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Amador County, California
County
The Amador County foothills in April 2007
The Amador County foothills in April 2007
Flag of Amador County, California
Flag
 Official seal of Amador County, California
Seal
Nickname(s): 
"The Heart of the Mother Lode"
Location in the state of California
Location in the state of California
Country United States
State California
Region Sierra Nevada
Incorporated May 1, 1854
Named for José María Amador
County seat Jackson
Largest city Ione (population and area)
Government
 • Type Council–CAO
 • Body
Board of Supervisors
Pat Crew
Richard M. Forster
Jeff Brown
Frank Axe
Brian Oneto
Area
 • Total 606 sq mi (1,570 km2)
 • Land 595 sq mi (1,540 km2)
 • Water 11.4 sq mi (30 km2)
Highest elevation
9,414 ft (2,869 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 40,474
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 41,811 Increase
 • Density 66.79/sq mi (25.787/km2)
GDP
 • Total $1.921 billion (2022)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area code 209
FIPS code 06-005
GNIS feature ID 1675841
Congressional district 5th

Amador County (Listeni/ˈæmədɔːr/) is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The Heart of the Mother Lode." There is a substantial viticulture industry in the county.

History

José María Amador (cropped)
Amador County is named after José María Amador, a Californio miner who found gold in the area in 1848.
Dr. Charles Boarman
Dr. Charles Boarman (1828–1880), son of Rear Admiral Charles Boarman, and his family settled in the area. He served as the first county physician and coroner from 1863 to 1880.
2009-0724-CA-Jackson-AmadorCtyCourt
The former Amador County Courthouse consists of two buildings: the second courthouse (built 1864) and the Hall of Records (1893), that were enclosed and combined in 1939 with an Art Deco exterior.
Gold-quartz hydrothermal vein in matrix (Amador County, California, USA) (17161938811)
High-grade Gold-quartz ore from Amador County

Amador County was created by the California Legislature on May 11, 1854, from parts of Calaveras and El Dorado counties. It was organized on July 3, 1854. In 1864, part of the county's territory was given to Alpine County.

The county is named for José María Amador, a soldier, rancher, and miner, born in San Francisco in 1794, the son of Sergeant Pedro Amador (a Spanish soldier who settled in California in 1771) and younger brother to Sinforosa Amador.

In 1848, Jose Maria Amador, with several Native Americans, established a successful gold mining camp near the present town of Amador City. In Spanish, the word amador means "one who loves". Some of the Mother Lode's most successful gold mines were located in Amador County, including the Kennedy, Argonaut, and Keystone.

During the outbreak of Civil War the county organized Company C, 1st California Infantry and Company D, 4th California Infantry. Not everyone supported the Union; in April of 1862 when the stars and stripes flew from a house a local judge cursed at it.

    • Company C, 1st California Infantry flag

      Company C, "Amador Volunteers"

    There are numerous gold mines in Amador County including the Argonaut Mine, the Kennedy Mine, the Central Eureka, and the Lincoln. The Kennedy Mine in Jackson was the deepest gold mine of its time. The federal government closed all of the Mother Lode's mines in 1942 because they were considered non-essential to the war effort.

    Geography

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 606 square miles (1,570 km2), of which 595 square miles (1,540 km2) is land and 11.4 square miles (30 km2) (1.9%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in California by land area and second-smallest by total area. Water bodies in the county include Lake Amador, Lake Camanche, Pardee Reservoir, Bear River Reservoir, Silver Lake, Sutter Creek, Cosumnes River, Mokelumne River, and Lake Tabeaud. Thirty-seven miles of the North Fork and main Mokelumne River were added to the California Wild and Scenic Rivers System on June 27, 2018, when Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown signed Senate Bill 854.

    Amador County is located approximately 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Sacramento in the part of California known as the Mother Lode, or Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada.

    Amador County ranges in elevation from approximately 250 feet (76 m) in the western portion of the county to over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) in the eastern portion of the county, the tallest point being Thunder Mountain. The county is bordered on the north by the Cosumnes River and El Dorado County and on the south by the Mokelumne River and Calaveras County, on the west by Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, and the east by Alpine County.

