley"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Ernest Bulpitt collection of Inyo/Mono Water wars memorabilia.|url=https://oac.cdlib.org/search?style=oac4;Institution=California%20State%20Library::California%20History%20Room;idT=AGE-4011|access-date=September 28, 2020|website=oac.cdlib.org|archive-date=April 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418073717/https://oac.cdlib.org/search?style=oac4;Institution=California%20State%20Library::California%20History%20Room;idT=AGE-4011|url-status=live}}</ref>  for example, in Dry Ditches, a book of poems published in 1934 by the Parcher family of Bishop. The Owens Valley–city of Los Angeles conflict was the inspiration of the 1974 film [[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]], starring [[Jack Nicholson]].<ref name=beast>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/28/william-mulholland-gave-water-to-la-and-inspired-chinatown.html|title=William Mulholland Gave Water to LA and Inspired ''Chinatown''|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915194827/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/28/william-mulholland-gave-water-to-la-and-inspired-chinatown.html |archive-date=September 15, 2016|first=Jon|last=Wilkman|newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=February 28, 2016}}</ref>

===Native American cultural heritage===
[[File:Bishop paiute women 1940.jpg|alt=Paiute Indian hut, reconstructed in 1940|thumb|Example of Paiute Hut, re-constructed for a float in a parade in Bishop, 1940]]
Indigenous peoples live in and near Bishop on four reservations. The southernmost is the [[Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe|Lone Pine Indian Reservation]]; northward is [[Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians|Fort Independence Reservation]] and [[Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley|Big Pine Indian Reservation]]. The largest and northernmost is the [[Bishop Paiute Tribe|Bishop Indian Reservation]].

==Geography==
Bishop lies west of the [[Owens River]] at the northern end of the [[Owens Valley]]. The city is located on [[U.S. Route 395 in California|U.S. Route 395]], the main north–south artery through the Owens Valley, connecting the [[Inland Empire (California)|Inland Empire]] to [[Reno, Nevada]]. US 395 also connects Bishop to Los Angeles via [[California State Route 14|State Route 14]] through [[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]]. Bishop is the western terminus of [[U.S. Route 6 in California|U.S. Route 6]]. The [[Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony]] control land just west of the town. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) controls much of the upstream and surrounding area.

Bishop is immediately to the east of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]], and west of the [[White Mountains (California)|White Mountains]]. Numerous peaks are within a short distance of Bishop, including [[Mount Humphreys]] ({{convert|13,986|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the west, [[White Mountain Peak]] ({{convert|14,242|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the northeast, and pyramidal [[Mount Tom (California)|Mount Tom]] ({{convert|13,658|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) northwest of town. [[Basin Mountain (California)|Basin Mountain]] ({{convert|13,187|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) is viewed to the west from Bishop as it rises above [[the Buttermilks]]. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.9|sqmi|km2}}, over 97% of it land. Bishop is known as the "Mule Capital of the World" and a week-long festival called [[Bishop Mule Days]] has been held since 1969 during the week of Memorial Day, celebrating the contributions of pack mules to the area. The festival attracts many tourists, primarily from the Southern California area.<ref name="hauer">{{Cite book | last = Hauer | first = John | title = The Natural Superiority of Mules | publisher = Skyhorse | year = 2006 | location = New York, NY | pages = 29 | isbn = 978-1-62636-166-9}}</ref><ref name="cowboy">"Mule Days," ''[https://www.americancowboy.com/ American Cowboy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710102518/https://www.americancowboy.com/ |date=July 10, 2018 }}'', May/June 1999, p.54.</ref>

