Mono County (/ˈmoʊnoʊ/MOH-noh) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,195,[6] making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport.[7][8] The county is located east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. The only incorporated town in the county is Mammoth Lakes,[9] which is located at the foot of Mammoth Mountain.[10] Other locations, such as June Lake, are also famous as skiing and fishing resorts. Located in the middle of the county is Mono Lake, a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. The lake is located in a wild natural setting, with pinnacles of tufa arising out of the salty and alkaline lake. Also located in Mono County is Bodie, the official state gold rushghost town, which is now a California State Historic Park.
History
Mono County was formed in 1861 from parts of Calaveras, Fresno and Mariposa counties. A portion of northern Mono County contributed to the formation of Alpine County in 1864; parts of the county's territory were given to Inyo County in 1866.
The county is named after Mono Lake which, in 1852, was named for a Native AmericanPaiute tribe, the Mono people, who historically inhabited the Sierra Nevada from north of Mono Lake to Owens Lake. The tribe's western neighbors, the Yokuts, called them monachie, meaning "fly people" because they used fly larvae as their chief food staple and trading article.[11]
Archeologists know almost nothing about the first inhabitants of the county, as little material evidence has been found from them. The Kuzedika, a band of Paiute, had been there many generations by the time the first anglophones arrived. The Kuzedika were hunter-gatherers and their language is a part of the Shoshone language.[11]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,132 square miles (8,110 km2), of which 3,049 square miles (7,900 km2) is land and 83 square miles (210 km2) (2.6%) is water.[12] The highest point in Mono County is White Mountain Peak which, at 14,252 feet (4,344 m), is the third-highest peak in California.
As of the census[32] of 2000, there were 12,853 people, 5,137 households, and 3,143 families residing in the county. The population density was 4/sq mi (1.5/km2). There were 11,757 housing units at an average density of 4/sq mi (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 17.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.4% were of German, 12.6% Irish and 11.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 84.0% spoke English and 15.1% Spanish as their first language.
There were 5,137 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 121.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,992, and the median income for a family was $50,487. Males had a median income of $32,600 versus $26,227 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,422. About 6.3% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Voter registration
Cities by population and voter registration
Overview
In November 2008, Mono County was one of just three counties in California's interior in which voters rejected Proposition 8 which sought to ban gay marriage. The county's voters rejected Proposition 8 by 55.5 percent to 44.5 percent. The other interior counties in which Proposition 8 failed to receive a majority of votes were neighboring Alpine County and Yolo County.[34]
^"Mono County General Information". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved November 5, 2007.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^"Town of Mammoth Lakes, California". Retrieved November 5, 2007.
^"Mammoth Mountain". Retrieved November 5, 2007.
^ a bSprague, Marguerite (2003). "Welcome to Bodie". Bodie's Gold. Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada Press. pp. 3, 205. ISBN 0-87417-628-X.
^"2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^Granite Mountain Wilderness Archived August 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
^"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 September 28, 2015.
^Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
^ a b"P2 : Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mono 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) – Mono County, California". United States Census Bureau.
^Cirruzzo, Chelsea (June 30, 2021). "The 25 Counties With the Longest Life Expectancy". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
^"P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Mono County, California". United States Census Bureau.
^ 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 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.
^"California's 8th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
^ 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.
^CNMP, US Census Bureau. "This site has been redesigned and relocated. - U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov.
^"2010 Census Interactive Population Search". Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
^"2010 Census Interactive Population Search". Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
Further reading
Rockwell, G. L.; Honeywell, P. D. (2004). Water-quality data for selected stream sites in Bridgeport Valley, Mono County, California, April 2000 to June 2003. U.S. Geological Survey Data Series. Vol. 89. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.