Sierra County, California facts for kids

Sierra County, California
Sierra County, California
	County
County of Sierra
	; Seal
	; Seal
	; Location in the state of California
	; California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sierra Nevada
Incorporated	1852
Named for	Sierra Nevada
Area
• Total	2,490 km2 (962 sq mi)
• Land	2,470 km2 (953 sq mi)
• Water	20 km2 (9 sq mi)
Population (April 1, 2010)
• Total	3,240
• Estimate (2015)	2,967
• Density	1.3004/km2 (3.368/sq mi)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Area code(s)	530
Website	www.sierracounty.ca.gov Website

Sierra County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,240 making it the second-least populous county in California. The county seat is Downieville, and the only incorporated city is Loyalton. The county is located in the Sierra Nevada, northeast of Sacramento on the border with Nevada.

History

Sierra County was formed from parts of Yuba County in 1852. The county derives its name from the Sierra Nevada.

Prior to the California Gold Rush, the area was home to both the Maidu and the Washoe peoples. They generally summered in the higher elevations to hunt and fish, and returned to lower elevations for the winter months. After the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills sparked the California Gold Rush, more than 16,000 miners settled in Sierra County between 1848-1860. Most mining settlements in the county sprung up along the North and Middle Forks of the Yuba River, both of which had rich deposits of gold. While some of the mining boom towns faded away once gold fever died down, other settlements such as Downieville and Sierra City have remained.

Notable gold nuggets found in the county include a 26.5 pound specimen, avoirdupois, found by a group of sailors at Sailor Ravine, two miles above Downieville. A 51-pound specimen was found in 1853 by a group of Frenchmen in French Ravine. The 106 pound Monumental Nugget was found in Sept. 1869 at Sierra City.

The Bald Mountain drift mine in Forest City was founded in Aug. 1864, and was the largest of its kind in the state at the time. The Bald Mountain Extension was located in 1874 east of Forest. The Monte Cristo Mine was located in 1854. The largest quartz-mine is the Sierra Buttes Gold Mine was located in 1850 near Sierra City. The Gold Bluff Mine was located near Downnieville in 1854. By 1880 the county was "crushing" 70,000 tons of quartz and had 266 miles of mining ditches.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 962 square miles (2,490 km²), of which 953 square miles (2,470 km²) is land and 9.0 square miles (23 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Plumas National Forest (part)
Tahoe National Forest (part)
Toiyabe National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Route 395
Interstate 80
State Route 49
State Route 89

County roads

County Route A23
County Route A24
Henness Pass Road
Stampede Dam Road
Gold Lake Road/Highway

Public transportation

Public transportation in Sierra County is limited to vans run by senior citizen agencies in Downieville and Loyalton which the general public may ride on a space-available basis.

Airport

Sierraville-Dearwater Field Airport is a general aviation airport located near Sierraville.

Demographics

2015

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Sierra County, California are:

Largest ancestries (2015)	Percent
English	19.0%
German	18.2%
"American"	16.1%
Scottish	6.4%
Italian	5.9%
Polish	4.6%
Portuguese	4.0%
Swiss	3.6%
Swedish	3.2%
French	3.1%

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population	3,277
White	3,031	92.5%
Black or African American	38	1.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native	11	0.3%
Asian	3	0.1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Some other race	179	5.5%
Two or more races	15	0.5%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	247	7.5%
Per capita income	$26,137
Median household income	$50,308
Median family income	$56,469