Bishop is well known in the [[rock climbing]] community. Near the city are numerous climbing spots that attract visitors from around the world.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/is-bishop-world-class-niccolo-ceria-says-don-t-believe-the-hype|title=Is Bishop World Class? Niccolò Ceria Says Don't Believe The Hype|newspaper=Rock and Ice|date=March 26, 2014|first=Sarah|last=Linville|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616212247/http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/is-bishop-world-class-niccolo-ceria-says-don-t-believe-the-hype|archive-date=June 16, 2015}}</ref> There are over 2,000 [[bouldering]] locations in Bishop. The two main types of rock are [[volcanic tuff]] (at the Happy and Sad boulders) and [[granite]] (at the Buttermilks).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Happy and Sad Boulders – Climbing {{!}} Bishop Visitor Information Center|url=https://www.bishopvisitor.com/happy-and-sad-boulders-climbing/|access-date=December 12, 2020|website=www.bishopvisitor.com|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127023943/https://www.bishopvisitor.com/happy-and-sad-boulders-climbing/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Aerial view - Bishop, C.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of Bishop, looking west. Line Street, Bishop's main East-West Street, is in center left, running from the bottom of the photo into the distance]]

===Notable locations===
*[[Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest]]
*Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bishopchamberofcommerce.com/|title=Bishop Chamber of Commerce &#124; Bishop, California|access-date=November 2, 2020|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030141341/https://bishopchamberofcommerce.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Bishop Visitors Bureau<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bishopvisitor.com/|title=Bishop Visitor Information Center &#124; Bishop California Welcome Center|website=www.bishopvisitor.com|access-date=November 2, 2020|archive-date=November 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103114236/https://www.bishopvisitor.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Eastern Sierra Regional Airport]]
*[[Inyo National Forest]] Supervisor's Office
*[[Keough Hot Springs|Keoughs Hot Springs]]
*[[Laws, California#Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site|Laws Rail Museum]]
*[[Bishop Paiute Tribe|Paiute Indian Reservation]]
*Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center Museum<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bishoppaiutetribe.com/cultural-center.html|title=Bishop Paiute Tribe &#124; Tribal Court|website=www.bishoppaiutetribe.com|access-date=December 11, 2017|archive-date=December 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212031825/http://www.bishoppaiutetribe.com/cultural-center.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Climate==
Bishop, as well as the rest of the Owens Valley, has an [[arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BWk'') with an annual average of {{convert|4.84|in|0}} of precipitation, and is part of [[Hardiness zone|USDA Plant Hardiness Zone]] 7b.<ref>{{cite web|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|access-date=July 12, 2020|publisher=Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University|archive-date=February 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|url-status=live}}</ref> The wettest year was 1969 with {{convert|17.09|in|0|abbr=on}} of precipitation and the driest 2013 with {{convert|1.33|in|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name = NowData/> Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 26 days annually. The most precipitation in one month was {{convert|8.93|in|0|abbr=on}} in January 1969, which included {{convert|4.00|in|0|abbr=on}} on January 4, the most rainfall recorded in 24 hours in Bishop. Snowfall averages {{convert|6.8|in|cm}} per season. The snowiest season was from July 1968 to June 1969 with {{convert|57.1|in|cm}},<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0822|title=BISHOP AP, CALIFORNIA - Climate Summary|website=www.wrcc.dri.edu|access-date=July 11, 2009|archive-date=November 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233641/https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0822|url-status=live}}</ref> which included the snowiest month, January 1969, at {{convert|23.2|in|cm}}.

There is an average of 3 nights of sub {{convert|10|°F|0}} lows, 139 nights where the low reaches the freezing mark, 104 days with {{convert|90|°F|0}}+ highs, and 29 days with {{convert|100|°F|0}}+ highs. Due to the aridity and hot high-altitude sun, there are only 34 days with maxima below {{convert|50|F|C}} and only one per year with a maximum below {{convert|32|F|C}},<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/ca/040822.pdf |title=Climate Nortmals 1971-2000 BISHOP AP, CA |access-date=April 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902144444/http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/ca/040822.pdf |archive-date=September 2, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the annual [[diurnal temperature variation]] is {{convert|36.9|F-change}}, reaching {{convert|42|F-change}} in summer. The record high temperature of {{convert|111|°F|0}} occurred on July 10, 2021; the record low of {{convert|-8|°F|0}} was recorded on December 22, 1990, and December 27, 1988. Diurnals are wide enough that temperatures both during summer and winter afternoons resemble [[Andalusia|Southern Spain]]'s interior, whereas nights in both seasons are similar to those found on the [[Baltic Sea]] in far [[northern Europe]].

