El Dorado County, California Explained

El Dorado County
Image Map1:Map of California highlighting El Dorado County.svg
Mapsize1:200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type2:Regions
Subdivision Type3:Metropolitan area
Established Date:February 18, 1850[1]
Parts Type:Largest community
Unit Pref:US
Area Total Sq Mi:1786
Area Land Sq Mi:1708
Area Water Sq Mi:78
Elevation Max Footnotes:[2]
Elevation Max Ft:10886
Leader Title:Chair
Leader Name:Lori Parlin
Leader Title1:Vice Chair
Leader Name1:Wendy Thomas
Leader Title4:Chief Administrative Office[3]
Leader Name4:Don Ashton
Population Total:191185
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Utc Offset:−8
Utc Offset Dst:−7
Postal Code:95762
Blank Name Sec1:FIPS code
Blank Info Sec1:06-017
Blank1 Name Sec1:GNIS feature ID
Blank Name Sec2:Congressional districts
Website:www.edcgov.us

El Dorado County, officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185.[4] The county seat is Placerville.[5] The county is part of the Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located entirely in the Sierra Nevada, from the historic Gold Country in the western foothills to the High Sierra in the east. El Dorado County's population has grown as Greater Sacramento has expanded into the region. Where the county line crosses US 50 at Clarksville, the distance to Sacramento is . In the county's high altitude eastern end at Lake Tahoe, environmental awareness and environmental protection initiatives have grown along with the population since the 1960 Winter Olympics, hosted at the former Squaw Valley Ski Resort in neighboring Placer County.

History

See main article: Sutter's Mill. What is now known as El Dorado County has been home to the Maidu, Nisenan, Washoe, and Miwok Indigenous American nations for centuries. The region became famous for being the site of the 1848 discovery that sparked the California Gold Rush. As a result, the name "El Dorado" was derived from the Spanish word for, "The Gilded One".[6] [7] The County of El Dorado was one of California's original 27 counties created effective February 18, 1850 (the number has risen to 58 today).

The final segments of the Pony Express mail route ran through El Dorado County until its replacement with the telegraph service in 1861; U.S. Route 50 follows the Pony Express route today.

The Placerville Mountain Democrat, California's oldest surviving newspaper, serves El Dorado County.

The Caldor Fire started on August 14, 2021, near Little Mountain, south of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County,[8] about 2miles east of Omo Ranch and 4miles south of Grizzly Flats.[9] [10] It initially burned slowly, but exploded in size on August 16 due to high winds. By the night of August 16, it was 6500acres.[11] On August 17, the fire grew to 30000acres as it expanded rapidly north and east, crossing the North Fork Cosumnes River and approaching Sly Park Reservoir. By August 20, the fire had burned nearly to U.S. Route 50, forcing a closure of the highway.[12] Over the next few days, the fire crossed Highway 50 in the vicinity of Kyburz. Starting on August 27, winds drove the fire rapidly east towards the Lake Tahoe Basin. By August 30, it had reached Echo Summit, less than 5miles from South Lake Tahoe.

There are only two municipalities in El Dorado County: Placerville and South Lake Tahoe.[13]

Government and policing

Policing

The El Dorado County Sheriff provides court protection, county jail administration, and coroner service for all of the county and provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated cities Placerville, population 11,000, and South Lake Tahoe, population 22,000, have municipal police departments.

Sheriffs

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (4.4%) is water.[14]

The county, owing to its location in the Sierra Nevada, consists of rolling hills and mountainous terrain. The northeast corner is in the Lake Tahoe Basin (part of the Great Basin), including a portion of the lake itself. Across the Sierra crest to the west lies the majority of the county, referred to as the "western slope." A portion of Folsom Lake is in the northwest corner of the county.

Much of the county is public land. The Eldorado National Forest comprises a significant portion (approximately 43%) of the county's land area, primarily on the western slope. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, formerly part of the Eldorado and two other National Forests, manages much of the land east of the crest. The Pacific Crest Trail runs through the eastern part of the county, along or roughly paralleling the Sierra crest. The county is home to the Desolation Wilderness, a popular destination for hiking, backpacking, and fishing.

Adjacent counties

Geographic features

Recreation

Local landmarks

Parks

Skiing

Racing

Wineries

Demographics

The vast majority of the population lives in a narrow strip along U.S. Route 50, with the majority living between El Dorado Hills and Pollock Pines. The remainder resides in the South Lake Tahoe area, and in various dispersed rural communities.

