Tuolumne County, California: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:44, 14 May 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement

Very fine old crystalline-gold specimen, most likely from Tuolumne County. Sold in the 1950s for $65; more recently for $12,500. Published twice.<ref>rar09-mf07 - Gold - $ 12,500 SOLD Template:Webarchive, scroll down</ref>

Tuolumne County (Template:IPAc-en), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

Tuolumne County comprises the Sonora, CA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county is in the Sierra Nevada region.

City of Sonora in Tuolumne County California

The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county.

Etymology

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mariano Vallejo, in his report to the first California State Legislature, said that the word is "a corruption of the Native American word talmalamne which signifies 'cluster of stone wigwams.'"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The name may mean "people who dwell in stone houses," i.e., in caves.

History

Tuolumne County Boundaries

One of California's original 27 counties, Tuolumne was organized in 1850.

Prior to the official naming of counties by the state, Tuolumne was sometimes referred to as Oro County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The original lines of Tuolumne County were not long established. In 1854 and 1855 the portion of Tuolumne County that extended west into the San Joaquin Valley was reorganized as Stanislaus County. In 1864 a number of the original counties including Tuolumne contributed lands that would lead to the establishment of Alpine County to the northeast. With the State's Adoption of the Political Code in 1872 the current boundaries of Tuolumne County were largely established as shown in the maps below.

File:Tuolumne map.jpg

File:Tuolumne County 1935 Map.jpg

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> A California Department of Forestry document reports Tuolumne County's Template:Convert include federal lands such as Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Bureau of Land Management lands, and Indian reservations. Notable landforms in the county include Table Mountain.

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 Sugar Pine Fire Protection 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

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

Geographical features

Environmental

Red Hills (Tuolumne County) (Area of Critical Environmental Concern)
Stanislaus National Forest (National protected area, part)
Yosemite National Park (NPA, part)

Valleys

Transportation

Major highways

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. There is no public transportation into or out of Tuolumne County that connects to any of the closest metropolitan areas.

Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) makes a single daily round trip from Sonora into Yosemite Valley during the summer months.

Airports

Columbia Airport and Pine Mountain Lake Airport are both general aviation airports located in the Southwest and Northeast corners of the county respectively.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	55,736
Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>	158	2.83
Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	1	0.02
Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	25	0.45
Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	19	0.34
Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	113	2.03
Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	669	12.00
Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	354	6.35
Larceny-theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/><ref name="LT-note" group="note">Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.</ref>	846	15.18
Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	100	1.79
Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	11	0.20

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>	Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Sonora	4,804	20	4.07	311	63.33

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

**Tuolumne County, California – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	46,377	45,325	42,254	85.09%	81.87%	75.97%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,135	1,114	989	2.08%	2.01%	1.78%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	864	830	784	1.59%	1.50%	1.41%
Asian alone (NH)	377	530	770	0.69%	0.96%	1.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	81	62	110	0.15%	0.11%	0.20%
Other Race alone (NH)	47	230	313	0.09%	0.42%	0.56%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	1,175	1,356	3,276	2.16%	2.45%	5.89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,445	5,918	7,124	8.16%	10.69%	12.81%
Total	54,501	55,365	55,620	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>	55,736
White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	48,477	87.0%
Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	1,172	2.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	1,008	1.8%
Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	605	1.1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	82	0.1%
Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	2,276	4.1%
Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	2,116	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>	5,861	10.5%
Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$26,084
Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$47,359
Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$59,710

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type<ref name="US-CB">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="other" group=note>Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref>	Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="na" group=note>Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref>	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003"/>
Cedar Ridge	CDP	1,071	89.8%	6.9%	0.7%	0.3%	2.3%	3.5%
Chinese Camp	CDP	154	90.9%	9.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	8.4%
Cold Springs	CDP	293	94.2%	5.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	6.5%
Columbia	CDP	2,258	74.1%	20.8%	0.1%	0.0%	5.0%	11.3%
East Sonora	CDP	2,050	89.6%	5.6%	1.0%	0.0%	3.9%	7.9%
Groveland	CDP	612	97.2%	2.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Jamestown	CDP	4,031	89.4%	10.4%	0.2%	0.0%	0.0%	19.7%
Long Barn	CDP	353	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Mi-Wuk Village	CDP	761	68.3%	11.8%	0.8%	0.0%	19.1%	7.6%
Mono Vista	CDP	2,638	94.2%	3.0%	0.0%	2.4%	0.4%	13.4%
Phoenix Lake	CDP	4,452	98.2%	0.6%	0.4%	0.6%	0.2%	9.5%
Pine Mountain Lake	CDP	2,695	95.5%	2.3%	0.9%	0.0%	1.3%	6.8%
Sierra Village	CDP	209	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Sonora	City	4,899	93.2%	3.4%	1.0%	1.4%	0.9%	5.1%
Soulsbyville	CDP	2,008	99.0%	0.0%	0.7%	0.0%	0.3%	1.7%
Strawberry	CDP	168	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Tuolumne City	CDP	2,152	88.6%	11.2%	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%	10.2%
Tuttletown	CDP	903	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Twain Harte	CDP	2,151	91.7%	5.8%	1.2%	0.0%	1.3%	13.0%

