Inyo County, California

Inyo County is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the state of Nevada. In the 2010 census, the population was 18,546.[5] The county seat is Independence.[7] Inyo County is on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite National Park in Central California. It contains the Owens River Valley; it is flanked to the west by the Sierra Nevada and to the east by the White Mountains and the Inyo Mountains. With an area of 10,192 square miles (26,397 km2), Inyo County is the second-largest county by area in California, after San Bernardino County. Almost one-half of that area is within Death Valley National Park. However, with a population density of 1.8 people per square mile, it also has the second-lowest population density in California, after Alpine County.

County of Inyo
County
Wildflowers blooming in Death Valley after a wet winter
Seal
Interactive map of Inyo County
Location in the state of California
Coordinates: 36°35′N 117°25′W
Country United States
State California
RegionEastern California
EstablishedMarch 22, 1866[1]
Named for"dwelling place of the great spirit" in Mono language
County seatIndependence
Largest cityBishop
Government
 • Board of Supervisors
 • AssemblymemberDevon Mathis (R)
 • State senatorAndreas Borgeas (R)[3]
 • U. S. rep.Jay Obernolte (R)
Area
 • Total10,227 sq mi (26,490 km2)
 • Land10,181 sq mi (26,370 km2)
 • Water46 sq mi (120 km2)
Highest elevation14,505 ft (4,421 m)
Lowest elevation
−279 ft (−85 m)
Population
 • Total18,546
 • Estimate 
(2019)[6]
18,039
 • Density1.8/sq mi (0.70/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes442/760
FIPS code06-027
GNIS feature ID1804637
Websitewww.inyocounty.us

History
Mount Whitney (top) is less than 90 miles (140 km) away from Badwater Basin in Death Valley (bottom).

Present-day Inyo county has been the historic homeland for thousands of years of the Mono tribe, Coso people, Timbisha, Kawaiisu, and Southern Paiute Native Americans. They spoke the Paiute language, Timbisha language and the Mono language with Mono traditional narratives. The descendants of these ancestors continue to live in their traditional homelands in the Owens River Valley and in Death Valley National Park.

Further information: History of California through 1899

Inyo County was formed in 1866 out of the territory of the unorganized Coso County, which had been created on April 4, 1864, from parts of Mono and Tulare Counties.[8] It acquired more territory from Mono County in 1870 and Kern County and San Bernardino County in 1872.

For many years it has been commonly believed that the county derived its name from the Mono tribe's name for the mountains in its former homeland. Actually the name came to be thought of, mistakenly, as the name of the mountains to the east of the Owens Valley when the first whites there asked the local Paiutes for the name of the mountains to the east. The local Paiutes responded that that was the land of Inyo. They meant by this that those lands belonged to the Shoshone tribe headed by a man whose name was Inyo. Inyo was the name of the headman of the Panamint band of Paiute-Shoshone people at the time of contact when the first whites, the Bennett-Arcane Party of 1849, wandered, lost, into Death Valley on their expedition to the gold fields of western California. The Owens Valley whites misunderstood the local Paiute and thought that Inyo was the name of the mountains when actually it was the name of the chief, or headman, of the tribe that had those mountains as part of their homeland.

"Indian George", a fixture of many of the stories of early Death Valley days, was Inyo's son. Indian George's Shoshone name was "Bah-Vanda-Sa-Va-Nu-Kee", which means "The Boy Who Ran Away", a name he was given when he became terrified of the whites and their wheeled wagons and huge buffalo, none of which the Shoshone had ever seen before when they came wandering down Furnace Creek Wash in December 1849. In 1940, when Bah-vanda was around 100 years old, J.C. Boyles, a Panamint Shoshone who had become educated, came back to the Panamint Valley and interviewed Bah-Vanda at length about the early days of his life, including the events of 1849, and it is in this interview (which can be found in the February 1940 issue of The Desert magazine) that Bah-vanda refers to his father, Inyo.

To supply 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:

Owens Valley and the Sierra Escarpment

Geography

Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, is on Inyo County's western border (with Tulare County). The Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, the lowest place in North America, is in eastern Inyo County. The difference between the two points is about 14,700 feet (4,500 m). They 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. Thus, Inyo County has the greatest elevation difference among all of the counties and county-equivalents in the contiguous United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 10,227 square miles (26,490 km2), of which 10,181 square miles (26,370 km2) is land and 46 square miles (120 km2) (0.5%) is water.[9] It is the second-largest county by area in California and the ninth-largest in the United States (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska).

Lakes

National protected areas

There are 22 official wilderness areas in Inyo County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. This is the second-largest number of any county, exceeded only by San Bernardino County's 35 wilderness areas. Most of these are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management, but four are integral components of Death Valley National Park or Inyo National Forest and are thus managed by either the National Park Service or the Forest Service. Some of these wilderness areas also extend into neighboring counties.