2020 census

El Dorado County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2010[16] !Pop 2020[17] !% 2010!% 2020
White alone (NH)144,689140,14179.91%73.30%
Black or African American alone (NH)1,2961,4360.72%0.75%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,5531,2730.86%0.67%
Asian alone (NH)6,1439,0243.39%4.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)2612760.14%0.14%
Some Other Race alone (NH)3181,2150.18%0.64%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)4,92311,3612.72%5.94%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)21,87526,45912.08%13.84%
Total181,058191,185100.00%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

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census reported that El Dorado County had a population of 181,058. The racial makeup of El Dorado County was 156,793 (86.6%) White, 1,409 (0.8%) African American, 2,070 (1.1%) Native American, 6,297 (3.5%) Asian, 294 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 7,278 (4.0%) from other races, and 6,917 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21,875 persons (12.1%). The largest growth in the county has come in El Dorado Hills where the population grew by 24,092 residents to a total of 42,108 since 2000.

2000

As of the census[26] of 2000, there were 156,299 people, 58,939 households, and 43,025 families residing in the county. The population density was 91sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 71,278 housing units at an average density of 42/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 9.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.9% were of German, 13.4% English, 10.3% Irish, 6.6% Italian and 6.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.5% spoke English and 6.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 58,939 households, out of which 34.2% had youngsters under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The 2000 census also states that the median income for a household in the county was $51,484, and the median income for a family was $60,250. Males had a median income of $46,373 versus $31,537 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,560. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

El Dorado is a predominantly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. However, from 1880 until 1952, the county was a Democratic stronghold, with Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding being the only two Republicans to carry the county. Since 1952, however, El Dorado has gone Democratic only three times: in 1960 narrowly for John F. Kennedy, in 1964 in a landslide for Lyndon Johnson, and in 1976 narrowly for Jimmy Carter.

Election results from statewide races
YearOfficeResults
2010GovernorWhitman 56.2 - 38.6%
Lieutenant GovernorMaldonado 55.6 - 32.8%
Secretary of StateDunn 53.5 - 37.4%
ControllerChiang 46.1 - 45.7%
TreasurerWalters 51.3 - 41.0%
Attorney GeneralCooley 60.4 - 29.4%
Insurance CommissionerVillines 53.6 - 33.8%

The county is noted as a center of political concern with the United Nations non-binding sustainable development plan Agenda 21, which was on the County Board of Supervisors meeting Agenda on May 15, 2012. Concerns included the threat of U.S. Forest Service road closures and traffic roundabouts.[30] On February 19, 2013, 14 members of the El Dorado County Grand Jury resigned, forcing Supervising Judge Steven Bailey to dissolve it.[31]

El Dorado County has a secessionist movement, calling for the county of less than 200,000 residents to become a new state of the union. Wyoming, the least populous current state, has approximately three times the number of residents. Sharon Durst, one of the leaders of the movement, was previously a supporter of the State of Jefferson movement, that advocates for Northern California counties and Southern Oregon counties to form a new state. El Dorado County's seat, Placerville, is located 45 miles from Sacramento, the state's capital. The leadership of the movement acknowledges that it is unlikely that the California legislature would approve their separation from the state, as required by the United States Constitution. They promote an unproven theory that the county "is technically not a legitimate piece of California and is instead 'other property' of Congress".[32]

El Dorado County is split between two Congressional districts, with the western third of the County in the 5th Congressional District, represented by Tom McClintock, and the eastern two-thirds in the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Kevin Kiley. In the State Assembly, the county is split between and .[33] In the State Senate, it is in .[34]

Crime

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

Cities by population and crime rates

Transportation

See also: Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area.

Major highways

Public transportation

Airports

General aviation airports include Placerville Airport, Georgetown Airport, Cameron Park airport and Lake Tahoe Airport.

Asbestos

Portions of El Dorado County are known to contain natural asbestos formations near the surface. The USGS studied amphiboles in rock and soil in the area in response to an EPA sampling study and subsequent criticism of the EPA study. The study found that many amphibole particles in the area meet the counting rule criteria used by the EPA for chemical and morphological limits, but do not meet morphological requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos. The executive summary pointed out that even particles that do not meet requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos may be a health threat and suggested a collaborative research effort to assess health risks associated with naturally occurring asbestos.

