Arnold is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Calaveras County Calaveras County (), officially the County of Calaveras, is a county in both the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,292. The county seat is San Andreas. Angels Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. The population was 3,843 at the 2010 census, down from 4,218 at the 2000 census. Arnold is located on

State Route 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...

History

Arnold is named after Bob and Bernice Arnold, who, in 1927 opened the Ebbetts Pass Inn. Prior to that, the community consisted of two large ranches where logging was the main industry. The inn served as a stop for people traveling along the

Ebbetts Pass Ebbetts Pass (el. ), named after John Ebbetts, is a high mountain pass through the Sierra Nevada range in Alpine County, California. Ebbetts is the eastern of two passes in the area traversed by State Route 4. The western pass is the Pacific Grad ...

route as well as lodging for those visiting nearby

Calaveras Big Trees State Park Calaveras Big Trees State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving two groves of giant sequoia trees. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Arnold, California in the middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada. It h ...

. In 1928, Camp Wolfeboro was established nearby as a Boy Scout camp and continues to be in operation today. The first post office was opened in 1934. Bernice was its postmistress at one time. In 2015 power lines sparked the Butte Fire, which destroyed 549 homes in nearby communities. Arnold was saved when the weather changed, but the fire caused an increased focus on fire safety, although the community was still, in 2019, considered a "very high fire hazard severity zone" due to its location on a ridge outside

, surrounded by dense forest of trees killed by drought and beetles.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.47%) is water. Arnold is considered at high risk of

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

CalFire The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various areas under state responsibi ...

due to its forested ridgetop location with powerful wind gusts up brushy canyons.

Climate

Area has a

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

of '' Csb'', which is a dry-summer subtropical climate often referred to as "Mediterranean".

Demographics

As many as 45% of the dwellings are vacation homes, a factor in fire safety efforts, as absent owners do not always clear the brush from their properties. At the 2010 census Arnold had a population of 3,843. The population density was . The racial makeup of Arnold was 3,590 (93.4%) White, 20 (0.5%) African American, 28 (0.7%) Native American, 46 (1.2%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 60 (1.6%) from other races, and 96 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 259 people (6.7%). The census reported that 3,842 people (100% of the population) lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 1 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 1,761 households, 340 (19.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,024 (58.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 113 (6.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 50 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 87 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 11 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships; 472 households (26.8%) were one person and 201 (11.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.18. There were 1,187 families (67.4% of households); the average family size was 2.60. The age distribution was 613 people (16.0%) under the age of 18, 184 people (4.8%) aged 18 to 24, 563 people (14.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,436 people (37.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,047 people (27.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 54.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. There were 4,897 housing units at an average density of ,of which 1,761 were occupied, 1,422 (80.7%) by the owners and 339 (19.3%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.8%. 2,978 people (77.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 864 people (22.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy

Arnold has a

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

, the Greater Arnold Business Association.

Parks and recreation

Arnold is located in

Stanislaus National Forest Stanislaus National Forest is a U.S. National Forest which manages of land in four counties in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. It was established on February 22, 1897, making it one of the oldest national forests. It was named after t ...

. Parks located in the area include White Pines Park and

. The Arnold Rim Trail, which was created in 2007, is a 17.5 mile multi-use

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

that traverses protected land from Arnold to Avery.

Government

In the state legislature, Arnold is in , and . Federally, Arnold is in . State and federal grants following the Butte Fire have helped to thin overgrown brush in the area, and expand a bulldozed fire break created in the Butte Fire.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Calaveras County, California Census-designated places in California