Beckwourth (formerly, Beckwith and Beekwith) is a

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

Plumas County Plumas County () is a county in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,790. The county seat is Quincy, and the only incorporated city is Portola. The largest community in the county is ...

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 ...

, United States. Beckwourth is located on the

Middle Fork Feather River The Middle Fork Feather River is a major river in Plumas and Butte Counties in the U.S. state of California. Nearly long, it drains about of the rugged northern Sierra Nevada range. Its headwaters are located near Beckwourth in the largest al ...

east of Portola. The population was 432 at the 2010 census, up from 342 at the 2000 census.

Name

The community was named for James P. Beckwourth, an explorer who discovered

Beckwourth Pass Beckwourth Pass is the lowest mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at an elevation of . Geography Beckwourth Pass is located at the eastern edge of Sierra Valley at Chilcoot-Vinton, California on the border between Plumas County ...

in 1851.

History

The Beckwith post office opened in 1870 and changed its name to Beckwourth in 1932.

Geography

Beckwourth is located at (39.827528, -120.403710). 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 has a total area of , 99.96% of it land and 0.04% of it water.

Nervino Airport Nervino Airport is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) east of Beckwourth, serving Plumas County, California, United States. The airport is mostly used for general aviation. It is used for the area's annual fly-in breakfast. Facili ...

(FAA identifier: O02 or ''oscar-zero-two'') is plotted three quarters of a mile east of Beckwourth along State Route 70 on the Reconnaissance Peak, California 7.5 minute quadrangle. It has a runway and is located at . The US Geological Survey says variant names for the airport are ''Beckwourth Airport'' and ''Plumas County Airport''. State facilities in the town include a State of California, Department of Water Resources maintenance yard and a Caltrans Maintenance Station. These appear to be colocated (at the same site).

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. 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, Beckwourth 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 "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010

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 servi ...

reported that Beckwourth had a population of 432. The population density was . The racial makeup of Beckwourth was 402 (93.1%)

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 o ...

, 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 ...

, 11 (2.5%) Native American, 2 (0.5%) Asian, 1 (0.2%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 7 (1.6%) 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 9 (2.1%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 29 persons (6.7%). The Census reported that 432 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 196 households, out of which 41 (20.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 111 (56.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 9 (4.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 8 (4.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 53 households (27.0%) were made up of individuals, and 15 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20. There were 131

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. Ideal ...

(66.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.64. The population was spread out, with 71 people (16.4%) under the age of 18, 14 people (3.2%) aged 18 to 24, 72 people (16.7%) aged 25 to 44, 177 people (41.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 98 people (22.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.5 males. There were 342 housing units at an average density of , of which 169 (86.2%) were owner-occupied, and 27 (13.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 8.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 0%. 363 people (84.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 69 people (16.0%) 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 in ...

of 2000, there were 342 people, 147 households, and 108 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 225 housing units at an average density of 19.3 per square mile (7.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.86%

, 2.05% Native American, 0.88%

, 1.46% from

, and 1.75% from two or more races. 2.92% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 147 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.67. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 19.0% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $47,813, and the median income for a family was $52,031. Males had a median income of $49,219 versus $31,250 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 $16,928. None of the families and 2.8% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and 4.8% of those over 64.

Politics

In the state legislature Beckwourth is located in , and . Federally, Beckwourth is in .

Notable people

* Jim Beckwourth, mountain man, fur trader, and explorer * Alice Marble, a World Number One American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam championships

References

External links

Hotels
{{authority control Census-designated places in Plumas County, California Census-designated places in California