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)
Alleghany	CDP	65	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Calpine	CDP	194	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Downieville	CDP	192	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Goodyears Bar	CDP	156	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Loyalton	City	890	89.0%	8.1%	0.2%	1.5%	1.2%	12.5%
Pike	CDP	174	88.5%	3.4%	0.0%	8.0%	0.0%	3.4%
Sattley	CDP	28	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Sierra Brooks	CDP	237	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Sierra City	CDP	279	96.8%	3.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Sierraville	CDP	229	49.3%	45.9%	0.0%	4.8%	0.0%	45.9%
Verdi	CDP	158	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Alleghany	CDP	65	$16,843	$30,278	$30,278
Calpine	CDP	194	$16,634	$15,132
Downieville	CDP	192	$22,868	$2,499	$52,266
Goodyears Bar	CDP	156	$32,788	$72,794	$73,162
Loyalton	City	890	$23,641	$51,756	$51,893
Pike	CDP	174	$24,933	$35,703	$30,938
Sattley	CDP	28
Sierra Brooks	CDP	237	$33,134	$55,547	$55,703
Sierra City	CDP	279	$27,729	$110,938	$113,750
Sierraville	CDP	229	$17,214	$12,120	$11,944
Verdi	CDP	158	$46,291	$76,987

2010

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	11,387	—
1870	5,619	−50.7%
1880	6,623	17.9%
1890	5,051	−23.7%
1900	4,017	−20.5%
1910	4,098	2.0%
1920	1,783	−56.5%
1930	2,422	35.8%
1940	3,025	24.9%
1950	2,410	−20.3%
1960	2,247	−6.8%
1970	2,365	5.3%
1980	3,073	29.9%
1990	3,318	8.0%
2000	3,555	7.1%
2010	3,240	−8.9%
Est. 2015	2,967	−8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

The 2010 United States Census reported that Sierra County had a population of 3,240. The racial makeup of Sierra County was 3,022 (93.3%) White, 6 (0.2%) African American, 44 (1.4%) Native American, 12 (0.4%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 75 (2.3%) from other races, and 79 (2.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 269 persons (8.3%).

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Sierra County	3,240	3,022	6	44	12	2	75	79	269
Incorporated cities and towns	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Loyalton	769	701	2	21	0	0	20	25	108
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Alleghany	58	58	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Calpine	205	184	0	0	0	1	10	10	26
Downieville	282	269	0	4	2	0	0	7	12
Goodyears Bar	68	64	0	4	0	0	0	0	1
Pike	134	130	0	1	2	0	0	1	2
Sattley	49	48	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Sierra Brooks	478	466	0	4	1	1	0	6	22
Sierra City	221	200	0	2	3	0	12	4	21
Sierraville	200	187	2	0	0	0	10	1	16
Verdi	162	153	0	0	1	0	5	3	10
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	614	562	2	7	3	0	18	22	49

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,555 people, 1,520 households and 986 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 2,202 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 1.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Six percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Eighteen percent were of English ancestry, 16% were of Irish, 11% German and 8% Italian ancestry. Over ninety-five (95.3) percent spoke English and 3.4% Spanish as their first language.

There were 1,520 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,827, and the median income for a family was $42,756. Males had a median income of $36,121 versus $30,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,815. About 9.0% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Loyalton

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Eureka City
Howland Flat
Pine Grove
Poker Flat
Potosi
Shady Flat

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Sierra County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Loyalton	City	769
2	Sierra Brooks	CDP	478
3	† Downieville	CDP	282
4	Sierra City	CDP	221
5	Calpine	CDP	205
6	Sierraville	CDP	200
7	Verdi	CDP	162
8	Pike	CDP	134
9	Goodyears Bar	CDP	68
10	Alleghany	CDP	58
11	Sattley	CDP	49

Trivia

Because Loyalton is Sierra County's most populous municipality and its only incorporated city, generally half of the meetings of the county's board of supervisors are held in Downieville and the other half are held in Loyalton.
There is only one traffic signal (a flashing red light at the intersection of highways 49 and 89) in Sierra County. In the winter of 2007 it was removed after an automobile accident and was replaced in the fall of 2008.
In the 2009 special statewide election, Sierra County had the highest voter turnout of any county in California, with 53.6% of registered voters participating, according to the Los Angeles Times. The election was nearly double the overall voter turnout in the state, about 23%.