Sonora is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Tuolumne County, California
Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Tuolumne County comprises the ...
. Founded during the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
by Mexican miners from
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
(after which the city is named), the city population was 5,226 during the
2020 Census, an increase of 221 from the 4,903 counted during the
2010 Census.
Sonora is the only
incorporated community in Tuolumne County.
History
![Portrait of Teresa Salas (12622794665)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Portrait_of_Teresa_Salas_%2812622794665%29.jpg)
Sonora was founded by Mexican miners during the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
. Named after their home state of
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, it was once a booming center of industry and trade in California's
Mother Lode. Most of the gold that was removable with
traditional mining
Traditional mining, also known as old-school mining, is a mining method involving the use of simple manual tools, such as shovels, pickaxes, hammers, chisels and pans. It is done in both surface and underground environments. Until the early 1900s, ...
techniques was quickly extracted, leaving miners to use more complex and expensive mining techniques to reach deep pockets of quartz and gold. Sonora as well as other mining towns of the era experienced economic hardship when the value of gold decreased. As "gold fever" died down, Sonora's size and population steadily decreased over the years. In c. 1851, the
Sonora Hebrew Cemetery
The Sonora Hebrew Cemetery, also known as Pioneer Jewish Cemetery, is an inactive Jewish cemetery founded in c. 1851, and located in Sonora, California. This was the first Jewish cemetery in the Gold Rush region.
History
The cemetery was foun ...
was formed by the Hebrew Benevolent Society and is mostly the graves of European-born Jews who emigrated to Gold Country.
As detailed in the 2005 memoir of novelist
David Carkeet
David Carkeet (born November 15, 1946, Sonora, California) is an American novelist and essayist. Three of his novels have been named ''The New York Times Book Review'' Notable Books of the Year.
Biography
Carkeet grew up in the small northern Cali ...
, ''Campus Sexpot'', Sonora was fictionalized as "Wattsville", the setting of Dale Koby's cult/underground classic (also titled ''Campus Sexpot''). The sequel, ''From Roundheel To Revolutionary'' by Jeff Daiell, also takes place primarily in "Wattsville"/Sonora.
A local museum preserves the town's Gold Rush legacy.
Geography
Sonora is located at ,
around the intersection of
California State Highways 49 and
108 108 may refer to:
* 108 (number)
* AD 108, a year
* 108 BC, a year
* 108 (artist) (born 1978), Italian street artist
* 108 (band), an American hardcore band
* 108 (emergency telephone number), an emergency telephone number in several states in Ind ...
The altitude is . 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 city has a total area of , 99.55% of it land and 0.45% of it water.
Climate
Sonora has cool, wet winters and hot, mostly dry summers. Average January temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of . Average July temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of . There are an average of 95.5 days annually with highs of or higher and an average of 52.2 days annually with lows of or lower. The record high temperature was on June 22, 1961, and July 15, 1972. The record low temperature was on December 9, 1972.
Average annual rainfall is , almost all from November through April, although there are occasionally afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the summer months, which drift down from the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
. There are an average of 60 days annually with measurable precipitation. The wettest “rain year” has been from July 1994 to June 1995 with and the driest from July 1975 to June 1976 with . The most rainfall in one month was in December 1955, including on December 27, the record 24-hour rainfall. Average annual snowfall is only . The most snowfall in one month was in January 1933.
The
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 ...
subtype for this climate is ''
Csa
CSA may refer to:
Arts and media
* Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
* Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics
* Crime Syndicate of Amer ...
'' (
hot-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
).
Demographics
2010
At the
2010 census Sonora had a population of 4,903. The population density was . The racial makeup of Sonora was 4,402 (89.8%) White, 24 (0.5%) African American, 95 (1.9%) Native American, 79 (1.6%) Asian, 12 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 84 (1.7%) from other races, and 207 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 542 people (11.1%).
The census reported that 4,613 people (94.1% of the population) lived in households, 85 (1.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 205 (4.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 2,199 households, 562 (25.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 689 (31.3%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 308 (14.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 116 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 192 (8.7%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 12 (0.5%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 881 households (40.1%) were one person and 312 (14.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.10. There were 1,113 families (50.6% of households); the average family size was 2.77.
The age distribution was 975 people (19.9%) under the age of 18, 526 people (10.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,266 people (25.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,324 people (27.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 812 people (16.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
There were 2,463 housing units at an average density of 800.2 per square mile, of the occupied units 898 (40.8%) were owner-occupied and 1,301 (59.2%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%. 1,960 people (40.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,653 people (54.1%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/St._James_Episcopal_Church_in_autumn_01_%28cropped%29.jpg)
At the
2000 census,
there were 4,423 people in 2,051 households, including 1,046 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 2,197 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.4% White, 0.7% African American, 1.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race comprise 8.4% of the population.
There were 2,051 households, 24.0% had children under the age of 18, 33.2% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.0% were non-families. 40.3% of households were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.75.
The age distribution was 20.4% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median household income was $28,858 and the median family income was $39,722. Males had a median income of $40,958 versus $26,111 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,248. 16.9% of the population and 10.9% of families 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 ...
. Out of the total population, 22.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Political affiliation
Sonora is politically diverse but tilts slightly towards the
Republican Party, though Sorona's inner regions are supportive of
Democrats. In the
2020 presidential election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**C ...
, GOP incumbent
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
won Sorona's outer regions while Joe Biden took Sorona's inner regions; residents of Sonora however supported Biden by much higher margins in general than they did support
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in the
2016 election.
