Mono County, California

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Mono County, California
Map
Location in the state of California
California's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1861
Seat	Bridgeport
Area - Total - Land - Water	1,209 sq mi (3,132 km²) 1,175 sq mi (3,044 km²) 34 sq mi (87 km²), 2.79%
Population - (2000) - Density	12,853 5/sq mi (2/km²)
Website: www.monocounty.ca.gov

Mono County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California, to the east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. As of 2000 the population was 12,853. The county seat is Bridgeport.^[1]

The only incorporated city in the county is Mammoth Lakes,^[2] which is located at the foot of Mammoth Mountain.^[3] Other locations, such as June Lake, are also famous as skiing and fishing resorts. Located in the middle of the county is Mono Lake, a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. The lake is located in a wild natural setting, with pinnacles of tufa arising out of the salty and alkaline lake.

Also located in Mono County is Bodie, the official state gold rush ghost town, which is now a California State Historic Park.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Transportation Infrastructure
4 Demographics
5 Politics
6 See also
7 References

[edit] History

Mono County was formed in 1861 from parts of Calaveras County, Fresno County and Mariposa County. Parts of the county's territory were given to Inyo County in 1866.

The county is named after Mono Lake which, in 1852, was named for a Native American Paiute tribe that inhabited the Sierra Nevada from north of Mono Lake to Owens Lake. The tribe's western neighbors, the Yokuts, called them monachie meaning "fly people" because the pupae of a fly was their chief food staple and trading article.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,132 square miles (8,111.8 km²). 3,044 square miles (7,883.9 km²) of it is land and 87 square miles (225.3 km²) of it (2.79%) is water.

[edit] Cities and towns

Benton
Bodie
Bridgeport
Chalfant
Coleville
Lee Vining
Mammoth Lakes (the only incorporated place in the county)
Swall Meadows

[edit] Adjacent Counties

[edit] National protected areas

Inyo National Forest (part)
Toiyabe National Forest (part)

[edit] Transportation Infrastructure

[edit] Major Highways

[edit] Public Transportation

Inyo Mono Transit operates intercity bus service along U.S. 395, as well as local services in Mammoth Lakes. Service extends south to Ridgecrest (Kern County) and north to Reno, Nevada.

Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) also runs along U.S. 395 from Mammoth Lakes to Lee Vining before entering Yosemite National Park.

[edit] Airports

General aviation airports in Mono County include Bryant Field near Bridgeport, Mammoth Yosemite Airport and Lee Vining Airport.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 12,853 people, 5,137 households, and 3,143 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 inhabitants per square mile (1.5/km²). There were 11,757 housing units at an average density of 4/sq mi (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.17% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 2.40% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 9.51% from other races, and 2.25% from two or more races. 17.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.4% were of German, 12.6% Irish and 11.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 84.0% spoke English and 15.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 5,137 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 121.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,992, and the median income for a family was $50,487. Males had a median income of $32,600 versus $26,227 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,422. About 6.30% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 1.90% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Politics

**Presidential election results**
Year	DEM	GOP	Others
2004	49.2% 2,628	49.1% 2,621	1.7% 89
2000	40.9% 1,788	52.5% 2,296	6.6% 287'
1996	38.6% 1,580	46.0% 1,882	15.4% 629
1992	34.2% 1,489	36.0% 1,570	29.8% 1,296
1988	36.2% 1,284	61.4% 2,177	2.4% 86
1984	26.2% 962	72.3% 2,659	1.5% 56
1980	25.3% 865	62.3% 2,132	12.4% 424
1976	37.7% 1,025	58.8% 1,600	3.5% 96
1972	29.6% 828	66.9% 1,872	3.5% 99
1968	26.4% 465	64.3% 1,130	9.3% 163
1964	43.9% 666	56.1% 850
1960	33.2% 457	66.3% 912	0.4% 6

Mono used to be a Republican-leaning county in Presidential and congressional elections but has become more of a swing county in recent elections, going for John Kerry by an extremely slim margin of 7 votes in 2004. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Franklin Roosevelt in 1940.

Mono is part of California's 25th congressional district, which is held by Republican Buck McKeon. In the state legislature Mono is in the 25th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Tom Berryhill, and the 1st Senate district, which is held by Republican Dave Cox.