Cold daytime highs and warm nights are rare, but have happened on occasion. The coldest daytime maximum measured was {{convert|19|F|C}} in 1962.<ref name=BishopNOAA>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=vef|title=NOWData for Las Vegas, NV, forecast office|publisher=[[NOAA]]|accessdate=August 2, 2022|archive-date=June 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616180404/https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=vef|url-status=live}}</ref> Ice days are infrequent with the warmer climate of recent decades. Between 1991 and 2020 the coldest maximum temperature of the year averaged {{convert|35|F|C}} with the coldest days barely remaining below freezing.<ref name=BishopNOAA/> The warmest night on record was {{convert|75|F|C}} in 1961 while the average warmest night stands at {{convert|68|F|C}}.<ref name=BishopNOAA/>

{{Weather box
|location = Bishop, California ([[Eastern Sierra Regional Airport]]), 1991&ndash;2020 normals,<ref>Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.</ref> extremes 1943&ndash;present
|single line = Y
|Jan avg record high F = 67.3
|Feb avg record high F = 70.7
|Mar avg record high F = 77.3
|Apr avg record high F = 85.7
|May avg record high F = 94.3
|Jun avg record high F =101.8
|Jul avg record high F =105.4
|Aug avg record high F =103.3
|Sep avg record high F = 97.5
|Oct avg record high F = 87.3
|Nov avg record high F = 76.0
|Dec avg record high F = 66.8
|year avg record high F=106.1
|Jan avg record low F = 11.0
|Feb avg record low F = 14.5
|Mar avg record low F = 18.9
|Apr avg record low F = 24.1
|May avg record low F = 32.4
|Jun avg record low F = 39.2
|Jul avg record low F = 46.7
|Aug avg record low F = 44.4
|Sep avg record low F = 36.8
|Oct avg record low F = 25.4
|Nov avg record low F = 15.4
|Dec avg record low F =  9.7
|year avg record low F = 6.6

|Jan record high F =  77
|Feb record high F =  81
|Mar record high F =  87 
|Apr record high F =  94
|May record high F = 104
|Jun record high F = 109
|Jul record high F = 111
|Aug record high F = 108
|Sep record high F = 106
|Oct record high F =  97
|Nov record high F =  84
|Dec record high F =  78
 
|Jan high F = 56.3
|Feb high F = 59.3
|Mar high F = 67.1
|Apr high F = 73.7
|May high F = 82.8
|Jun high F = 93.5
|Jul high F = 99.7
|Aug high F = 98.0
|Sep high F = 90.0
|Oct high F = 77.6
|Nov high F = 64.2
|Dec high F = 54.5
|year high F =
|Jan low F = 23.5
|Feb low F = 26.4
|Mar low F = 31.3
|Apr low F = 36.7
|May low F = 44.2
|Jun low F = 51.4
|Jul low F = 56.7
|Aug low F = 54.0
|Sep low F = 47.2
|Oct low F = 37.4
|Nov low F = 27.0
|Dec low F = 22.1
|year low F =
|Jan record low F = −7
|Feb record low F = −2
|Mar record low F =  9
|Apr record low F = 15
|May record low F = 25
|Jun record low F = 25
|Jul record low F = 34
|Aug record low F = 34
|Sep record low F = 25
|Oct record low F = 13
|Nov record low F =  5
|Dec record low F = −8
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 1.14
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.89
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.55
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.22
|May precipitation inch = 0.23 
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.13
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.18
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.07
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.11 
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.35
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.31 
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.66
|year precipitation inch= 
| Jul snow inch = 0
| Aug snow inch = 0
| Sep snow inch = 0
| Oct snow inch = 0
| Nov snow inch = 0.4
| Dec snow inch = 1.3
| Jan snow inch = 4.1
| Feb snow inch = 0.1
| Mar snow inch = 0.9
| Apr snow inch = trace
| May snow inch = trace
| Jun snow inch = 0
| year snow inch =6.8
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 3.9
| Feb precipitation days = 4.0
| Mar precipitation days = 2.9
| Apr precipitation days = 1.9
| May precipitation days = 1.7
| Jun precipitation days = 1.5
| Jul precipitation days = 1.7
| Aug precipitation days = 1.5
| Sep precipitation days = 1.7
| Oct precipitation days = 1.5
| Nov precipitation days = 2.3
| Dec precipitation days = 3.0
|year precipitation days =27.6
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 0
| Nov snow days = 0.4
| Dec snow days = 0.8
| Jan snow days = 1.3
| Feb snow days = 0.4
| Mar snow days = 0.5
| Apr snow days = 0.1
| May snow days = 0.1
| Jun snow days = 0
| year snow days= 3.6
|source 1 = NOAA,<ref name = NowData>{{cite web |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef |title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = August 17, 2020 |archive-date = July 21, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210721064827/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name= "NOAA txt">{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1991-2020/products/station/USW00023157.normals.txt |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Station Name: CA BISHOP AP |access-date=July 12, 2020}}</ref> WRCC<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0822 |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center |title=Station Name: RI BISHOP WSO AIRPORT, CALIFORNIA (040822) |access-date=April 9, 2013 |archive-date=November 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233641/https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0822 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |title=Climatological Data for Bishop Area, CA (ThreadEx) - July 2021 |access-date=July 12, 2021 |archive-date=July 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721064827/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 152
|1890= 340
|1910= 1199
|1920= 1304
|1930= 1159
|1940= 1490
|1950= 2891
|1960= 2875
|1970= 3498
|1980= 3333
|1990= 3475
|2000= 3575
|2010= 3879
|2020= 3819
|estimate= 3742
|estyear=2023
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
The demographic information here applies to residents living within the city limits of Bishop; 3,879 people are in downtown Bishop.

