Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
Mariposa County, California
County of Mariposa
— County —
Mariposa County
Courthouse
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country
State
Region
Incorporated
County seat
- Total
United States
California
Sierra Nevada
1850
Mariposa
Area
1,463 sq mi (3,789.2 km2)
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
- Land
- Water
Population
(2000)
- Density
Time zone
- Summer (DST)
Website
1,451 sq mi (3,758.1 km2)
12 sq mi (31.1 km2)
17,130
13/sq mi (5/km2)
Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
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 2000, its population was 17,130. 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.
Contents
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1 History
o 1.1 The Gold Rush
2 Geography and natural history
o 2.1 National protected areas
o 2.2 Communities
2.2.1 Census-designated places
2.2.2 Other unincorporated places
o 2.3 Adjacent counties
3 Transportation Infrastructure
o 3.1 Major highways
o 3.2 Public Transportation
o 3.3 Airports
4 Demographics
5 Politics
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
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6 Environment
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
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 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.
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
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
"The Dragon", crystalline gold from the Colorado Quartz Mine, Mariposa County.
Collections of Houston Museum of Natural Science.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,463 square miles
(3,789 km²), of which 1,451 square miles (3,758 km²) is land and 12 square miles
(30 km²) (0.80%) is water. 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
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Sierra National Forest (part)
Stanislaus National Forest (part)
Yosemite National Park (part)
[edit] Communities
[edit] Census-designated places
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Bootjack
Mariposa
Yosemite Valley
[edit]
Other unincorporated places
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
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Bear Valley
Bootjack
Buck Meadows
Catheys Valley
Coulterville
El Portal
Foresta
Greeley Hill
Hornitos
Jerseydale
Lush Meadows
Midpines
Mt. Bullion
Oak Grove Estates
Ponderosa Basin
Wawona
Adjacent counties
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Tuolumne County, California - north
Merced County, California - west
Madera County, California - south, east
Stanislaus County, California - northwest by a corner
Transportation Infrastructure
Major highways
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State Route 41
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State Route 49
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State Route 120
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State Route 140
Public Transportation
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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
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
Mariposa Yosemite Airport is a general aviation airport. The nearest airports with
scheduled flights are in Fresno and Merced.
Demographics
As of the census[2] 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
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 George Radanovich. In the
Presidential
election
results
3,989 36.8%
2,399
2.0% 130
1984 61.2%
Year
GOP
DEM
Others
3,082 33.7%
1,889 11.4%
637
1980 55.0%
4,880 48.5%
42.6% 3,766
2008 55.2%
46.6% 2,012
2,093
1976
2.3% 212
199
4.9%
60.2% 2,122
5,215 39.3%
37.6% 1,487
3,251
2004 56.2%
1972
2.2% 170
192
4.5%
58.5% 1,496
4,727 39.6%
34.9% 1,187
2,816 10.5%
6.6% 531
2000 49.9%
314
1968
3,976 57.4%
36.7% 2,920
1996 50.0%
42.6% 1,264
1,704 13.3% 1,053
1964
36.0% 2,982
3,023 27.5%
1992 54.0%
1,599 36.5%
45.2% 1,338
0.9%2,282
26
1960
1988 54.5% 3,768 43.4% 2,998
2.1% 144
Facts Sheet
Mariposa County - Office of Emergency Services
state legislature Mariposa is in the 25th Assembly district, which is held by Republican
Tom Berryhill, and the 14th Senate district, which is held by Republican Dave Cogdill.
On Nov. 4, 2008 Mariposa County voted 62.3 % for Proposition 8 which amended the
California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
References
1. ^ "Mariposa: Mother Of Counties". Superior Court of California, County of Mariposa.
http://mariposacourt.org/HistoryMother.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov.
Retrieved 2008-01-31.