County of El Dorado | |||
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— County — | |||
A scene from El Dorado County | |||
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Location in the state of California | |||
California's location in the United States | |||
Country | ![]() |
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State | ![]() |
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Region | Sierra Nevada/Gold Country | ||
Metro area | Greater Sacramento | ||
Incorporated | 1850 | ||
County seat | Placerville | ||
Largest city | South Lake Tahoe | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 1,788.10 sq mi (4,631.2 km2) | ||
• Land | 1,710.85 sq mi (4,431.1 km2) | ||
• Water | 77.25 sq mi (200.1 km2) | ||
Population (2010) | |||
• Total | 181,058 | ||
• Density | 100/sq mi (39/km2) | ||
Time zone | Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) | ||
• Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) | ||
Website | www.co.el-dorado.ca.us |
El Dorado County is a county located in the historic Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills of the U.S. state of California. The 2010 population was 181,058. The El Dorado county seat is in Placerville.
The population of El Dorado County has grown as the Greater Sacramento has expanded into the region. In the unique Lake Tahoe area of the county, environmental awareness and environmental protection initiatives have grown along with the population since the 1960 Winter Olympics, hosted at Squaw Valley Ski Resort in neighboring Placer County.
Contents |
History
- Local landmarks:
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
- Confidence Hall
- Fountain-Tallman Soda Works
- John Pearson Soda Works
- Combellack-Blair House
- Rubicon Point Light
Demographics
Historical populations | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1850 | 20,057 |
|
|
1860 | 20,562 | 2.5% | |
1870 | 10,309 | −49.9% | |
1880 | 10,683 | 3.6% | |
1890 | 9,232 | −13.6% | |
1900 | 8,986 | −2.7% | |
1910 | 7,492 | −16.6% | |
1920 | 6,426 | −14.2% | |
1930 | 8,325 | 29.6% | |
1940 | 13,229 | 58.9% | |
1950 | 16,207 | 22.5% | |
1960 | 29,390 | 81.3% | |
1970 | 43,833 | 49.1% | |
1980 | 85,812 | 95.8% | |
1990 | 125,955 | 46.8% | |
2000 | 156,299 | 24.1% | |
2010 | 181,058 | 15.8% | |
[1][2][3] |
2010
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%).[4] 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.[4]
Population reported at 2010 United States Census | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
El Dorado County | 181,058 | 156,793 | 1,409 | 2,070 | 6,297 | 294 | 7,278 | 6,917 | 21,875 |
cities |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
Placerville | 10,389 | 8,716 | 80 | 162 | 98 | 13 | 867 | 453 | 1,863 |
South Lake Tahoe | 21,403 | 15,733 | 182 | 232 | 1,186 | 39 | 3,230 | 801 | 6,665 |
places |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
Auburn Lake Trails | 3,426 | 3,190 | 6 | 28 | 36 | 5 | 45 | 116 | 208 |
Cameron Park | 18,228 | 16,242 | 143 | 194 | 425 | 36 | 461 | 727 | 2,056 |
Camino | 1,750 | 1,604 | 7 | 14 | 18 | 4 | 55 | 48 | 197 |
Cold Springs | 446 | 413 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 43 |
Coloma | 529 | 462 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 37 | 63 |
Diamond Springs | 11,037 | 9,743 | 39 | 176 | 110 | 6 | 518 | 445 | 1,377 |
El Dorado Hills | 42,108 | 35,089 | 615 | 196 | 3,563 | 71 | 681 | 1,893 | 3,802 |
Georgetown | 2,367 | 2,128 | 47 | 59 | 18 | 2 | 45 | 68 | 177 |
Grizzly Flats | 1,066 | 954 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 64 | 96 |
Pollock Pines | 6,871 | 6,195 | 18 | 128 | 56 | 3 | 251 | 220 | 713 |
Shingle Springs | 4,432 | 3,919 | 14 | 108 | 50 | 3 | 132 | 206 | 469 |
Tahoma‡ | 780 | 736 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 35 |
communities |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
All others not CDPs (combined) | 56,226 | 51,669 | 242 | 744 | 712 | 110 | 933 | 1,816 | 4,111 |
‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of this CDP in El Dorado County |
2000
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 156,299 people, 58,939 households, and 43,025 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile (35/km²). There were 71,278 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 3.55% from other races, and 2.96% from two or more races. 9.32% 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 kids 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.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,788.10 square miles (4,631.2 km2), of which 1,710.85 square miles (4,431.1 km2) (or 95.68%) is land and 77.25 square miles (200.1 km2) (or 4.32%) is water.[6]
Recreation
Parks
- El Dorado National Forest
- Desolation Wilderness, with Eagle Lake (Desolation Wilderness), and with Freel Peak[7] as its highest point at 10,881 feet (3,317 m).