Economy and tourism
![Sonora Hope COVID19](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Sonora_Hope_COVID19.jpg)
The area economy was historically based on the mining and timber industries, but now relies on tourism. One of two active lumber mills in Tuolumne County was shut down in 2009, but reopened in July 2011.
As the closest city to
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
, Sonora provides services to some of Yosemite's visitors. The city also benefits from its proximity to
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, and its operating entity, the Sierra Railway, is known as "The Movie Railroad." Both entities are a heritage railway and are a unit of the California State Park System. Railtown 1897 is located in Jamestown, C ...
.
Education
The city's schools include its namesake educational institutions Sonora Union High School and Sonora Elementary School, as well as Dario Cassina High and the
Foothill Horizons Outdoor School.
Columbia Community College is part of Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) which also includes Modesto Junior College is the sole college in Tuolumne County and offers two-year degrees. Individuals wishing to attend a university must commute 50 miles to
University of California, Merced
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California (UC) campuses. Established ...
or
California State University, Stanislaus
California State University, Stanislaus (Stanislaus State, Stan State) is a public university in Turlock, Stanislaus County, California. It is part of the California State University system. It was established in 1957 and is also the only cam ...
in
Turlock
Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its estimated 2019 population of 73,631 made it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto.
History
Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer Jo ...
.
Government and politics
![2009-0724-CA-TuolumneCtyCt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/2009-0724-CA-TuolumneCtyCt.jpg)
Sonora uses a city council consisting of five council members, including the mayor. The city council appoints a city administrator to implement the council's policies and enforce ordinances. As of March 2020, the current mayor of Sonora is Matt Hawkins and the current city administrator is Melissa Eads.
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 ...
, Sonora 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 ...
, Sonora is in .
Culture and arts
![Sonora CA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Sonora_CA.jpg)
The newspaper of record for the Sonora area is the Union Democrat.
The Tuolumne County Film Commission describes Sonora as "one of the country's most versatile locations", where more than "300 film and television series" have been made.
Local museums depict the Gold Rush era and historic Sonora.
The small town is home to two resident theatre companies. The community theatre Stage 3 produces comedic and dramatic plays in its small space, often providing pre-show musical entertainment from local singers and groups. The professional theatre company Sierra Repertory Theatre produces a variety of musicals and plays each year at two different theatre buildings, the East Sonora Theatre and the Fallon House Theatre in Columbia.
Sonora is also home to the Tuolumne County Arts Alliance.
The pilot, and various scenes, of the television show, Little House on the Prairie was filmed in Sonora.
Notable people
*
Vaughn Armstrong
Vaughn Dale Armstrong (born July 7, 1950) is an American actor. He is noted for portraying many characters in the '' Star Trek'' franchise, in four ''Star Trek'' television series. He is perhaps best known as the recurring character Admiral ...
– actor
*
Melvin Belli
Melvin Mouron Belli (July 29, 1907 – July 9, 1996) was a prominent United States lawyer, writer, and actor known as "The King of Torts" and by insurance companies as "Melvin Bellicose". He had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gab ...
– attorney
*
David Carkeet
David Carkeet (born November 15, 1946, Sonora, California) is an American novelist and essayist. Three of his novels have been named ''The New York Times Book Review'' Notable Books of the Year.
Biography
Carkeet grew up in the small northern Cali ...
- writer
*
Jack Cassinetto
Jack Thomas Cassinetto (March 26, 1944 - January 4, 2018, Sonora, California) was a prolific California plein air artist of the tonalism movement who painted primarily Northern California landscapes such as Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, the Gold Country, ...
– painter
*
Phil Coke
Phillip Douglas Coke (born July 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Baseball c ...
–
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher
*
Molly Culver
Molly, Mollie or mollies may refer to:
Animals
* ''Poecilia'', a genus of fishes
** ''Poecilia sphenops'', a fish species
* A female mule (horse–donkey hybrid)
People
* Molly (name) or Mollie, a female given name, including a list of persons ...
- actress
*
Charles Dellschau
Charles August Albert Dellschau (4 June 1830 Brandenburg, Prussia – 20 April 1923 Houston, Texas) was a Prussian-American who gained posthumous fame after the discovery of his large scrapbooks that contained drawings, collages and watercolors ...
– artist
*
T.J. Dillashaw
Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw (born February 7, 1986) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion.
Dillashaw competed on ...
-
UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
Bantamweight Champion
*
Ross Dwelley -
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
tight end
*
Larry Franco
Larry Joseph Franco (born April 5, 1949) is an American film producer. He has also served as an actor, second unit director and assistant director. He is the father of former Atlanta Braves baseball player Matt Franco and Phronsie Franco. He is ...
- film producer
*
James P. Hogan – writer
*
Jenny O'Hara
Patricia Joanne "Jenny" O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''B ...
– actress
*
Josh Parry - NFL fullback
*
Dan Pastorini
Dante Anthony Pastorini (born May 26, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Santa Clara University and wa ...
– NFL quarterback
*
Francis "Rocco" Prestia - bassist of
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the b ...
*
Tata Vega
Tata or TATA may refer to:
Places
* Jamshedpur, a city in Jharkhand, India also known as Tatanagar or Tata
* Tata, Hungary, a town in Hungary
* Tata Islands, a pair of small islands off the coast of New Zealand
* Tata, Morocco, a city in Tata ...
- Entertainer
*
Kahale Warring
Kahalekuiokalani Michael Wodehouse Warring ( ) (born March 23, 1997) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at San Diego State Aztecs football, San Diego State and was selected by the Houston Texans in t ...
- NFL Tight End
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1851 establishments in California
Cities in Tuolumne County, California
County seats in California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Mining communities of the California Gold Rush
Populated places established in 1851
Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States)