census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 count ...
(CDP) in
Tulare County
Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes. ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. Cedar Slope sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported that Cedar Slope was uninhabited. Cedar Slope can be reached from Porterville by 37 curvy miles on California State Route 190 with an elevation gain of 5,525 feet.
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 t ...
, the CDP covers an area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km), all of it land.
Demographics
History
The first occupant of Cedar Slope was the artist and seamstress Nellie Marshall in 1881. Nearby Marshall Creek is named after her. In 1945, 80 acres of the original homestead were purchased and developed by Les and Ruth Bailey and Fred and Hazelyn Hopkins. Tulare County approved this 80-acre expanse as Tract 119 in 1947, authorizing the construction of the area's first cabins. Many of the first wave of cabins were built by World War Two veterans. The community owned Cedar Slope Mutual Water Company, established in 1947, provides and manages water to the development. Carl and Lynn Tapia rebuilt the Cedar Slope Inn after the original store on that site on Highway 190 burned down in the late 1960s. The couple ran it as a community bar and music venue until Carl suffered his first stroke in 1997. Afterwards the property passed into other hands. The Cedar Slope Inn suffered no meaningful damage during the Sequoia Complex Fire (
SQF Complex
SQF Complex or Sequoia Complex was a complex of two of the August 2020 California lightning wildfires, burning in Sequoia National Forest and adjacent areas. Sparked on August 19, it included the Castle and Shotgun fires. As of January 5, 2021, ...
).
Sequoia Complex Fire
In September, 2020, Cedar Slope was largely destroyed by the naturally sparked Sequoia Complex Fire. 57 of the 65 cabins were completely burned. In the nearby communities of Alpine Village and Sequoia Crest, 37 and 49 cabins were lost in the fire, respectively. The McIntrye Grove of
Giant Sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...
, a short distance to the south from Cedar Slope, is reported as heavily damaged by SQF Fire. The area remains at risk for mud flows and flash floods due to the charred soil being unable to absorb water.