Except as noted, the wilderness areas are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management and lie entirely within Inyo County:

Death Valley National Park
Main article: Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park 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.[10] 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.[10]

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 the Badwater Basin, which is 279 feet (85 m) below sea level.[11] 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.[12] 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.

Other parks

Demographics

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18701,956—
18802,92849.7%
18903,54421.0%
19004,37723.5%
19106,97459.3%
19207,0310.8%
19306,555−6.8%
19407,62516.3%
195011,65852.9%
196011,6840.2%
197015,57133.3%
198017,89514.9%
199018,2812.2%
200017,945−1.8%
201018,5463.3%
2019 (est.)18,039[6]−2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[21]
1790–1960[22] 1900–1990[23]
1990–2000[24] 2010–2015[5]

The 2010 United States Census reported that Inyo County had a population of 18,546. The racial makeup of Inyo County was 13,741 (74.1%) White, 109 (0.6%) African American, 2,121 (11.4%) Native American, 243 (1.3%) Asian, 16 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,676 (9.0%) from other races, and 640 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,597 persons (19.4%).[25]

2000

At the 2000 census,[26] there were 17,945 people, 7,703 households and 4,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 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 80.1% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 10.0% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.6% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. 12.6% 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, 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.

24.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.8% 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 household income was $35,006 and the median family income 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 9.3% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Inyo has been a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. From 1944 to 2016, the only Democrat to win the county (and the last to win a majority of its vote) was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. However, the county shifted decisively leftward in 2020, narrowly supporting Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

Presidential elections results
Inyo County vote
by party in presidential elections[28]
Year GOP DEM Others
2020 48.73% 4,620 48.88% 4,634 2.39% 216
2016 51.94% 4,248 38.57% 3,155 9.48% 776
2012 54.01% 4,340 42.58% 3,422 3.41% 274
2008 52.88% 4,523 43.76% 3,743 3.37% 288
2004 59.09% 5,091 38.88% 3,350 2.03% 175
2000 60.31% 4,713 33.93% 2,652 5.76% 450
1996 51.84% 3,924 34.36% 2,601 13.79% 1,044
1992 43.58% 3,689 31.84% 2,695 24.58% 2,080
1988 64.34% 5,042 33.85% 2,653 1.81% 142
1984 70.32% 5,863 28.30% 2,360 1.38% 115
1980 64.79% 5,201 25.91% 2,080 9.30% 746
1976 58.23% 3,905 39.29% 2,635 2.48% 166
1972 68.07% 4,873 28.02% 2,006 3.91% 280
1968 54.45% 3,641 34.60% 2,314 10.95% 732
1964 46.51% 2,751 53.44% 3,161 0.05% 3
1960 54.65% 2,962 45.07% 2,443 0.28% 15
1956 66.19% 3,524 33.47% 1,782 0.34% 18
1952 68.87% 3,819 30.62% 1,698 0.50% 28
1948 55.79% 2,135 40.21% 1,539 4.00% 153
1944 50.64% 1,699 49.09% 1,647 0.27% 9
1940 44.53% 1,483 54.65% 1,820 0.81% 27
1936 36.47% 912 62.38% 1,560 1.16% 29
1932 30.91% 698 64.61% 1,459 4.47% 101
1928 57.37% 1,206 40.96% 861 1.67% 35
1924 47.52% 950 12.81% 256 39.67% 793
1920 57.20% 1,195 32.65% 682 10.15% 212
1916 41.96% 846 47.92% 966 10.12% 204
1912 0.49% 8 49.54% 806 49.97% 813
1908 40.94% 583 43.40% 618 15.66% 223
1904 55.73% 452 28.48% 231 15.78% 128
1900 42.35% 396 54.01% 505 3.64% 34
1896 34.01% 286 63.26% 532 2.73% 23
1892 51.13% 409 33.25% 266 15.63% 125

In the California State Legislature, Inyo County is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Republican Andreas Borgeas,[3] and the 26th Assembly District, represented by Republican Devon Mathis.[29]

The county is in California's 8th congressional district, represented by Republican Jay Obernolte.[30]

On November 4, 2008, Inyo County voted 60.4% for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Crime

