Sierra County, California

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Sierra County (Template:IPAc-en) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,236,[1] making it California's second-least populous county.[2] The county seat is Downieville;[3] the sole incorporated city is Loyalton. The county is in the Sierra Nevada, northeast of Sacramento on the border with Nevada.

History

Sierra County was formed from parts of Yuba County in 1852. The county derives its name from the Sierra Nevada.

Prior to the California Gold Rush, the area was home to both the Maidu and the Washoe peoples. They generally summered in the higher elevations to hunt and fish, and returned to lower elevations for the winter months.[4] After the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills sparked the California Gold Rush, more than 16,000 miners settled in Sierra County between 1848 and 1860. Most mining settlements in the county sprung up along the North and Middle Forks of the Yuba River, both of which had rich deposits of gold. While some of the mining boom towns faded away once gold fever died down, other settlements such as Downieville and Sierra City have remained.[5][6]

Notable gold nuggets found in the county include a 26.5 pound specimen, avoirdupois, found by a group of sailors at Sailor Ravine, two miles above Downieville. A 51-pound specimen was found in 1853 by a group of Frenchmen in French Ravine. The 106 pound Monumental Nugget was found in Sept. 1869 at Sierra City.[7]

The Bald Mountain drift mine in Forest City was founded in Aug. 1864, and was the largest of its kind in the state at the time. The Bald Mountain Extension was located in 1874 east of Forest. The Monte Cristo Mine was located in 1854. The largest quartz-mine is the Sierra Buttes Gold Mine was located in 1850 near Sierra City. The Gold Bluff Mine was located near Downieville in 1854. By 1880 the county was "crushing" 70,000 tons of quartz and had 266 miles of mining ditches.[7]

Boundary dispute with Nevada County

Since the enactment of the statute in which the California State Legislature defined the common boundary between Nevada and Sierra Counties in 1874, no survey was conducted to determine where the straight line segment of the common boundary between the two counties ran. In particular, the statute, at the time codified as Section 3921 of the California Political Code, at the time stated:

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...thence south on said state line (state of Nevada) to the northeast corner of Nevada County, a point east of the source of the South Fork of the Middle Yuba River; thence west to the source of, and down the South Fork of the Middle Yuba River to a point ten miles above the mouth of the latter.

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Since the line was not surveyed and the legislature never defined where the "point east of the source of the South Fork of the Middle Yuba River" was, the location of the straight air line between the state line and this point was unknown. As such, both counties claimed that the point east of the source, which itself was also unknown, was located in different places. This created a situation where a strip of land averaging 1.22 miles in width and around 31.29 square miles were under dispute, with Sierra County claiming that Nevada County was encroaching on their jurisdiction when attempting to levy property taxes. The trial court, that of Plumas County, sided with Sierra County, declaring that the disputed area had always belonged to Sierra County since the legislature defined the boundary in dispute by referencing Public Land Survey System lines. It also determined that the source of South Fork of the Middle Yuba River was that of several springs in the Sierra Nevada, contrary to the artificial English Lake, which ceased to exist after the failure of its dam in 1883, which is where the source of said waterway was in the eyes of Nevada County. The California Supreme Court affirmed the trial courts decision on December 28, 1908.[8]

Geography

File:Sierra County California United States 2023 June 01.jpg
Sierra County, California, near Plumas National Forest

Sierra County, California covers 962 square miles according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The county comprises 953 square miles of land and 9 square miles of water. The county is located in the Sierra Nevada. The county has a diverse range of landscapes, from mountains to forests, with numerous lakes and streams. The area has opportunities for hiking, fishing, and hunting.[9]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Politics and government

Because Loyalton is Sierra County's most populous community 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.[10] The county is governed by the five-member Sierra County Board of Supervisors, consisting of the following members as of August 2021.[11]

