Mariposa County, California

County of Mariposa
—  County  —
Mariposa County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sierra Nevada
Incorporated	1850
County seat	Mariposa
Area
– Total	1,462.79 sq mi (3,788.6 km2)
– Land	1,451.12 sq mi (3,758.4 km2)
– Water	11.67 sq mi (30.2 km2)
Population (2010)
– Total	18,251
– Density	12.5/sq mi (4.8/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Website	www.mariposacounty.org

Mariposa County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It lies north of Fresno, east of Merced, and southeast of Stockton. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,251 up from 17,130 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Mariposa.

The county's eastern half is the central portion of Yosemite National Park.

There are no incorporated cities in Mariposa County; however, there are three communities recognized as census-designated places for statistical purposes. It also has the distinction of having no permanent traffic lights anywhere in the county.

History

Mariposa County was one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850. While it began as the state's largest county, over time territory that was once part of Mariposa was ceded to twelve other counties: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare. Thus, Mariposa County is known as the "Mother of Counties".^[1]

The county took its name from Mariposa Creek, which was so named by Spanish explorers in 1806, when they discovered a great cluster of butterflies ("mariposas" in Spanish and Portuguese) in the foothills of the Sierras. Each year, the first weekend in May, residents mark the annual arrival of migrating Monarch butterflies with a "Butterfly Days" festival and parade.

The Gold Rush

Mariposa County is located at the southern end of California's Mother Lode region. During the California Gold Rush, great quantities of the prized mineral were found and extracted, first in local stream-beds and later in hard rock mines. One of the most notable beneficiaries of this wealth was the famed explorer and 1856 Republican presidential candidate, John C. Frémont, for whom the local hospital is named. (Jessie Street, in the town of Mariposa, is named for Fremont's wife, Jessie Benton Frémont, who came to Mariposa to live with him.)

Many aspects of the area's mining history are depicted in exhibits at two local museums: the Mariposa History Museum, located in the town of Mariposa; and the California Mining and Mineral Museum, located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds (2 miles east of Mariposa on Highway 49).

Geography and natural history

"The Dragon", crystalline gold from the Colorado Quartz Mine, Mariposa County. Collections of Houston Museum of Natural Science.

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,462.79 square miles (3,788.6 km²), of which 1,451.12 square miles (3,758.4 km²) (or 99.20%) is land and 11.67 square miles (30.2 km²) (or 0.80%) is water.^[2] Along the banks of the Merced River is found the sole habitat for the Limestone salamander, a rare species endemic to Mariposa County.

National protected areas

• Sierra National Forest (part)
• Stanislaus National Forest (part)
• Yosemite National Park (part)

Communities

Census-designated places

• Bear Valley
• Bootjack
• Buck Meadows
• Catheys Valley
• Coulterville
• El Portal
• Greeley Hill
• Hornitos
• Mariposa
• Midpines
• Wawona
• Yosemite Valley

Other unincorporated places

• Foresta
• Jerseydale
• Lush Meadows
• Mt. Bullion
• Oak Grove Estates
• Ponderosa Basin

Adjacent counties

• Tuolumne County, California - north
• Merced County, California - west
• Madera County, California - south, east
• Stanislaus County, California - northwest by a corner

Transportation infrastructure

Major highways

• State Route 41
• State Route 49
• State Route 120
• State Route 140

Public transportation

• Mariposa County Transit provides dial-a-ride and some fixed route service
• Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) provides service along State Routes 120 and 140 to Yosemite National Park.