The "greater Bishop area," which includes unincorporated nearby neighborhoods such as West Bishop, Meadow Creek-Dixon Lane, Wilkerson Ranch, Rocking K, Mustang Mesa, Round Valley and the Bishop Paiute Tribe add an additional 11,000 residents to the greater Bishop area.<ref name="auto"/>

===2020===
The [[2020 United States census]] reported that Bishop had a population of 3,819. The population density was {{convert|2,048.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Bishop was 63.5% [[White Americans|White]], 0.2% [[African Americans|African American]], 2.8% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 2.4% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.1% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 17.4% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 13.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race were 30.0% of the population.<ref name=DP1>{{cite web |title=Bishop city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=1600000US0606798 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=May 18, 2025}}</ref>

The census reported that 96.7% of the population lived in households, 1.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.7% were institutionalized.<ref name=DP1/>

There were 1,748 households, out of which 28.5% included children under the age of 18, 31.5% were married-couple households, 8.9% were [[cohabitation|cohabiting]] couple households, 30.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 28.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 39.7% of households were one person, and 17.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.11.<ref name=DP1/> There were 904 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (51.7% of all households).<ref>{{cite web |title=Bishop city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDHC2020.P16?g=1600000US0606798 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=May 18, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:The Sierra crest from Bishop (15965869889).jpg|alt=Snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountain Range viewed from Bishop, CA|thumb|Snowy Sierra Nevada Mountains as seen from Bishop]]

The age distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% aged 18 to 24, 27.7% aged 25 to 44, 26.4% aged 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65{{nbsp}}years of age or older. The median age was 41.0{{nbsp}}years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males.<ref name=DP1/>

There were 1,939 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,040.2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 1,748 (90.1%) were occupied. Of these, 36.7% were owner-occupied, and 63.3% were occupied by renters.<ref name=DP1/>

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $82,205, and the [[per capita income]] was $54,267. About 2.9% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bishop city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=1600000US0606798 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=May 18, 2025}}</ref>

==Politics and government==
In the [[California State Legislature|state legislature]] Bishop is in {{Representative|caad|8|fmt=adistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers |title=Members Assembly |access-date=April 11, 2013 |publisher=State of California |archive-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424192545/http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers |url-status=live }}</ref> It is also in the [[California's 4th State Senate district|4th State Senate district]]. Federally, Bishop is in {{Representative|cacd|3|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|3|access-date=March 9, 2013}}</ref>

