Inyo County, California
| Inyo County, California | ||
 Wildflowers blooming in Death Valley after an unusually wet winter
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 Location in the state of California |
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 California's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1866 | |
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| Named for | "dwelling place of the great spirit" in Mono language | |
| Seat | Independence | |
| Largest city | Bishop | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
10,227 sq mi (26,488 km²) 10,203 sq mi (26,426 km²) 24 sq mi (62 km²), 0.23% |
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| PopulationEst. - (2008) - Density |
17,136 1.7/sq mi (1/km²) |
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| Congressional district | 25th | |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 | |
| Website | www.countyofinyo.org | |
Inyo County is a county located in east-central California in the southwestern United States, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and southeast of Yosemite National Park. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. It includes the Owens River Valley flanked by the Eastern Sierras and the equally tall White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the east. The Saline Valley is beyond
Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the Continental United States, is located on Inyo County's western border (with Tulare County). The Badwater Basin, in Death Valley National Park, is the lowest point and place in North America, is in eastern Inyo County. The two points are not visible from each other, but both can be observed from the Panamint Range on the west side of Death Valley, above the Panamint Valley.
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History
Present day Inyo county has been the historic homeland for thousands of years, of the Mono tribe, Coso people, Timbisha and Kawaiisu Native Americans. They spoke the Timbisha language and the Mono language; with Mono traditional narratives. The descendant of these ancestors continue to live in their traditional homelands in the Owens River Valley and in 'Death Valley National Park.
Inyo County was formed in 1866 from the territory of the unorganized Coso County created in April 4, 1864 from parts of Mono and Tulare Counties.[1] It acquired more territory from Mono County in 1870 and Kern County and San Bernardino County in 1872.
The county derived its name from the Mono tribe of Native Americans name for the mountains in its former homeland. The meaning of the word inyo is "dwelling place of the great spirit" in the Mono language.
In order to provide water needs for the growing City of Los Angeles, water was diverted from the Owens River into the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. The Owens River Valley cultures and environments changed substantially. From the 1910s to 1930s the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power purchased much of the valley for water rights and control. In 1941 the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power extended the Los Angeles Aqueduct system further upriver into the Mono Basin.
Natural history
Inyo County is host to a number of natural superlatives. Among them are:
- Mount Whitney, the highest point in the United States outside of Alaska
- Badwater, in Death Valley, the lowest point in the Americas
- Methuselah, an ancient Bristlecone pine tree and one of the oldest living trees on Earth
- Owens Valley, the deepest valley on the American continents
- Two mountain ranges exceeding 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in elevation: The Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains
- Thirteen of California's fifteen peaks which exceed 14,000 feet (a Fourteener) in elevation; the isolated Mount Shasta in northern California, and White Mountain Peak in neighboring Mono County, are the only California 14ers not (at least partly) in Inyo County
- The largest escarpment in the United States, rising from the floor of Death Valley to the top of Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 10,227 square miles (26,488 km²), of which 10,203 sq mi (26,426 km²) is land and 24 sq mi (62 km²) is water. It is the second-largest in California and the tenth-largest in the nation (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska).
Cities and towns
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Adjacent counties
- San Bernardino County, California - south
- Kern County, California - southwest
- Tulare County, California - west
- Fresno County, California - west
- Mono County, California - north
- Esmeralda County, Nevada - northeast
- Nye County, Nevada - east
- Clark County, Nevada - southeast
See also: List of counties bordering eight or more counties
National protected areas
- Death Valley National Park (part)
- Inyo National Forest (part)
- Manzanar National Historic Site
Transportation Infrastructure
Major highways
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U.S. Route 6.svg.png)
U.S. Route 395
State Route 127
State Route 136
State Route 168
State Route 178
State Route 190
County Routes
Inyo County Route J41
Public transportation
Eastern Sierra Transit Authority operates intercity bus service along U.S. 395, as well as local services in Bishop. Service extends south to Ridgecrest (Kern County) and north to Reno, Nevada.
