| Sierra County, California | |
 |
|
 Location in the state of California |
|
 California's location in the U.S. |
|
| Seat | Downieville |
|---|---|
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
962 sq mi (2,492 km²) 9 sq mi (23 km²), 0.89% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
3,555 3/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Website | www.sierracounty.ws |
Sierra County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California, northeast of Sacramento on the border with Nevada. As of 2000 the population was 3,555. The county seat is Downieville.
The only incorporated city in the county is Loyalton.
|
Contents
|
History
Sierra County was formed from parts of Yuba County in 1852. The county derives its name from the Sierra Nevada.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 962 square miles (2,491 km²), of which, 953 square miles (2,469 km²) of it is land and 9 square miles (22 km²) of it (0.89%) is water.
Cities and towns
Ghost Towns
- Gibsonville
- Howland Flat
- Eureka
Adjacent Counties
- Nevada County, California - south
- Yuba County, California - west
- Plumas County, California - north
- Lassen County, California - northeast
- Washoe County, Nevada - east
 |
Plumas County | Lassen County | |
|
| Yuba County |  |
Washoe County, Nevada | ||
 Sierra County, California  |
||||
 |
||||
| Nevada County |
National protected areas
- Plumas National Forest (part)
- Tahoe National Forest (part)
- Toiyabe National Forest (part)
Transportation Infrastructure
Major Highways
U.S. Route 395 – only passes by the locality of Peavine between Hallelujah Junction and Cold Springs, Nevada
Interstate 80 – serves only as a link between Nevada County, California and the State of Nevada
State Route 49 (Golden Chain Highway)
State Route 89
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
County routes and roads
County Route A23
County Route A24 (Beckwith Road)- Henness Pass Road – traverses entire county from west to east; links Graniteville in Nevada County with Verdi, Nevada
- Stampede Dam Road – links with Boca Reservoir near Truckee
- Gold Lake Road/Highway – links with SR 89 at Graeagle via Gold Lake
Public Transportation
Public transportation in Sierra County is limited to vans run by senior citizen agencies in Downieville and Loyalton. (The general public may ride on a space-available basis) [1]
Airports
Sierraville-Dearwater Field Airport is a general aviation airport located near Sierraville.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,555 people, 1,520 households, and 986 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 2,202 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.18% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 1.88% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 2.45% from two or more races. 5.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.5% were of Irish, 14.4% English, 10.5% German, 9.8% American and 7.5% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.3% spoke English and 3.4% Spanish as their first language.
There were 1,520 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,827, and the median income for a family was $42,756. Males had a median income of $36,121 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,815. About 9.0% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 58.8% 1,157 | 37.8% 743 | 3.5% 68 |
| 2004 | 64.1% 1,249 | 33.2% 646 | 2.7% 53 |
| 2000 | 63.5% 1,172 | 29.2% 540 | 7.3% 135 |
| 1996 | 51.4% 877 | 33.6% 573 | 15.1% 257 |
| 1992 | 36.9% 691 | 34.8% 653 | 28.3% 531 |
| 1988 | 50.7% 860 | 46.6% 791 | 2.7% 45 |
| 1984 | 56.9% 1,078 | 41.2% 781 | 2.0% 37 |
| 1980 | 49.8% 855 | 37.9% 651 | 12.3% 212 |
| 1976 | 43.2% 680 | 53.4% 841 | 3.5% 55 |
| 1972 | 47.5% 629 | 49.7% 658 | 2.8% 37 |
| 1968 | 45.9% 548 | 46.9% 559 | 7.2% 86 |
| 1964 | 33.3% 413 | 66.7% 828 | |
| 1960 | 46.8% 576 | 52.6% 647 | 0.7% 8 |
Sierra at one time favored the Democratic party in Presidential elections and was one of the few counties in the state to be won by George McGovern. In more recent times it is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Sierra is part of California's 4th congressional district, which is held by Republican Tom McClintock. In the state legislature Sierra is in the 3rd Assembly district, which is held by Republican Rick Keene, and the 1st Senate district, which is held by Republican Dave Cox.
On Nov. 4, 2008 Sierra County voted 64.2 % for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
Trivia
- Because Loyalton is Sierra County's most populous municipality and its only incorporated city, generally half of the meetings of the county's board of supervisors are held in Downieville and the other half are held in Loyalton. [1]
- There is only one traffic signal (a flashing red light at the intersection of highways 49 and 89) in Sierra County. In the winter of 2007 it was removed after an automobile accident and was replaced in the fall of 2008.
- In the 2009 special statewide election, Sierra County had the highest voter turnout than any other county in California, with 53.6% of registered voters participating, according to the Los Angeles Times. The election was nearly double the overall voter turnout in the state, about 23%. [2]
Unified School Districts
- Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District
External links
- Sierra County official website
- Sierra County Chamber of Commerce
- Sierra County Visitor Guide
- Sierra County Office of Education
References
- ^ "Sierra County 2005 Regional Transportation Plan" (PDF). Sierra County 2005 Regional Transportation Plan. 2006-04-19. http://www.lsctahoe.com/Sierra%20RTP/Sierra%202005%20RTP%20Chap%202.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