Bishop maintains its own police force, but also has a substation of the Inyo County Sheriff's Department on the outskirts of the city. The [[California Highway Patrol]] also has an office in town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Police |url=https://www.cityofbishop.com/departments/police/ |access-date=February 1, 2024 |website=City of Bishop}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=(825) Bishop |url=https://www.chp.ca.gov/find-an-office/inland-division/offices/(825)-bishop |access-date=February 1, 2024 |website=California Highway Patrol}}</ref>

==Transportation==

[[U.S. Route 395 in California|U.S. Route 395]] is the four-lane divided highway serving Bishop between southern California and Reno while [[U.S. Route 6 in California|U.S. Route 6]] provides access to [[Tonopah, Nevada|Tonopah]] and other communities in [[Nevada]]. The junction of U.S. Routes 395 and 6 is one of only two junctions of two U.S. Routes in California, the other being the junction of U.S. Routes 
[[U.S. Route 101 in California|101]] and [[U.S. Route 199|199]] in [[Crescent City, California]]. The [[Eastern Sierra Regional Airport]] provides general aviation services in addition to seasonal scheduled passenger airline service nonstop to Los Angeles, [[San Francisco]], and [[Denver]] operated by [[SkyWest Airlines]] flying as [[United Express]] with regional jet aircraft on behalf of [[United Airlines]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://flightaware.com/live/airport/KBIH | title=BIH Bishop Airport (BIH/KBIH) | access-date=March 4, 2022 | archive-date=March 4, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304190816/https://flightaware.com/live/airport/KBIH | url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Eastern Sierra Transit bus shelter in Bishop California.jpg|thumb|Eastern Sierra Transit bus shelter in Bishop]]
Eastern Sierra Transit offers bus service as far north as Reno, Nevada, and as far south as [[Lancaster, California]].

==In popular culture==

A number of westerns and other films were shot in Bishop:<ref name="Schneider, Jerry L. 2016 Page 149"/>

*''[[Flaming Guns]]'' (1932)
*''[[The Fourth Horseman (film)|The Fourth Horseman]]'' (1932)
*''[[Blue Steel (1934 film)|Blue Steel]]'' (1934)
*''[[Roll Along, Cowboy]]'' (1937)
*''[[Cassidy of Bar 20]]'' (1938)
*''[[The Cowboy and the Lady (1938 film)|The Cowboy and the Lady]]'' (1938)
*''[[Three Faces West]]'' (1940)
*''[[Silver River (film)|Silver River]]'' (1948)
*''[[Frenchie (film)|Frenchie]]'' (1951)
*''[[The Law and Jake Wade]]'' (1958)
*''[[Will Penny]]'' (1967)
*''[[Tremors (1990 film)|Tremors]]'' (1990) The climax scene at the edge of a cliff was filmed in the hills above Bishop
* The Ranch in ''[[Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey]]'' (1993) is mentioned to be close to Bishop, though filming took place in [[Oregon]].
*The song "Bishop, CA" from [[Xiu Xiu]]'s 2006 album [[The Air Force (album)|The Air Force]] was named after Bishop.

[[File:California - Inyo - Bishop - 2023 - June 22.jpg|thumb|Bishop Twin Theatre on Main Street]]