Airports
Bishop Airport, Independence Airport, Lone Pine Airport and Shoshone Airport are general aviation airports located near their respective cities. Stovepipe Wells Airport and Furnace Creek Airport are located in Death Valley National Park.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 17,945 people, 7,703 households, and 4,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 9,042 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.06% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 10.04% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 4.15% from two or more races. 12.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.4% were of German, 12.2% English, 10.6% Irish and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 89.2% spoke English and 9.3% Spanish as their first language.
There were 7,703 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,006, and the median income for a family was $44,970. Males had a median income of $37,270 versus $25,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,639. About 9.30% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.00% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
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| 2008 | 52.9% 3,833 | 44.3% 3,208 | 2.8% 202 |
| 2004 | 59.1% 5,091 | 38.9% 3,350 | 2.0% 175 |
| 2000 | 60.3% 4,713 | 33.9% 2,652 | 5.8% 450 |
| 1996 | 51.8% 3,924 | 34.4% 2,601 | 13.8% 1,044 |
| 1992 | 43.6% 3,689 | 31.8% 2,695 | 24.6% 2,080 |
| 1988 | 64.3% 5,042 | 33.9% 2,653 | 1.8% 142 |
| 1984 | 70.3% 5,863 | 28.3% 2,360 | 1.4% 115 |
| 1980 | 64.8% 5,201 | 25.9% 2,080 | 9.3% 736 |
| 1976 | 58.2% 3,905 | 39.3% 2,635 | 2.5% 166 |
| 1972 | 68.1% 4,873 | 28.0% 2,006 | 3.9% 280 |
| 1968 | 54.5% 3,641 | 34.6% 2,314 | 10.9% 732 |
| 1964 | 46.5% 2,751 | 53.4% 3,161 | 0.1% 3 |
| 1960 | 54.6% 2,962 | 45.1% 2,443 | 0.3% 15 |
Inyo 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.
Inyo is part of California's 25th congressional district, which is held by Republican Buck McKeon. In the state legislature, Inyo is part of the 34th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Connie Conway, and the 18th Senate district, which is held by Republican Roy Ashburn.
On Nov. 4, 2008 Inyo County voted 60.4 % for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
Education
School district in Inyo County are:
- Bishop Union Elementary School District
- Bishop Joint Union High School District
- Big Pine Unified School District
- Lone Pine Unified School District
- Owens Valley Unified School District
- Round Valley School District
- Death Valley Unified School District
Notable locations
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Lakes
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Parks
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Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in California, with a small extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada. In addition, there is an exclave (Devil's Hole) in southern Nye County. The park covers 5,262 square miles (13,630 km2), encompassing Saline Valley, a large part of Panamint Valley, almost all of Death Valley, and parts of several mountain ranges.[3] Death Valley National Monument was proclaimed in 1933, placing the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument was redesignated a national park, as well as being substantially expanded to include Saline and Eureka Valleys.[3]
It is the hottest and driest of the national parks in the United States. It also features the second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and the lowest point in North America at Badwater, which is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. It is home to many species of plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment. Some examples include Creosote Bush, Bighorn Sheep, Coyote, and the Death Valley Pupfish, a survivor of much wetter times. Approximately 95% of the park is designated as wilderness.[4] Death Valley National Park is visited annually by more than 770,000 visitors who come to enjoy its diverse geologic features, desert wildlife, historic sites, scenery, clear night skies and the solitude of the extreme desert environment.
References
- ↑ California, Theodore Henry Hittell, The general laws of the State of California, from 1850 to 1864, H.H. Bancroft, San Francisco, 1865. p.190
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Park Index (2001–2003), p. 26
- ↑ NPS website, "Backcountry Roads"
External links
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Mono County | Esmeralda County, Nevada | |
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| Tulare County and Fresno County |  |
Nye County, Nevada | ||
 Inyo County, California  |
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| Kern County | San Bernardino County | Clark County, Nevada |
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