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

County Sheriffs
  • W. A. Greenly (22 Mar 1866- 7 Nov 1867)
  • William A. Moore (7 Nov 1867- 7 Nov 1875)
  • Thomas Passmore (7 Nov 1875- 10 Feb 1878)- Killed On Duty
  • William A. Moore (10 Feb 1878- 4 Jul 1879) - Killed On Duty
  • Samuel S. Gregg (4 Jul 1879- 7 Nov 1888)
  • Fred Charles Scott (7 Nov 1888- 7 Nov 1896)
  • Charles Albert Collins ( 7 Nov 1896- 7 Nov 1916)
  • Boone Newett (7 Nov 1916- 7 Nov 1918)
  • Frank Logan (7 Nov 1918- 7 Nov 1924)
  • Charles Albert Collins (7 Nov 1924-7 Nov 1926)
  • Tom Hutchinson (7 Nov 1926- 7 Nov 1934)
  • Emmett L. Shay (7 Nov 1934- 7 Nov 1942)
  • Charles P. Cline (7 Nov 1942- 7 Nov 1954)
  • Merrill Howard (7 Nov 1954- 7 Nov 1960)
  • Merrill Franklin Culbertson (7 Nov 1960- 7 Nov 1962)
  • Merrill L. Curtis (7 Nov 1962- 7 Nov 1970)
  • Floyd Barton (7 Nov 1970- 7 Nov 1982)
  • Floyd Tidwell (7 Nov 1982- 7 Nov 1984)
  • Don Dorsey (7 Nov 1984- 7 Nov 1996)
  • Dan Lucas ( 7 Nov 1996- 7 Nov 2006)
  • William R. "Bill " Lutze (7 Nov 2006- )

Education

School districts in Inyo County are:

Deep Springs College is a two-year alternative education college in Deep Springs Valley.

Notable locations

Transportation

In the 1920s, automobile clubs and nearby towns started to lobby for trans-Sierra highways over Piute Pass[33] and other locations. However, by end of the 1920s, the Forest Service and the Sierra Club decided that roadless wilderness in the Sierra was valuable, and fought the proposal. The Piute Pass proposal faded out by the early 1930s, with the Forest Service proposing a route over Minaret Summit in 1933.[33] The Minaret Summit route was lobbied against by California's Governor Ronald Reagan in 1972. The expansion of the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses in the 1980s sealed off the Minaret Summit route.[33]

A trans-Sierra route between Porterville and Lone Pine was proposed by local businessmen in 1923.[34] Eventually, a circuitous route across the Sierra was built across the only trans-Sierra route south of Yosemite: Sherman Pass by 1976.[35] That route is Forest Route 22S05 to the west, and Kennedy Meadow Road (County Route J41) and 9-Mile Canyon Road to the east.

Major highways

Public transportation

Eastern Sierra Transit Authority operates intercity bus service along US 395, as well as local services in Bishop. Service extends south to Lancaster (Los Angeles County) and north to Reno, Nevada. [36]

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.

Communities
The Inyo County Court House in Independence

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Inyo County.[37]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Bishop City 3,879
2 Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek CDP 2,645
3 West Bishop CDP 2,607
4 Lone Pine CDP 2,035
5 Big Pine CDP 1,756
6 Bishop Reservation[38] AIAN 1,588
7 † Independence CDP 669
8 Wilkerson CDP 563
9 Big Pine Reservation[39] AIAN 499
10 Round Valley CDP 435
11 Mesa CDP 251
12 Lone Pine Reservation[40] AIAN 212
13 Olancha CDP 192
14 Tecopa CDP 150
15 Fort Independence Reservation[41] AIAN 93
16 Cartago CDP 92
17 Keeler CDP 66
18 Homewood Canyon CDP 44
19 Darwin CDP 43
20 Shoshone CDP 31
t-21 Furnace Creek CDP 24
t-21 Timbi-Sha Shoshone Reservation[42] AIAN 24
22 Trona CDP 18
23 Pearsonville CDP 17
24 Valley Wells CDP 0 (permanent)

See also

Notes
  1. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  2. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  3. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  4. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.

References
  1. "Inyo County". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  2. "Inyo County Representatives". County of Inyo. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  3. "Communities of Interest — County". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  4. "Mount Whitney". Peakbagger.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  5. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  7. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  8. California; Hittell, Theodore Henry (1865). California, Theodore Henry Hittell, The general laws of the State of California, from 1850 to 1864, H.H. Bancroft, San Francisco, 1865. p.190. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  10. National Park Index (2001–2003), p. 26
  11. "USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 meter Downloadable Data Collection from The National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) - National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) National Elevation Data Set (NED)". United States Geological Survey. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  12. NPS website, "Backcountry Roads"
  13. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  14. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  15. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  16. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  17. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website . Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  20. Data unavailable
  21. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  22. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  23. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  24. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  25. "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
  26. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  27. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 – Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  28. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  29. "Members Assembly". State of California. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  30. "California's 8th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  31. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Archived December 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  32. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California) Archived June 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  33. Marsh, Steve (2015). "The High Sierra Piute Highway" (PDF). US Forest Service.
  34. "Trail Over Mountains Supported". Los Angeles Times. June 15, 1923. p. II10.
  35. "See It All in the Sierra". The Fresno Bee. October 24, 1976.
  36. https://www.estransit.com/routes-schedule/395-routes/
  37. Promotions, Center for New Media and. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census". census.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  38. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map". census.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  39. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map". census.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  40. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map". census.gov. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  41. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map". census.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  42. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map". census.gov. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
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