  • District One (Downieville, Goodyears' Bar, Pike, Alleghany): Lee Adams, Chairman
  • District Two (Sierra City, Bassetts, Verdi): Peter W. Huebner
  • District Three (Calpine, Sattley, Sierraville): Paul Roen
  • District Four (Loyalton): Terry LeBlanc
  • District Five (Sierra Brooks): Sharon Dryden

Law enforcement is provided by the Sierra County Sheriff's Department, headed by current Sierra County Sheriff-Coroner Michael "Mike" Fisher. Due to the county's sparse population and geographical obstacles, the Sheriff's Department operates a substation in Loyalton in addition to their main headquarters in Downieville.[12]

Voter registration statistics

Population and registered voters
Total population[13] 3,277
  Registered voters[14][note 1] 2,223 67.8%
    Democratic[14] 631 28.4%
    Republican[14] 939 42.2%
    Democratic–Republican spread[14] -308 -13.8%
    American Independent[14] 126 5.7%
    Green[14] 24 1.1%
    Libertarian[14] 30 1.3%
    Peace and Freedom[14] 4 0.2%
    Americans Elect[14] 0 0.0%
    Other[14] 42 1.9%
    No party preference[14] 427 19.2%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City Population[13] Registered voters[14]
[note 1] 		Democratic[14] Republican[14] D–R spread[14] Other[14] No party preference[14]
Loyalton 890 49.1% 32.3% 38.7% -6.4% 14.6% 19.9%

Overview

Sierra County at one time had favored the Democratic party in presidential elections and was one of few counties in California 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.

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On November 4, 2008, Sierra County voted 64.2% for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.[15]

In the 2009 special statewide election, Sierra County had the highest voter turnout of any county in California and almost double the average statewide, with 53.6% of registered voters participating, according to the Los Angeles Times.[16]

Transportation

The only traffic light in the county is a flashing red light at the intersection of highways 49 and 89 in Sierraville.[17] since 2021Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". the sheriff's department has also erected a radar speed sign in Sierraville.[18]

Major highways

Public transportation

Public transportation in Sierra County is limited to vans run by senior citizen agencies in Downieville and Loyalton, which the general public may ride on a space-available basis.[19]

Airport

Sierraville-Dearwater Field Airport is a general aviation airport located near Sierraville. The closest major airport is in Reno.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Template:Sronly%±
186011,387—
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18806,623Script error: No such module "String".%
18905,051Script error: No such module "String".%
19004,017Script error: No such module "String".%
19104,098Script error: No such module "String".%
19201,783Script error: No such module "String".%
19302,422Script error: No such module "String".%
19403,025Script error: No such module "String".%
19502,410Script error: No such module "String".%
19602,247Script error: No such module "String".%
19702,365Script error: No such module "String".%
19803,073Script error: No such module "String".%
19903,318Script error: No such module "String".%
20003,555Script error: No such module "String".%
20103,240Script error: No such module "String".%
20203,236Script error: No such module "String".%
2024 (est.)3,113[21]Script error: No such module "String".%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]
1790–1960[23] 1900–1990[24]
1990-2000[25] 2010[26] 2020[27]

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,236. The median age was 53.9 years; 16.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 30.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.0 males age 18 and over.[28]

The racial makeup of the county was 83.5% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 12.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.7% of the population.[29]

1.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 98.8% lived in rural areas.[30]

There were 1,456 households in the county, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[28]

There were 2,127 housing units, of which 31.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.0% were owner-occupied and 26.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.[28]

