Calaveras County, California

CountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaRegionsSierra Nevada, Gold CountryIncorporatedFebruary 18, 1850^[1]Named forSpanish word meaning "skulls"County seatSan AndreasLargest communityRancho Calaveras (population)
Mountain Ranch (area)Government • TypeCouncil–CAO • BodyBoard of Supervisors^[2] • ChairGary Tofanelli • Vice ChairJack Garamendi • Board of Supervisors^[2] • County Administrative Oficer^[3]Crista Voh LattaArea • Total1,037 sq mi (2,690 km²) • Land1,020 sq mi (2,600 km²) • Water17 sq mi (40 km²)Highest elevation8,174 ft (2,491 m)Population • Total45,292 • Density44/sq mi (17/km²)Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)Area code209FIPS code06-009GNIS feature ID1675885Congressional district5thWebsitecalaverasgov.us

Calaveras County (/ˌkæləˈvɛrəs/ ^ⓘ), officially the County of Calaveras, is a county in both the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,292.^[5] The county seat is San Andreas.^[6] Angels Camp is the county's only incorporated city. Calaveras is Spanish for "skulls"; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park, a preserve of giant sequoia trees, is in the county several miles east of the town of Arnold on State Highway 4. Credit for the discovery of giant sequoias there is given to Augustus T. Dowd, a trapper who made the discovery in 1852 while tracking a bear. When the bark from the "Discovery Tree" was removed and taken on tour around the world, the trees became a worldwide sensation and one of the county's first tourist attractions. The uncommon gold telluride mineral calaverite was discovered in the county in 1861 and is named for it.

Mark Twain set his story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in the county. The county hosts an annual fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, featuring a frog-jumping contest, to celebrate the association with Twain's story. Each year's winner is commemorated with a brass plaque mounted in the sidewalk of downtown Historic Angels Camp and this feature is known as the Frog Hop of Fame.

In 2015, Calaveras County had the highest rate of suicide deaths in the United States, with 49.1 per 100,000 people.^[7]

Etymology

The Spanish word calaveras means "skulls." The county takes its name from the Calaveras River; it was said to have been named by Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga, during his 1806–1808 expeditions, when he found many skulls of Native Americans along the banks of the stream. He believed they had either died of famine or been killed in tribal conflicts over hunting and fishing grounds. A more likely cause was a European epidemic disease, acquired from interacting with other tribes near the Missions on the coast. The Stanislaus River, which forms the southern boundary, is named for Estanislao, a Lakisamni Yokuts who escaped from Mission San Jose in the late 1830s. He is reported to have raised a small group of men with crude weapons, hiding in the foothills when the Mexicans attacked. The natives were quickly decimated by Mexican firearms.

In 1836, John Marsh, Jose Noriega, and a party of men went exploring in Northern California. They made camp along a river bed in the evening, and upon waking discovered that they had camped amid a great quantity of skulls and bones. They also gave the river the name Calaveras.^[8][9][10]

Twain spent 88 days in the county in 1865, during which he heard the story that became "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" at the Angel Hotel. This story kicked off his career and put Calaveras County on the map.^[11]

History

Calaveras County was one of the original counties of the state of California, created in 1850 at the time of admission to the Union. Parts of the county's territory were reassigned to Amador County in 1854 and to Alpine County in 1864.^[1]

The county's geography includes landmarks, rolling hills, and giant valleys. It is also known for its friendly communities, and businesses such as agriculture management and construction engineering. It has numerous caverns, such as Mercer Caverns, California Cavern and Moaning Cavern that are national destinations for tourists from across the country. Other attractions include a thriving wine making industry, including the largest of the Calaveras wineries: Ironstone Vineyards, mountain sports recreation and the performing arts.

Gold prospecting in Calaveras County began in late 1848 with a camp founded by Henry Angel. Angel may have first arrived in California as a soldier, serving under Colonel Frémont during the Mexican War. After the war's end, he found himself in Monterey where he heard of the fabulous finds in the gold fields. He joined the Carson-Robinson party of prospectors and set out for the mines. The company parted ways upon reaching what later became known as Angels Creek. Henry Angel tried placer mining but soon opened a trading post. By the end of the year, over one hundred tents were scattered about the creek and the settlement was referred to as Angels Trading Post, later shortened to Angels Camp.