    Adjacent counties

    National protected area

    • Eldorado National Forest (part)
    • Mokelumne Wilderness (part)

    Demographics

    Historical population
    Census Pop. %±
    1860 10,930 —
    1870 9,582 −12.3%
    1880 11,384 18.8%
    1890 10,320 −9.3%
    1900 11,116 7.7%
    1910 9,086 −18.3%
    1920 7,793 −14.2%
    1930 8,494 9.0%
    1940 8,973 5.6%
    1950 9,151 2.0%
    1960 9,990 9.2%
    1970 11,821 18.3%
    1980 19,314 63.4%
    1990 30,039 55.5%
    2000 35,100 16.8%
    2010 38,091 8.5%
    2020 40,474 6.3%
    2023 (est.) 41,811 9.8%
    U.S. Decennial Census
    1790–1960 1900–1990
    1990–2000 2010 2020

    2020 census

    Amador County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
    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 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
    White alone (NH) 28,920 30,325 29,725 82.39% 79.61% 73.44%
    Black or African American alone (NH) 1,348 938 1,215 3.84% 2.46% 3.00%
    Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 538 547 577 1.53% 1.44% 1.43%
    Asian alone (NH) 326 396 554 0.93% 1.04% 1.37%
    Pacific Islander alone (NH) 29 63 73 0.08% 0.17% 0.18%
    Some Other Race alone (NH) 178 130 249 0.51% 0.34% 0.62%
    Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 635 936 2,067 1.81% 2.46% 5.11%
    Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3,126 4,756 6,014 8.91% 12.49% 14.86%
    Total 35,100 38,091 40,474 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

    2011

    Places by population, race, and income

    Places by population and race
    Place Type Population White Other
    		 Asian Black or African
    American    		 Native American
    		 Hispanic or Latino
    (of any race)
    Amador City City 158 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
    Buckhorn CDP 2,090 98.4% 1.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.6%
    Buena Vista CDP 435 68.5% 25.1% 0.0% 0.0% 6.4% 0.0%
    Camanche North Shore CDP 791 96.7% 3.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 16.9%
    Camanche Village CDP 704 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
    Drytown CDP 138 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
    Fiddletown CDP 121 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
    Ione City 7,873 70.7% 14.6% 2.6% 9.7% 2.4% 25.3%
    Jackson† City 4,626 90.7% 4.8% 1.2% 0.8% 2.5% 16.6%
    Kirkwood‡ CDP 158 96.8% 0.0% 0.6% 2.5% 0.0% 0.0%
    Martell CDP 140 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
    Pine Grove CDP 2,573 93.0% 5.9% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 7.3%
    Pioneer CDP 1,226 82.1% 2.6% 0.0% 0.0% 15.3% 0.0%
    Plymouth City 1,055 94.0% 3.2% 0.6% 0.0% 2.2% 11.7%
    Red Corral CDP 1,757 84.4% 11.8% 2.3% 0.2% 1.4% 2.9%
    River Pines CDP 578 97.1% 0.0% 2.9% 0.0% 0.0% 6.9%
    Sutter Creek City 2,497 93.4% 1.5% 4.8% 0.0% 0.3% 5.3%
    Volcano CDP 184 99.4% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

    † County seat
    ‡ Data for Amador County area of this CDP

    Places by population and income
    Place Type Population Per capita income Median household income Median family income
    Amador City City 158 $36,439 $63,036 $81,500
    Buckhorn CDP 2,090 $31,611 $50,365 $54,833
    Buena Vista CDP 435 $12,573 $32,944 $33,444
    Camanche North Shore CDP 791 $31,857 $58,309 $79,125
    Camanche Village CDP 704 $35,199 $98,333 $98,631
    Drytown CDP 138 $20,676 $21,172 $70,595
    Fiddletown CDP 121 $69,702 $65,192 $49,766
    Ione City 7,873 $14,946 $72,734 $79,775
    Jackson† City 4,626 $24,945 $48,631 $63,028
    Kirkwood‡ CDP 39 $14,623 $7,188
    Martell CDP 140 $23,051 $50,962 $90,391
    Pine Grove CDP 2,573 $29,918 $52,917 $74,048
    Pioneer CDP 1,226 $32,153 $42,917 $92,600
    Plymouth City 1,055 $21,626 $38,333 $56,667
    Red Corral CDP 1,757 $20,145 $58,450 $57,803
    River Pines CDP 578 $30,626 $31,544 $38,875
    Sutter Creek City 2,497 $26,788 $46,316 $51,389
    Volcano CDP 183 $47,178 $89,688

    † County seat
    ‡ Data for Amador County area of this CDP

    2010

    The 2010 United States Census reported that Amador County had a population of 38,091. The racial makeup of Amador County was 33,149 (87.0%) White, 962 (2.5%) African American, 678 (1.8%) Native American, 419 (1.1%) Asian, 77 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,450 (3.8%) from other races, and 1,356 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,756 persons (12.5%).