In 2003, after construction of the Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills) soccer field, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found that some student athletes, coaches and school workers had received substantial exposures. The inside of the school needed to be cleaned of dust.

Sister city

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of El Dorado County.[41]

county seat

RankCity/town/etc.Municipal typePopulation (2020 Census)
1El Dorado HillsCDP50,547
2South Lake TahoeCity21,330
3Cameron ParkCDP18,881
4Diamond SpringsCDP11,345
5 PlacervilleCity10,747
6Pollock PinesCDP7,112
7Shingle SpringsCDP4,660
8Auburn Lake TrailsCDP3,388
9GeorgetownCDP2,255
10CaminoCDP1,871
11Grizzly FlatsCDP1,093
12Tahoma (partially in Placer County)CDP1,034
13Cold SpringsCDP556
14ColomaCDP521
15Shingle Springs Rancheria[42] AIAN108

See also

External links

38.78°N -120.53°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chronology . California State Association of Counties . February 6, 2015 . January 29, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160129193152/http://www.counties.org/general-information/chronology . dead .
  2. Web site: Freel Peak. Peakbagger.com. February 6, 2015.
  3. Web site: Chief Administrative Office - El Dorado County .
  4. Web site: El Dorado County, California. United States Census Bureau. January 30, 2022.
  5. Web site: Find a County . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120712220218/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . July 12, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Brief History of El Dorado County. El Dorado County GenWeb. August 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20130401150415/http://www.cagenweb.com/eldorado/county-history/a_brief_history_of_el_dorad.html. April 1, 2013. March 23, 2016. live.
  7. Book: The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States . Govt. Printing Office . Gannett, Henry . 1905 . 116.
  8. Web site: Cal Fire. August 16, 2021. Caldor Fire Incident Update . State of California. September 1, 2021. Situation Summary: The Caldor Fire started August 14, 2021 near Little Mountain, south of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County..
  9. Web site: CALDOR FIRE: 219,000+ acres, 68 percent contained.
  10. Web site: August 23, 2021. How did the Caldor Fire in California start?. September 23, 2021. AS.com. en.
  11. News: Stanton. Sam. McGough. Michael. Kasler. Dale. Ahumada. Rosalio. August 18, 2021. Caldor Fire levels homes in Grizzly Flats, destroys school, church in El Dorado County. The Modesto Bee. September 6, 2021.
  12. Web site: September 19, 2021. Caldor Fire Containment Remains at 71%. September 23, 2021. en-US.
  13. Web site: About Us. www.edcgov.us.
  14. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. September 24, 2015. August 22, 2012.
  15. Web site: Freel Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost. www.summitpost.org. March 15, 2018.
  16. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - El Dorado County, California. United States Census Bureau.
  17. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - El Dorado County, California. United States Census Bureau.
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  21. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  23. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  24. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  25. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  26. Web site: U.S. Census website . . May 14, 2011 .
  27. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  28. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  29. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  30. News: El Dorado County folks riled by U.N. agenda for sustainable growth . Carlos Alcalá . https://archive.today/20130411184312/http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/24/v-mobile/4512939_el-dorado-county-folks-riled-by.html . dead . April 11, 2013 . Sacramento Bee . May 24, 2012 . March 10, 2013 .
  31. News: The Public Eye: El Dorado County grand jury disbands after mass resignation . Cathy Locke . Sacramento Bee . March 10, 2013 . March 10, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130312011906/http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/10/5250407/el-dorado-county-grand-jury-disbands.html . March 12, 2013 . dead .
  32. News: Ting . Eric . 'This state is under tyranny': Scenes from California's latest secession movement . . . July 17, 2023 . July 17, 2023 .
  33. Web site: Members Assembly . April 5, 2013. State of California.
  34. Web site: Senators . April 5, 2013. State of California.
  35. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  36. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  37. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  38. Web site: El Dorado Transit - El Dorado Transit: Public Transportation for El Dorado County, California. www.eldoradotransit.com. March 15, 2018.
  39. http://tahoetransportation.org/ Tahoe Transportation District
  40. Web site: Northern and Central California Sister Cities in Japan.
  41. Web site: 2020 U.S. Census website . . April 16, 2024 .
  42. Web site: US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map. Website Services & Coordination. Staff. www.census.gov. March 15, 2018.