West Point (formerly, Indian Gulch and Westpoint) 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 ...

, in the United States. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, West Point's population was 674, down from 746 as of the 2000 census. The town is registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#268. There is an annual ''West Point Lumberjack Days'' festival in the community.

History

West Point was originally the name of a camp established here by scout

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

, who was searching for a pass over 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 ...

. The town was originally named Indian Gulch when founded in 1852; the name was changed to West Point in 1854. The first post office was opened in 1856, the name changed to Westpoint in 1895 and changed back to West Point in 1947. One emigrant road forked by Big Meadow — its north branch came directly to West Point, which was a thriving trading post prior to the gold discovery. Author

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

lived there for a time.

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 , all land.

Climate

According to 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 ...

system, West Point has a

warm-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 ...

, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010

The

reported that West Point had a population of 674. The population density was . The racial makeup of West Point was 563 (83.5%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0 (0.0%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 43 (6.4%) Native American, 2 (0.3%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 7 (1.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 29 (4.3%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 30 (4.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 67 persons (9.9%). The Census reported that 673 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 1 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 308 households, out of which 70 (22.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 125 (40.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 39 (12.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 18 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 18 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 109 households (35.4%) were made up of individuals, and 48 (15.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19. There were 182

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

(59.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.81. The population was spread out, with 133 people (19.7%) under the age of 18, 36 people (5.3%) aged 18 to 24, 119 people (17.7%) aged 25 to 44, 223 people (33.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 163 people (24.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. There were 378 housing units at an average density of , of which 308 were occupied, of which 213 (69.2%) were owner-occupied, and 95 (30.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%. 434 people (64.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 239 people (35.5%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 746 people, 305 households, and 203 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 345 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.04%

, 1.21%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 8.18% Native American, 0.67%

, 2.82% from

, and 5.09% from two or more races. 8.04% of the population were

of any race. There were 305 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% 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 2.86. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.7 males. For every 100 over, there are 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,417, and the median income for a family was $27,794. Males had a median income of $24,028 versus $22,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $11,439. About 28.2% of families and 33.9% 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 45.3% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature, West Point is in , and . Federally, West Point is in .

References

External links

* {{authority control Census-designated places in Calaveras County, California California Historical Landmarks Populated places established in 1852 Census-designated places in California 1852 establishments in California