Airports

Mariposa Yosemite Airport is a general aviation airport. The nearest airports with scheduled flights are in Fresno and Merced.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	4,379		—
1860	6,243		42.6%
1870	4,572		−26.8%
1880	4,339		−5.1%
1890	3,787		−12.7%
1900	4,720		24.6%
1910	3,956		−16.2%
1920	2,775		−29.9%
1930	3,233		16.5%
1940	5,605		73.4%
1950	5,145		−8.2%
1960	5,064		−1.6%
1970	6,015		18.8%
1980	11,108		84.7%
1990	14,302		28.8%
2000	17,130		19.8%
2010	18,251		6.5%
[3][4][5]

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Mariposa County had a population of 18,251. The racial makeup of Mariposa County was 16,103 (88.2%) White, 138 (0.8%) African American, 527 (2.9%) Native American, 204 (1.1%) Asian, 26 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 508 (2.8%) from other races, and 745 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,676 persons (9.2%).^[6]

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)
Mariposa County	18,251	16,103	138	527	204	26	508	745	1,676
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Buck Meadows	31	23	0	0	0	0	5	3	7
Catheys Valley	825	730	6	12	12	1	33	31	80
Coulterville	201	181	0	5	1	0	0	14	20
El Portal	474	434	1	9	5	0	5	20	28
Fish Camp	59	57	0	0	1	0	0	1	3
Greeley Hill	915	847	7	14	1	6	11	29	53
Hornitos	75	66	0	2	1	0	0	6	5
Lake Don Pedro	1,077	979	7	18	12	2	18	41	109
Mariposa	2,173	1,895	10	105	30	0	59	74	215
Midpines	1,204	990	4	63	7	0	97	43	208
Wawona	169	138	2	3	4	0	8	14	12
Yosemite Valley	1,035	831	28	31	31	7	70	37	123
Unincorporated communities	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)	8,928	8,004	71	230	86	10	170	357	729

2000

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 17,130 people, 6,613 households, and 4,490 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 8,826 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.93% White, 0.67% Black or African American, 3.51% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 2.67% from other races, and 3.38% from two or more races. 7.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.8% were of German, 13.4% English, 12.7% Irish and 6.7% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.0% spoke English and 3.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 6,613 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,626, and the median income for a family was $42,655. Males had a median income of $31,194 versus $25,440 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,190. About 10.5% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Presidential election results

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2008	55.2% 4,880	42.6% 3,766	2.3% 199
2004	60.2% 5,215	37.6% 3,251	2.2% 192
2000	58.5% 4,727	34.9% 2,816	6.6% 531
1996	50.0% 3,976	36.7% 2,920	13.3% 1,053
1992	36.0% 2,982	36.5% 3,023	27.5% 2,282
1988	54.5% 3,768	43.4% 2,998	2.1% 144
1984	61.2% 3,989	36.8% 2,399	2.0% 130
1980	55.0% 3,082	33.7% 1,889	11.4% 637
1976	46.6% 2,012	48.5% 2,093	4.9% 212
1972	56.2% 2,122	39.3% 1,487	4.5% 170
1968	49.9% 1,496	39.6% 1,187	10.5% 314
1964	42.6% 1,264	57.4% 1,704
1960	54.0% 1,599	45.2% 1,338	0.9% 26

Mariposa is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964 but the last Democrat to win the county was Bill Clinton in 1992 who won a plurality.

Mariposa is part of California's 19th congressional district, which is held by Republican Jeff Denham. In the state legislature Mariposa is in the 25th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Kristin Olsen, and the 14th Senate district, which is held by Republican Tom Berryhill.

On Nov. 4, 2008 Mariposa County voted 62.3 % for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Environment

In late July, 2008, authorities forced the evacuation of about 300 homes, in the wake of the wildfires in the area.

See also

• List of school districts in Mariposa County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mariposa County, California
• Valley and Sierra Miwok people
• Yokut people (Mariposan)

References

1. ^ "Mariposa: Mother Of Counties". Superior Court of California, County of Mariposa. http://mariposacourt.org/HistoryMother.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/ca190090.txt
4. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
5. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
6. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/California/. 
7. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Mariposa County official website
• Yosemite / Mariposa County Tourism Bureau
• Daily News and Photos of Mariposa County
• History and Genealogy of Mariposa County

Coordinates: 37°35′N 119°55′W / 37.58°N 119.91°W / 37.58; -119.91