TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

'Tuolumne County' is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The county's name is commonly pronounced "To All o' Me" (IPA:), but IPA: is more accurate. 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.

Contents

History

Geography

Cities and towns

Special Districts

Adjacent Counties

Transportation Infrastructure

Major highways

Public Transportation

Airports

Demographics

Sources

External links

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 later 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,891 km² (2,274 mi²). 5,790 km² (2,235 mi²) of it is land and 101 km² (39 mi²) of it (1.71%) is water. A California Department of Forestry document reports Tuolumne County's 1,030,812 acres include federal lands such as Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Bureau of Land Management lands, and Indian reservations.

Cities and towns

★ Chinese Camp

★ Columbia

★ Confidence

★ East Sonora

★ Groveland-Big Oak Flat

★ Jamestown

★ Mi-Wuk Village

★ Moccasin

★ Mono Vista

★ Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge

★ Sonora

★ Soulsbyville

★ Tuolumne City

★ Twain Harte

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

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

Transportation Infrastructure

Major highways

★ California State Route 49

★ California State Route 108

★ California State Route 120

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.

Airports

Columbia Airport and Pine Mountain Lake Airport are both general aviation airports.

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.

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.

External links

★ The County of Tuolumne's official web site