Placer mining soon gave out around the camp, but an extensive gold-bearing quartz vein of the area's Mother Lode was located by the Winter brothers during the mid-1850s, and this brought in the foundations of a permanent town. This vein followed Main Street from Angels Creek up to the southern edge of Altaville. Five major mines worked the rich vein: the Stickle, the Utica, the Lightner, the Angels, and the Sultana. These mines reached their peaks during the 1880s and 1890s, when over 200 stamp mills crushed quartz ore brought in by hand cars on track from the mines. By the time hard rock mining was done, the five mines had producing a total of over $20 million in gold.^[12]

The telluride mineral calaverite was first recognized and obtained in 1861 from the Stanislaus Mine, Carson Hill, Angels Camp, in Calaveras Co., California.^[13] It was named for the County of origin by chemist and mineralogist Frederick Augustus Genth who differentiated it from the known gold telluride mineral sylvanite, and formally reported it as a new gold mineral in 1868.^[14][15]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,037 square miles (2,690 km²), of which 1,020 square miles (2,600 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (1.6%) is water.^[16] A California Department of Forestry report lists the county's area in acres as 663,000, although the exact figure would be 663,477.949 acres (2,685.00000 km²). There are a number of caverns located in Calaveras County.

Adjacent counties

• Amador County – north
• Alpine County – northeast
• Tuolumne County – south
• Stanislaus County – southwest
• San Joaquin County – west

National protected area

• Stanislaus National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	16,884		—
1860	16,299		−3.5%
1870	8,895		−45.4%
1880	9,094		2.2%
1890	8,882		−2.3%
1900	11,200		26.1%
1910	9,171		−18.1%
1920	6,183		−32.6%
1930	6,008		−2.8%
1940	8,221		36.8%
1950	9,902		20.4%
1960	10,289		3.9%
1970	13,585		32.0%
1980	20,710		52.4%
1990	31,998		54.5%
2000	40,554		26.7%
2010	45,578		12.4%
2020	45,292		−0.6%
2023 (est.)	46,565	[17]	2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1790–1960[19] 1900–1990[20] 1990–2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23]

2020 census

Calaveras County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010[22]	Pop 2020[23]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	38,074	34,668	83.54%	76.54%
Black or African American alone (NH)	355	334	0.78%	0.74%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	526	497	1.15%	1.10%
Asian alone (NH)	529	706	1.16%	1.56%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	71	75	0.16%	0.17%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	68	268	0.15%	0.59%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	1,252	2,879	2.75%	6.36%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,703	5,865	10.32%	12.95%
Total	45,578	45,292	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population[24]	45,794
White[24]	41,672	91.0%
Black or African American[24]	496	1.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native[24]	571	1.2%
Asian[24]	601	1.3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[24]	16	0.0%
of other race[24]	1,114	2.4%
Two or more races[24]	1,324	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[25]	4,688	10.2%
Per capita income[26]	$28,667
Median household income[27]	$55,256
Median family income[28]	$67,253

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type[29]	Population[24]	White[24]	Other[24] [note 1]	Asian[24]	Black or African American[24]	Native American[24] [note 2]	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[25]
Angels	City	3,820	94.9%	5.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	17.7%
Arnold	CDP	3,172	93.0%	6.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%	6.9%
Avery	CDP	415	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Copperopolis	CDP	4,177	93.0%	3.4%	0.7%	2.9%	0.0%	3.6%
Dorrington	CDP	466	88.4%	11.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	16.7%
Forest Meadows	CDP	1,546	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Mokelumne Hill	CDP	717	94.8%	1.5%	0.0%	0.0%	3.6%	11.2%
Mountain Ranch	CDP	1,541	93.3%	0.9%	0.0%	5.8%	0.0%	5.9%
Murphys	CDP	1,965	92.6%	3.7%	2.5%	0.0%	1.2%	5.6%
Rail Road Flat	CDP	410	82.2%	0.0%	0.0%	17.8%	0.0%	8.3%
Rancho Calaveras	CDP	5,997	88.8%	8.9%	0.4%	0.3%	1.6%	12.2%
San Andreas	CDP	2,941	92.0%	5.4%	0.5%	1.3%	0.8%	16.1%
Vallecito	CDP	841	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.6%
Valley Springs	CDP	4,196	92.3%	2.8%	4.9%	0.0%	0.0%	20.8%
Wallace	CDP	131	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
West Point	CDP	654	95.3%	4.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	1.2%

Places by population and income
Place	Type[29]	Population[30]	Per capita income[26]	Median household income[27]	Median family income[28]
Angels	City	3,820	$28,279	$48,614	$65,625
Arnold	CDP	3,172	$32,814	$53,036	$54,296
Avery	CDP	415	$15,683	$23,162	$28,750
Copperopolis	CDP	4,177	$27,834	$62,798	$71,715
Dorrington	CDP	466	$32,069	$39,677	$39,435
Forest Meadows	CDP	1,546	$37,177	$81,950	$84,212
Mokelumne Hill	CDP	717	$28,816	$68,622	$77,000
Mountain Ranch	CDP	1,541	$30,141	$46,444	$61,224
Murphys	CDP	1,965	$30,462	$43,885	$52,330
Rail Road Flat	CDP	410	$24,343	$35,882	$36,618
Rancho Calaveras	CDP	5,997	$27,578	$72,623	$77,528
San Andreas	CDP	2,941	$20,835	$37,657	$65,096
Vallecito	CDP	841	$27,786	$78,209	$79,459
Valley Springs	CDP	4,196	$28,404	$67,009	$74,500
Wallace	CDP	131	$38,162	$46,691	$46,691
West Point	CDP	654	$18,043	$37,997	$38,516