Places by population and income
Place	Type<ref name="US-CB"/>	Population<ref name="US-CB-B01003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301"/>	Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013"/>	Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113"/>
Cedar Ridge	CDP	1,071	$35,230	$59,323	$80,833
Chinese Camp	CDP	154	$29,125	$45,313	$106,250
Cold Springs	CDP	293	$34,753	$74,018	$88,269
Columbia	CDP	2,258	$23,152	$34,231	$49,135
East Sonora	CDP	2,050	$30,722	$35,781	$50,292
Groveland	CDP	612	$22,075	$31,587	$51,719
Jamestown	CDP	4,031	$19,279	$27,764	$29,329
Long Barn	CDP	353	$38,008	$24,898	$16,071
Mi-Wuk Village	CDP	761	$32,578	$60,769	$81,786
Mono Vista	CDP	2,638	$19,865	$42,328	$52,835
Phoenix Lake	CDP	4,452	$33,759	$65,292	$85,365
Pine Mountain Lake	CDP	2,695	$31,992	$54,200	$64,973
Sierra Village	CDP	209	$46,769	$71,607	$71,607
Sonora	City	4,899	$28,425	$31,424	$62,396
Soulsbyville	CDP	2,008	$26,181	$56,853	$72,750
Strawberry	CDP	168	$13,504	$22,467	$22,467
Tuolumne City	CDP	2,152	$18,620	$35,291	$38,509
Tuttletown	CDP	903	$20,840	$31,827	$45,750
Twain Harte	CDP	2,151	$31,264	$46,250	$49,911

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Tuolumne County had a population of 55,365. The racial makeup of Tuolumne County was 48,274 (87.2%) White, 1,143 (2.1%) African American, 1,039 (1.9%) Native American, 572 (1.0%) Asian, 76 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,238 (4.0%) from other races, and 2,023 (3.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,918 persons (10.7%).<ref>Template:USCensus2010CA</ref>

Population reported at 2010 United States census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Tuolumne County	55,365	48,274	1,143	1,039	572	76	2,238	2,023	5,918
Incorporated cities and towns	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Sonora	4,903	4,402	24	95	79	12	84	207	542
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Cedar Ridge	1,132	1,066	3	6	5	1	5	46	71
Chinese Camp	126	92	0	7	0	0	16	11	25
Cold Springs	181	175	1	3	1	0	0	1	4
Columbia	2,297	2,064	27	26	29	1	27	123	171
East Sonora	2,266	2,129	7	16	32	1	35	46	152
Groveland	601	542	2	9	9	2	17	20	49
Jamestown	3,433	2,948	20	96	27	4	135	203	511
Long Barn	155	140	1	3	0	0	5	6	13
Mi-Wuk Village	941	871	5	17	3	0	11	34	71
Mono Vista	3,127	2,796	6	58	38	8	61	160	300
Phoenix Lake	4,269	3,991	15	40	50	3	51	119	305
Pine Mountain Lake	2,796	2,596	18	25	24	7	21	105	183
Sierra Village	456	421	3	7	3	1	7	14	36
Soulsbyville	2,215	2,038	3	41	13	2	38	80	206
Strawberry	86	82	0	0	0	0	1	3	7
Tuolumne City	1,779	1,547	13	83	12	1	50	73	206
Tuttletown	668	613	5	14	5	1	12	18	48
Twain Harte	2,226	2,026	5	34	31	4	46	80	171
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	21,708	17,735	985	459	211	28	1,616	674	2,847

2000

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 54,501 people, 21,004 households, and 14,240 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 28,336 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 8.2% 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 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.0% 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 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% 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 8.1% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over. Template:Clear

Government and policing

The Government of Tuolumne County is established and defined by the California Constitution and is a five-member elected Board Of Supervisors who serve four year elected terms. The government provides services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. The Board is the government for all unincorporated areas. Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County.

Sheriff and Police

The Tuolumne County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county.

Within the city limits of Sonora, patrol and detective services are served by the Sonora Police Department.

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Population and registered voters
Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	55,736
Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Template:Webarchive. Retrieved October 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note>Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref>	32,101	57.6%
Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>	10,306	32.1%
Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>	13,529	42.1%
Democratic–Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>	-3,223	-10.0%
Independent<ref name="CA-SS"/>	1,313	4.1%
Green<ref name="CA-SS"/>	248	0.8%
Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS"/>	248	0.8%
Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS"/>	100	0.3%
Americans Elect<ref name="CA-SS"/>	1	0.0%
Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>	68	0.2%
No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>	6,288	19.6%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS"/> <ref name="PCT-RV" group=note/>	Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>	Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>	D–R spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>	Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>	No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
Sonora	4,899	55.0%	38.2%	32.4%	+5.8%	10.7%	22.8%

Overview

Tuolumne county tends to vote Republican in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win the county was Bill Clinton in 1992. In the 2008 presidential election, 14,988 votes were counted for John McCain with former president Barack Obama receiving 11,532 votes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tuolumne County is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref> In the state legislature Tuolumne is in the 8th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Jim Patterson and the 4th Senate district, which is held by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gill.

Communities

City

Sonora (county seat)

Census-designated places

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Unincorporated communities