Lower Lake (formerly Grantville) 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 the southern
Clear Lake region of
Lake County, in northern
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 ...
.
Lower Lake is also an Indian rancheria of the
Koi Nation people.
Geography
Lower Lake is located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwest of the City of
Clearlake, and southeast of
Kelseyville.
It is at an elevation of .
Lower Lake was at one point the county seat; the Lake County elections of 1867 were hotly contested, with the seat moving between what is now the city of Lakeport and the town of Lower Lake. In 1870, the feud was settled and Lakeport controlled the seat. Although some believe the seat was stolen from Lower Lake, it has remained in Lakeport for over a century and is no longer a topic of concern for locals.
At the 2000 census, 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 had a total area of , of which was land and (0.88%) was water.
History
Lower Lake was founded by E. Mitchell in 1858 as Grantville. He built the first house there. The settlement's first post office was opened in 1858.
The population was 1,294 at the 2010 census, down from 1,755 at the 2000 census.
The Clayton Fire started on August 12, 2016 in areas of Lake County not burned in the Valley and Rocky Point Jerusalem Fires which ravaged Lake County in the summer of 2015. On Sunday afternoon, August 14, 2016, all residents of the town were evacuated and fire razed large parts of the downtown and other areas of Lower Lake, including Copsey Creek Way. Many residents lost everything they had.
Lower Lake Stone Jail
The historic
Lower Lake Stone Jail
Lower Lake Stone Jail, in Lower Lake, California, is a one-room jail claimed to be the smallest jail in the United States, was erected in 1876 of stone locally quarried and reinforced with iron. During the days of the first quicksilver operations ...
was built in 1876 in Lower Lake, from locally quarried stone. It is reputedly the smallest jail in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Demographics
2010
At the
2010 census Lower Lake had a population of 1,294. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lower Lake was 1,031 (79.7%) White, 20 (1.5%) African American, 18 (1.4%) Native American, 13 (1.0%) Asian, 1 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 125 (9.7%) from other races, and 86 (6.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 219 people (16.9%).
The census reported that 1,291 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 3 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 552 households, 146 (26.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 216 (39.1%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 74 (13.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 32 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 40 (7.2%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (0.4%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 190 households (34.4%) were one person and 73 (13.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 322 families (58.3% of households); the average family size was 2.99.
The age distribution was 259 people (20.0%) under the age of 18, 96 people (7.4%) aged 18 to 24, 254 people (19.6%) aged 25 to 44, 449 people (34.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 236 people (18.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
There were 705 housing units at an average density of 261.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 389 (70.5%) were owner-occupied and 163 (29.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 13.7%. 938 people (72.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 353 people (27.3%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the
2000 census there were 1,755 people, 716 households, and 458 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 869 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the CDP was 84.44% White, 1.71% African American, 2.05% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 5.58% from other races, and 5.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.05%.
Of the 716 households 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 27.5% of households were one person and 12.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97.
The age distribution was 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median household income was $24,974 and the median family income was $29,896. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,516. About 9.9% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
In the
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
, Lower Lake is in , and in .
In the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, Lower Lake is in .
References
External links
California.hometownlocator.com: Lower Lake community profile
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Census-designated places in Lake County, California
Populated places established in 1858
1858 establishments in California
Census-designated places in California