==Notable residents==<!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
*[[Horace M. Albright]], the second director of the [[National Park Service]], was born in Bishop in 1890.
*Television director and producer [[David Barrett (director)|David Barrett]] also calls Bishop home, along with his brother, stuntman and [[NASCAR]] driver [[Stanton Barrett]]. They are grandsons to [[Dave McCoy]], founder of the [[Mammoth Mountain Ski Area]].
*Actor [[Robert Bray]], who portrayed [[forest ranger]] Corey Stuart in [[CBS]]'s ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'' from 1964 to 1968 and Simon Kane in [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Stagecoach West (TV series)|Stagecoach West]]'' from 1960 to 1961, retired to Bishop, where he died in 1983 at the age of sixty-five.
*Artist [[Robert Clunie]] lived and painted in Bishop for decades.
*[[Elisha Cook Jr.|Elisha Vanslyck Cook Jr.]] was a character actor in dozens of films, including ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'', ''[[The Big Sleep (1946 film)|The Big Sleep]]'', ''[[Magnum P.I.]]'', ''[[The House on Haunted Hill]]'' and ''[[Shane (film)|Shane]]''; Cook lived in Bishop until his death in [[Big Pine, California|Big Pine]] in 1995.
*Mountaineer [[Peter Croft (climber)|Peter Croft]] lives in Bishop.
*Major [[Kern W. Dunagan]] [[US Army]] [[Medal of Honor]] recipient graduated from [[Bishop Union High School|Bishop High School]].
*Actor [[Trevor Donovan]] was born in Bishop.
*Former child actor [[Richard Eyer]], who played Bray's son in ''Stagecoach West'', was a teacher in Bishop, until he retired.
*Cowboy poet [[Curley Fletcher]] (1892–1954) was raised in Bishop.
*[[Jack Foley (sound effects)|Jack Foley]] is the namesake for the art of adding sound effects to films, with the profession named [[Foley artist]].
*Major League Baseball pitcher [[Hal Gregg]] lived in Bishop until his death there in 1991.
*[[Jill Kinmont]], noted ski racer who was paralyzed in a 1955 accident, grew up in Bishop. Her life story was turned into two major Hollywood movies ''[[The Other Side of the Mountain]]'' and its sequel ''[[The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2]]''.
*Actor [[Bill Mumy]] spent part of his childhood and adolescence in Bishop, where his father was a cattle rancher.
*Bishop was the home of [[Galen Rowell]], and his wife Barbara, before their death at the [[Eastern Sierra Regional Airport]].
*[[Tracy Smith (runner)|Tracy Smith]], Olympian, world-record holder in the 3-mile, and 6-time AAU national champion, was a Bishop resident from the 1970s to the 1990s, as he coached the Bishop Union High School track team distance runners.
*Artist [[Alex Stenzel]] lives in Bishop.
*Author [[Claire Vaye Watkins]] was born in Bishop.
*[[Matt Williams (third baseman)|Matt Williams]], former Major League Baseball third baseman and former manager of the [[Washington Nationals]], was born in Bishop.
*[[Hunter Kampmoyer]], was born in Bishop and graduated from Bishop Union High School.

==Media==

===AM radio===
*[[KBOV]] 1230 AM

===FM radio===
*[[KWTW]] 88.5 FM
*[[K208BS]] 89.5 FM
*[[KWBP (FM)|KWBP]] 90.1 FM
*[[K215BQ]] 90.9 FM 
*[[Pilgrim Radio|KDOX]] 91.3 FM
*[[K219LU]] 91.7 FM
*[[KSRW (FM)|KSRW]] 92.5 FM
*[[KRHV]] 93.3 FM
*[[KAZB]] 94.3 FM
*[[KBPT-LP|KBPT]] 96.1 FM
*[[KIBS]] 100.7 FM
*[[K285CP]] 104.9 FM

=== Newspapers ===

* ''[[Inyo Register]]''
* ''The Sierra Reader''
* ''The Sheet''
* ''El Sol De La Sierra''

===Television===
*[[KVME-TV]] 20 ([[Jewelry Television|JTV]] 20.1, [[Heroes and Icons|H&I]] 20.2 [[MeTV Toons]] 20.3)
*[[KSRW (FM)|Sierra Wave]] Cable 3 (Formally [[KSRW-LP]] 33)
*[[Optimum (TV/Internet)|Optimum]] Cable 12 (Government Channel)

===Online===
* ''Eastern Sierra Now''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.cityofbishop.com/ City of Bishop official website]
*[http://www.bishopvisitor.com Bishop,CA Visitor Center/Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.bishopweb.com Bishop Community/Information Webpage]

{{sister bar|auto=1}}

{{Inyo County, California}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Bishop, California| ]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Cities in Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Owens Valley]]
[[Category:Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1903]]
[[Category:1903 establishments in California]]