Yosemite Valley, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yosemite Valley
Census-designated place
The Ahwahnee Hotel
Location in Mariposa County and the state of California
Yosemite Valley, California Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
County	Mariposa
Area
• Total	2.119 sq mi (5.49 km2)
• Land	2.058 sq mi (5.33 km2)
• Water	0.061 sq mi (0.16 km2)  2.88%
Population  (2020)
• Total	337
• Density	163.8/sq mi (63.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
ZIP Code	95389
Area code(s)	209
FIPS code	06-86912
GNIS feature ID	2409638

Yosemite Valley is a special area in Mariposa County, California, United States. It is known as a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's a community that is counted for the census but is not officially a city. The name Yosemite comes from the Miwok language and means "killer."

This area includes the main part called Yosemite Village and other parts of the famous Yosemite Valley within Yosemite National Park. In 2020, about 337 people lived here.

Yosemite Valley is on the north side of the valley floor. Many of the people who live here work for the National Park Service, which manages the park. Others work for companies that provide services in the park, like shops and hotels.

The village has important services for residents and visitors. These include a fire station, a post office (with ZIP Code 95389), a medical clinic, a convenience store, restaurants, and gift shops. There is also a school for children from kindergarten to eighth grade. The main office for the park and its visitor center are also located here.

The Yosemite Lodge is at the west end of the village, close to Yosemite Falls. The beautiful Ahwahnee Hotel is a short distance north. Both places are run by companies that have contracts with the National Park Service. The buildings in Yosemite Village often use natural wood and have a unique style. Early buildings were designed by people like landscape architect Charles Punchard Jr.

Long ago, a Miwok village called Hok-ok'-wi-dok was located near where the Hutchings Hotel now stands. The first US post office opened in 1869, originally named "Yo Semite." The spelling changed to "Yosemite" in 1908 and then to "Yosemite National Park" in 1922. From 1906 to 1916, US Army troops were stationed at Fort Yosemite to protect the area before the National Park Service was created.

Curry Village is another place where visitors can stay in the area.

Exploring Yosemite Valley's Location

Yosemite Valley is found at 37°44′36″N 119°34′33″W / 37.74333°N 119.57583°W / 37.74333; -119.57583.

The United States Census Bureau says that the community covers about 2.1 square miles (5.4 square kilometers). A small part of this area, about 0.06 square miles (0.16 square kilometers), is water. The Merced River flows through the middle of the valley, heading west.

Understanding Yosemite's Climate

Yosemite has a Mediterranean climate, which means it has mild, wet winters and long, hot, dry summers. Most of the rain and snow falls during the winter months. Very little rain falls during the summer.

Because of the mountains, the amount of rain and snow increases as you go higher up, until about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters). Then, it slowly decreases as you go even higher. For example, at 4,000 feet (1,200 meters), it gets about 36 inches (910 millimeters) of precipitation each year. At 8,600 feet (2,600 meters), it gets about 50 inches (1,300 millimeters).

Snow usually starts to stay on the ground in the high mountains in November. It builds up all winter and into March or early April.

Temperature Variations Across the Valley

Temperatures change a lot depending on how high up you are. At Tuolumne Meadows, which is at 8,600 feet (2,600 meters), the average daily temperatures range from 25°F (-4°C) to 53°F (12°C).

At the Wawona Entrance, which is 5,130 feet (1,560 meters) high, the average daily temperatures are between 36°F (2°C) and 67°F (19°C).

In Yosemite Valley itself, which is lower at 3,966 feet (1,209 meters), temperatures are warmer. The average daily high temperature here ranges from 46°F (8°C) in winter to 90°F (32°C) in summer.

At very high elevations above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters), the hot, dry summer days are cooled down by frequent thunderstorms. Snow can even stay on the ground until July in these areas. The mix of dry plants, low humidity, and thunderstorms can sometimes cause wildfires started by lightning.

Weather at Park Headquarters

At the park headquarters, which is 4,018 feet (1,225 meters) high, the average temperature in January is 38.0°F (3.3°C). In July, it averages 73.3°F (22.9°C). Even in summer, the nights are much cooler than the hot days.

On average, there are about 45 days each year when the temperature reaches 90°F (32°C) or higher. There are also about 105 nights when the temperature drops below freezing. Freezing temperatures have been recorded in every month of the year! The hottest temperature ever recorded was 112°F (44°C) on July 22 and July 24, 1915. The coldest was -7°F (-22°C) on January 1, 2009.

The park headquarters gets almost 37 inches (940 millimeters) of precipitation each year, falling over about 67 days. The wettest year was 1983, with 66.06 inches (1,678 millimeters) of rain and snow. The driest year was 1976, with only 14.84 inches (377 millimeters). The most precipitation in one month was 29.61 inches (752 millimeters) in December 1955. The most in one day was 6.92 inches (176 millimeters) on December 23, 1955.

On average, the area gets 39.4 inches (1.00 meter) of snow each year. The winter with the most snow was 1948–1949, with 176.5 inches (4.48 meters). The most snow in one month was 175.0 inches (4.45 meters) in January 1993.

Population and Community Life

Yosemite Valley is a small community with a unique population.

Population in 2010

In the 2010 census, Yosemite Valley had 1,035 people. This means there were about 488 people per square mile (188 people per square kilometer).

Most of the people were White (80.3%). There were also African American (2.7%), Native American (3.0%), Asian (3.0%), and Pacific Islander (0.7%) residents. About 6.8% were from other races, and 3.6% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 11.9% of the population.

About half of the people (49.4%) lived in regular homes. The other half (50.6%) lived in group housing, like dorms for park workers.

There were 282 households.

• 15.6% of households had children under 18.
• 26.2% were married couples.
• A small number had a female (2.1%) or male (2.1%) head of household without a spouse.
• 45.0% of households had only one person living there.
• 4.3% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone.

The average household had 1.81 people. There were 86 families, with an average of 2.84 people per family.

The age of the people living here varied:

• 7.8% were under 18.
• 13.5% were 18 to 24 years old.
• 39.9% were 25 to 44 years old.
• 36.5% were 45 to 64 years old.
• 2.2% were 65 or older.

The average age was 37.6 years. For every 100 females, there were about 149 males.

There were 323 housing units. Most of these (99.3%) were rented homes, and only a few (0.7%) were owned by the people living in them.

Population in 2000

In the 2000 census, there were 265 people living in Yosemite Valley. There were 104 households and 50 families. The population density was about 126 people per square mile (48 people per square kilometer).

The racial makeup was mostly White (87.92%). Other groups included African American (0.75%), Native American (2.26%), Asian (1.13%), and people from other races (4.91%) or two or more races (3.02%). Hispanic or Latino people made up 15.09% of the population.

Of the 104 households:

• 27.9% had children under 18.
• 43.3% were married couples.
• 51.0% were not families.
• 44.2% of households had only one person.

The average household size was 2.02 people, and the average family size was 2.90 people.

The age distribution in 2000 was:

• 20.0% under 18.
• 7.2% from 18 to 24.
• 50.9% from 25 to 44.
• 20.0% from 45 to 64.
• 1.9% were 65 or older.

The average age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were about 173 males.

The average income for a household was $58,393, and for a family, it was $61,750. Men generally earned more than women. No one in the community was reported to be living below the poverty line.

See also

In Spanish: Yosemite Valley (California) para niños