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that Calaveras County had a population of 45,578. The racial makeup of Calaveras County was 40,522 (88.9%) White, 383 (0.8%) African American, 689 (1.5%) Native American, 571 (1.3%) Asian, 79 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,534 (3.4%) from other races, and 1,800 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,703 persons (10.3%).^[31]

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)
Calaveras County	45,578	40,522	383	689	571	79	1,534	1,800	4,703
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Angels Camp	3,836	3,329	12	48	49	5	270	123	498
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)
Arnold	3,843	3,590	20	28	46	3	60	96	259
Avery	646	604	5	7	3	1	2	24	38
Copperopolis	3,671	3,318	31	43	36	12	83	148	454
Dorrington	609	576	0	2	11	1	1	18	33
Forest Meadows	1,249	1,198	0	4	14	0	7	26	60
Mokelumne Hill	646	571	3	12	4	0	26	30	66
Mountain Ranch	1,628	1,472	15	33	18	2	15	73	123
Murphys	2,213	2,045	9	17	7	10	82	43	223
Rail Road Flat	475	411	0	15	4	2	9	34	41
Rancho Calaveras	5,325	4,645	48	102	87	13	195	235	670
San Andreas	2,783	2,453	23	48	28	1	83	147	255
Vallecito	442	398	0	6	11	1	5	21	33
Valley Springs	3,553	3,047	35	39	70	6	179	177	454
Wallace	403	347	3	4	10	2	22	15	32
West Point	674	563	0	43	2	7	29	30	67
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)	13,582	11,955	179	238	171	13	466	560	1,397

2000

As of the census^[32] of 2000, there were 40,554 people, 16,469 households, and 11,742 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (15 people/km²). There were 22,946 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. 6.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.7% were of German, 13.0% English, 10.7% Irish, 7.4% Italian and 7.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.5% spoke English and 4.0% Spanish as their first language.

There were 16,469 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,022, and the median income for a family was $47,379. Males had a median income of $41,827 versus $28,108 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,420. About 8.7% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The major Calaveras County employers include:

250–499 employees:

• Calaveras County Government
• Forestry & Fire Protection
• Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital

100–249 employees:

• Bret Harte Union High School
• Ironstone Vineyards
• Calaveras High School
• Mark Twain Convalescent Hospital
• Mountain Machinery^[33]

Government

Calaveras County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected by district at the Consolidated Primary Election and serve for four years. Current Board of Supervisors: Gary Tofanelli (District 1); Jack Garamendi (District 2); Martin Huberty (District 3); Amanda Folendorf (District 4) and Benjamin Stopper (District 5). In January 2023 Gary Tofanelli was elected chair of the board and Jack Garamendi was elected Vice Chair. Teresa Hitchcock is the County Executive Officer and Sarah Edwards is the County Counsel. Both are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Supervisors.

Elections and politics

Voter registration statistics

Population and registered voters
Total eligible population[34]	36,563
Registered voters[34][note 3]	32,172	87.9%
Democratic[34]	8,529	23.3%
Republican[34]	14,857	40.6%
Democratic–Republican spread[34]	-6,328	-17.3%
American Independent[34]	1,872	5.1%
Libertarian[34]	610	1.6%
Green[34]	159	0.4%
Peace and Freedom[34]	129	0.3%
Unknown[34]	120	0.3%
Other[34]	304	0.8%
No party preference[34]	5,592	15.2%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population[24]	Registered voters[35] [note 3]	Democratic[35]	Republican[35]	D–R spread[35]	Other[35]	No party preference[35]
Angels	3,820	61.9%	31.5%	42.9%	-11.4%	11.2%	18.1%

Overview

Election results from statewide races
Year	Office	Results
2010	Governor	Whitman 53.8 – 39.1%
	Lieutenant Governor	Maldonado 51.1 – 34.6%
	Secretary of State	Dunn 51.0 – 36.7%
	Controller	Chiang 49.5 – 38.7%
	Treasurer	Walters 46.1 – 43.5%
	Attorney General	Cooley 56.7 – 28.5%
	Insurance Commissioner	Villines 49.7 – 34.6%

Calaveras County is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom McClintock.^[36]

In the State Senate, Calaveras County is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby.^[37] In the State Assembly, it is in the 5th Assembly District, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.^[38]