    Population reported at 2010 United States Census
    Place Type Total
    population    		 White African
    American    		 Native
    American    		 Asian Pacific
    Islander    		 Other
    races    		 Two or
    more races    		 Hispanic
    or Latino
    (of any race)
    Amador County County 38,091 33,149 962 678 419 77 1,450 1,356 4,756
    Amador City City 185 171 0 4 2 0 2 6 11
    Ione City 7,918 5,826 824 173 110 21 678 286 1,991
    Jackson† City 4,651 4,090 32 94 60 4 185 186 520
    Plymouth City 1,005 850 3 18 6 2 70 56 183
    Sutter Creek City 2,501 2,272 10 34 65 5 40 75 219
    Buckhorn CDP 2,429 2,259 9 37 25 4 47 48 168
    Buena Vista CDP 429 365 1 23 0 0 12 28 35
    Camanche North Shore CDP 979 860 3 14 12 3 38 49 150
    Camanche Village CDP 847 762 0 9 8 4 31 33 121
    Drytown CDP 167 153 0 0 1 0 2 11 11
    Fiddletown CDP 235 215 0 5 1 0 8 6 22
    Kirkwood‡ CDP 61 59 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
    Martell CDP 282 234 0 14 0 5 14 15 36
    Pine Grove CDP 2,219 2,027 9 36 9 6 49 83 202
    Pioneer CDP 1,094 1,017 0 34 1 2 12 28 52
    Red Corral CDP 1,413 1,259 24 15 12 3 33 67 147
    River Pines CDP 379 324 0 5 4 0 8 38 31
    Volcano CDP 115 109 0 2 2 0 0 2 7
    All others not CDPs (combined) Others not CDPs 11,182 10,297 47 160 100 18 221 339 848

    † County seat
    ‡ Data for Amador County area of this CDP

    Economy

    CaliforniaVineyard
    Amador Vineyard

    The Shenandoah Valley was once the principal viticultural region of California though not as well known as the Napa Valley AVA or Sonoma Valley AVA viticultural regions. With the discovery of gold, the area quickly became a mecca for those trying to make their fortune. In the process numerous wineries sprouted up, many of whose vineyards are still in use by wineries today. The decline of the California Gold Rush coupled with the onset of Prohibition devastated the wine-making region of Amador County. Today this area has been resurrected and is now home to over 40 different wineries. Amador County is known for its Zinfandel, but many other varietals are produced as well. Amador County has a high percentage of old Zinfandel vines. Some of the Zinfandel vineyards in this county are more than 125 years old, including the original Grandpère vineyard, planted with Zinfandel before 1869 and believed to be the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in America. This 10-acre (40,000 m2) vineyard is home to some of the oldest Zinfandel vines on earth, with proof of their existence dating to 1869 when it was listed as a descriptor on a deed from the U.S. Geological Survey. A grant deed in Amador County records further proves their existence in 1869.

    Education

    There is one school district in Amador County: Amador County Unified School District.

    Due to the low population of the area, there are few schools with small class sizes. In total for public schools, there are two high schools, two junior high schools, and six elementary schools. These numbers are in addition to two independent study schools, one charter school, and one continuing education school for adults. There are no colleges or universities within the county's borders.

    Transportation

    Major highways

    • State Route 16
    • State Route 26
    • State Route 49
    • State Route 88
    • State Route 104
    • State Route 124

    Public transportation

    Amador Transit provides service in Jackson and nearby communities. Connections to Calaveras County and a daily commuter bus to/from Sacramento leave from the Sutter Hill Transit Center in Sutter Creek.

    Airport

    Amador County Airport is a general aviation airport located near Jackson.

    Communities

    Cities

    Unincorporated communities

    See also

    Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Amador para niños

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