Racial and ethnic composition

Sierra County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
<templatestyles src="Nobold/styles.css"/>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 may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[31] Pop 1990[32] Pop 2000[33] Pop 2010[26] Pop 2020[27] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 2,821 3,060 3,210 2,855 2,615 91.80% 92.22% 90.30% 88.12% 80.81%
Black or African American alone (NH) 3 6 6 5 7 0.10% 0.18% 0.17% 0.15% 0.22%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 46 59 56 41 18 1.50% 1.78% 1.58% 1.27% 0.56%
Asian alone (NH) 7 8 5 12 7 0.23% 0.24% 0.14% 0.37% 0.22%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [34] x [35] 3 2 1 x x 0.08% 0.06% 0.03%
Other race alone (NH) 0 1 2 1 25 0.00% 0.03% 0.06% 0.03% 0.77%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [36] x [37] 60 55 186 x x 1.69% 1.70% 5.75%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 196 184 213 269 377 6.38% 5.55% 5.99% 8.30% 11.65%
Total 3,073 3,318 3,555 3,240 3,236 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2015

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Sierra County, California are:[38]

Largest ancestries (2015) Percent
English Template:Flagicon 19.0%
German Template:Flagicon 18.2%
"American" Template:Flagicon 16.1%
Scottish Template:Flagicon 6.4%
Italian Template:Flagicon 5.9%
Polish Template:Flagicon 4.6%
Portuguese Template:Flagicon 4.0%
Swiss Template:Flagicon 3.6%
Swedish Template:Flagicon 3.2%
French Template:Flagicon 3.1%

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Sierra County had a population of 3,240. The racial makeup of Sierra County was 3,022 (93.3%) White, 6 (0.2%) African American, 44 (1.4%) Native American, 12 (0.4%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 75 (2.3%) from other races, and 79 (2.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 269 persons (8.3%).[39]

2000

As of the census[40] of 2000, there were 3,555 people, 1,520 households and 986 families residing in the county. The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 2,202 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert".. The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 1.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Six percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Eighteen percent were of English ancestry, 16% were of Irish, 11% German and 8% Italian ancestry.[41] Over ninety-five (95.3) percent 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.

Media

Sierra County is served by two long-running local newspapers. The Sierra Valley region, which is partially within Sierra County, is served by the Sierra Booster, based in Loyalton. This paper has been published bi-weekly since 1949 when it was established by reporter, miner, and airman Hal Wright and his wife Allene.[42] It is today run by their daughter Janice Wright Buck.

The other paper serving the county is the Mountain Messenger, which is based in Downieville. The Messenger has been in constant publication since 1853 and is currently the longest-running weekly newspaper in the state of California. Its more notable former contributor was Mark Twain, at the time in hiding from Nevadan authorities and writing under his birth name of Samuel Clemens.[43] This paper was the center of considerable media attention in early 2020 when its future was uncertain with the retirement of Don Russell, who had owned and operated it for 30 years; it was saved by local retiree Carl Butz, who purchased the paper and runs it today.[44][45] The Mountain Messenger is printed weekly on Thursdays; it is distributed across Sierra, eastern Plumas and western Nevada counties, and by mail.

Education

The county is entirely in the Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District.[46]

Communities

City

Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

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Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Sierra County.[47]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 census)
1 Loyalton City 740
2 Sierra Brooks CDP 467
3 † Downieville CDP 290
4 Sierraville CDP 239
5 Sierra City CDP 235
6 Calpine CDP 223
7 Verdi CDP 179
8 Pike CDP 159
9 Goodyears Bar CDP 69
10 Sattley CDP 44
11 Alleghany CDP 30

See also

Notes

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  1. ↑ a b Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  2. ↑ Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Sierra County History, 2008, The Online Guide to Sierra County, accessed April 2, 2013
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Sierra Valley, Sierra County History Template:Webarchive, 2012, East Sierra Valley Chamber of Commerce, accessed April 2, 2013
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Template:If all, [Script error: No such module "If empty". 155 Template:Delink 1, 12] (California Supreme Court December 28, 1908), archived from the original on January 12, 2024.Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  14. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Template:Webarchive. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  35. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  36. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  37. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Template:USCensus2010CA
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Sierra County, CA ANCESTRY & FAMILY HISTORY Template:Webarchive, 2007, accessed April 2, 2013
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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Template:Authority control

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