Past presidential elections in Calaveras County have displayed preferences for Republican candidates; the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, although Democrat Bill Clinton lost the county by only 17 votes in 1992. By contrast, recent elections have seen a sharp upswing in Democratic voter registrations.^[39]

United States presidential election results for Calaveras County, California

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	16,518	60.57%	10,046	36.84%	708	2.60%
2016	13,511	57.42%	7,944	33.76%	2,076	8.82%
2012	12,365	56.56%	8,670	39.66%	827	3.78%
2008	12,835	54.80%	9,813	41.90%	773	3.30%
2004	13,601	60.87%	8,286	37.09%	456	2.04%
2000	10,599	56.15%	7,093	37.58%	1,184	6.27%
1996	8,279	48.12%	6,646	38.63%	2,281	13.26%
1992	6,006	35.35%	5,989	35.25%	4,996	29.40%
1988	7,640	56.28%	5,674	41.80%	260	1.92%
1984	7,632	64.26%	4,081	34.36%	164	1.38%
1980	6,054	58.92%	3,076	29.94%	1,145	11.14%
1976	3,695	49.08%	3,607	47.91%	226	3.00%
1972	4,119	60.76%	2,268	33.46%	392	5.78%
1968	3,042	52.16%	2,134	36.59%	656	11.25%
1964	2,244	41.58%	3,145	58.27%	8	0.15%
1960	2,820	52.60%	2,509	46.80%	32	0.60%
1956	2,843	57.91%	2,049	41.74%	17	0.35%
1952	3,112	61.65%	1,890	37.44%	46	0.91%
1948	1,888	46.77%	1,995	49.42%	154	3.81%
1944	1,455	43.19%	1,893	56.19%	21	0.62%
1940	1,649	40.39%	2,405	58.90%	29	0.71%
1936	960	27.16%	2,520	71.31%	54	1.53%
1932	754	29.01%	1,744	67.10%	101	3.89%
1928	1,262	53.79%	1,066	45.44%	18	0.77%
1924	872	39.44%	333	15.06%	1,006	45.50%
1920	1,480	63.96%	641	27.70%	193	8.34%
1916	1,175	40.91%	1,524	53.06%	173	6.02%
1912	5	0.16%	1,869	60.51%	1,215	39.33%
1908	1,323	55.54%	833	34.97%	226	9.49%
1904	1,571	58.75%	844	31.56%	259	9.69%
1900	1,600	54.59%	1,288	43.94%	43	1.47%
1896	1,541	49.92%	1,518	49.17%	28	0.91%
1892	1,355	49.69%	1,276	46.79%	96	3.52%

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[24]	45,794
Violent crime[40]	84	1.83
Homicide[40]	1	0.02
Forcible rape[40]	16	0.35
Robbery[40]	14	0.31
Aggravated assault[40]	53	1.16
Property crime[40]	523	11.42
Burglary[40]	284	6.20
Larceny-theft[40][note 4]	405	8.84
Motor vehicle theft[40]	99	2.16
Arson[40]	8	0.17

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population[41]	Violent crimes[41]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes[41]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
City of Angels	3,826	14	3.66	86	22.48

Transportation

Major highways

• State Route 4
• State Route 12
• State Route 26
• State Route 49

Public transportation

Calaveras Connect provides service in Angels Camp, San Andreas, and other communities in the county. Intercounty connections are available to Columbia (Tuolumne County), Jackson (Amador County)

Airports

Calaveras County Airport is a general aviation airport located just southeast of San Andreas.

Communities

Cities

Angels Camp is the only incorporated city located in Calaveras County.

Census-designated places

Other communities

• Glencoe
• Sheep Ranch
• Cave City
• Milton

Former settlements

• Camanche
• Poverty Bar

Special districts

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Calaveras County.^[43]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Rancho Calaveras	CDP	5,325
2	Arnold	CDP	3,843
3	Angels Camp	City	3,836
4	Copperopolis	CDP	3,671
5	Valley Springs	CDP	3,553
6	† San Andreas	CDP	2,783
7	Murphys	CDP	2,213
8	Mountain Ranch	CDP	1,628
9	Forest Meadows	CDP	1,249
10	West Point	CDP	674
t-11	Avery	CDP	646
t-11	Mokelumne Hill	CDP	646
12	Dorrington	CDP	609
13	Rail Road Flat	CDP	475
14	Vallecito	CDP	442
15	Wallace	CDP	403

See also

• USS Calaveras County (LST-516)
• List of school districts in Calaveras County, California
• Calaveras Big Trees State Park
• Mercer Caverns
• Moaning Cavern
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Calaveras County, California

Notes

References

Further reading

• A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Merced, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, California. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1892.
• "Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit: 2005 Pre-Fire Management Plan September 28, 2005 Edition," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Sep 28, 2005, pp. 16, 17
• United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

External links

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