The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county.
Etymology
The name Tuolumne is of Native American origin and has been given different meanings, such as Many Stone Houses, The Land of Mountain Lions, and Straight Up Steep, the latter an interpretation of William Fuller, a native Chief.[8]Mariano Vallejo, in his report to the first California State Legislature, said that the word is "a corruption of the Native American word talmalamne which signifies 'cluster of stone wigwams.'"[9] The name may mean "people who dwell in stone houses," i.e., in caves.
History
Tuolumne County Boundaries
One of California's original 27 counties, Tuolumne was organized in 1850.
Prior to the official naming of counties by the state, Tuolumne was sometimes referred to as Oro County.[10]
The original lines of Tuolumne County were not long established. In 1854 and 1855 the portion of Tuolumne County that extended west into the San Joaquin Valley was reorganized as Stanislaus County.
In 1864 a number of the original counties including Tuolumne contributed lands that would lead to the establishment of Alpine County to the northeast. With the State's Adoption of the Political Code in 1872
the current boundaries of Tuolumne County were largely established as shown in the maps below.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,274 square miles (5,890 km2), of which 2,221 square miles (5,750 km2) is land and 54 square miles (140 km2) (2.4%) is water.[11] A California Department of Forestry document reports Tuolumne County's 1,030,812 acres (4,171.55 km2) include federal lands such as Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Bureau of Land Management lands, and Indian reservations. Notable landforms in the county include Table Mountain.
Special Districts
Special districts in Tuolumne County include:
Belleview Elementary School District
Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District
Chinese Camp Elementary School District
Columbia Fire District
Columbia Union Elementary School District
Curtis Creek Elementary School District
Groveland Community Services District
Jamestown Elementary School District
Jamestown Fire District
Mi-Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Protection District
Sonora Elementary School District
Sonora Union High School District
Soulsbyville Elementary School District
Strawberry Fire District
Summerville Elementary School District
Summerville Union High School District
Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District
Tuolumne County Water District No. 1
Tuolumne Fire District
Tuolumne Regional Water District
Tuolumne Utilities District
Twain Harte Fire District
Twain Harte-Long Barn Union Elementary School District
Tuolumne County Transit bus routes radiate from Sonora to serve most of the county. In Columbia, a connection can be made to Calaveras County Transit. There is no public transportation into or out of Tuolumne County that connects to any of the closest metropolitan areas.
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
Cities by population and crime rates
Demographics
2020 census
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 can be of any race.
As of the census[30] of 2000, there were 54,501 people, 21,004 households, and 14,240 families residing in the county. The population density was 9/km2 (23/sq mi). There were 28,336 housing units at an average density of 5/km2 (13/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 89.5% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 8.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 94.7% spoke English and 3.5% Spanish as their first language.
There were 21,004 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 111.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,725, and the median income for a family was $44,327. Males had a median income of $35,373 versus $25,805 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,015. About 8.1% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government and policing
The Government of Tuolumne County is established and defined by the California Constitution and is a five-member elected Board Of Supervisors who serve four year elected terms. The government provides services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. The Board is government for all unincorporated areas. Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County.
Sheriff and Police
The Tuolumne County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county.
Within the city limits of Sonora, patrol and detective services are served by the Sonora Police Department.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^"Chief Fuller Historical Monument". Twainhartevisitor.com. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
^Fabian, Jose; Schlepp, Travis (July 2, 2022). "The most mispronounced places in California". KTLA. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
^"Tuolumne County, California – International Cities of Peace". Retrieved November 21, 2022.
^"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
^U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lone Gulch
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p qU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ a b c d e f g h i jOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Archived December 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
^ a b cUnited States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.
^"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
^"Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
^"Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
^"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
^ a b"P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Tuolumne County, California". United States Census Bureau.
^ a b"P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Tuolumne County, California". United States Census Bureau.
^ a bU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ a bU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ a bU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ a bU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ a bU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p qCalifornia Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
^"Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". Cnn.com. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
^Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
^"California's 4th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
^"Census Coverage Measurement". Census.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
^"2010 Census Interactive Population Search : Tuolumne Rancheria". Census.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
^"2010 Census Interactive Population Search : Chicken Ranch Rancheria". Census.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
Further reading
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Merced, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, California. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1892.
"Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit: 2005 Pre-Fire Management Plan, September 28, 2005 Edition," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Sep 28, 2005, pp. 16.
US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
CNN News, "Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008", CNN News, November 2008.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tuolumne County, California.
Official website
Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority's Web Site