- D. L. Bliss State Park
- Emerald Bay State Park
- Eagle Falls Trailhead
- Glen Alpine Springs Trailhead
- Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
- Pine Hill Ecological Reserve
- Tahoe National Forest
Skiing
Wineries
Shopping
- Town Center, El Dorado Hills [1]
- El Dorado Hills: Everything El Dorado Hills.com
Transportation infrastructure
Major highways
Public transportation
- El Dorado Transit runs local service in Placerville and surrounding areas (as far east as Pollock Pines). Commuter service into Sacramento and Folsom is also provided.
- BlueGo is the transit operator for the South Lake Tahoe area. Service also runs into the state of Nevada.
Airports
General aviation airports are include: Placerville Airport, Georgetown Airport, Cameron Airpark and Lake Tahoe Airport.
Cities and towns
Incorporated Cities
- South Lake Tahoe (Airport: Lake Tahoe Airport IATA: TVL)
- Placerville (County Seat)
Communities over 10,000 population
Communities under 10,000 population
Politics
Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | 54.1% 50,314 | 43.6% 40,529 | 2.2% 2,083 |
2004 | 61.2% 52,878 | 37.3% 32,242 | 1.4% 1,244 |
2000 | 58.3% 42,045 | 36.4% 26,220 | 5.4% 3,871 |
1996 | 51.8% 32,759 | 36.3% 22,957 | 11.8% 7,480 |
1992 | 39.9% 25,906 | 32.4% 21,012 | 27.7% 17,969 |
1988 | 59.3% 30,021 | 39.1% 19,801 | 1.5% 781 |
1984 | 64.9% 27,583 | 33.7% 14,312 | 1.4% 583 |
1980 | 58.3% 21,238 | 29.5% 10,765 | 12.2% 4,446 |
1976 | 47.7% 12,472 | 48.8% 12,763 | 3.5% 919 |
1972 | 54.2% 11,330 | 41.4% 8,654 | 4.4% 921 |
1968 | 49.0% 7,468 | 39.7% 6,054 | 11.3% 1,719 |
1964 | 39.5% 5,775 | 60.3% 8,810 | 0.2% 25 |
1960 | 49.2% 6,065 | 50.1% 6,175 | 0.8% 97 |
Election results from statewide races | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Office | Results |
2010 | Governor | Whitman 56.2 - 38.6% |
Lieutenant Governor | Maldonado 55.6 - 32.8% | |
Secretary of State | Dunn 53.5 - 37.4% | |
Controller | Chiang 46.1 - 45.7% | |
Treasurer | Walters 51.3 - 41.0% | |
Attorney General | Cooley 60.4 - 29.4% | |
Insurance Commissioner | Villines 53.6 - 33.8% |
El Dorado is a predominantly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964 election, and the last Democrat to win the county was Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election.
El Dorado is part of California's 4th congressional district, which is held by Republican Tom McClintock. In the State Assembly, El Dorado is part of the 4th district, which is held by Republican Beth Gaines and also part of the 10th district, which is held by Democrat Alyson Huber. In the State Senate, El Dorado is part of the 1st district, which is held by Republican Ted Gaines.
The county is represented by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer in Washington, D.C..
Adjacent counties
- Alpine County, California - southeast
- Amador County, California - south
- Sacramento County, California - west
- Placer County, California - north
- Douglas County, Nevada - northeast
Asbestos
Portions of El Dorado county are known to contain natural asbestos formations near the surface.[8] 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".[9]
In 2003 after construction of the Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, CA) soccer field, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found that some student athletes, coaches and school workers received substantial exposures. The inside of Oak Ridge High School needed to be cleaned of dust.[8]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in El Dorado County, California
- Hiking trails in El Dorado County
References
- ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/ca190090.txt
- ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
- ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
- ^ a b "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/California/.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ Freel Peak
- ^ a b Raloff, Janet (July 8, 2006), "Dirty Little Secret" (– Scholar search), Science News, http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060708/bob9.asp[dead link]
- ^ Meeker, G.P.; Lowers, H.A.; Swayze, G.A.; Van Gosen, B.S.; Stutley, S.J.; Brownfield, I.K. (December 2006), Mineralogy and Morphology of Amphiboles Observed in Soils and Rocks in El Dorado Hills, California, United States Geological Survey, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1362/
External links
- official El Dorado County website
- official El Dorado County Historical Museum website
- El Dorado Environmental air quality management - Naturally occurring asbestos information
- El Dorado County Weather
- El Dorado County Visitors Authority
- El Dorado Western Railway Foundation blog The railway is restoring the Diamond & Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive at the El Dorado County Historical Museum
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Placer County | Douglas County, Nevada | ![]() |
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Sacramento County | ![]() |
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Amador County | Alpine County |
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