Bridgeport, CA
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Bridgeport is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mono County, California, United States. It is the Mono county seat. The population was 553 at the 2020 census. The first post office at Bridgeport opened in 1864. The ZIP code is 93517, and the community is in area codes 760 and 442.


Geography

Bridgeport is in northwestern Mono County and lies at an elevation of in the middle of the
Bridgeport Valley The Bridgeport Valley is a large, fertile mountain basin between the eastern Sierra Nevada and the Bodie Hills of the U.S. state of California. The valley is long and wide, and is used primarily for ranching. The East Walker River is the main s ...
. The town center is located at the intersection of
U.S. Route 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road be ...
and State Route 182. US 395 leads south to
Mammoth Lakes Mammoth Lakes is a town in Mono County, California, and is the county's only incorporated community. It is located immediately to the east of Mammoth Mountain, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,191, r ...
and northwest to
Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...
, while State Route 182 leads northeast to the Nevada border. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of , 99.96% of it land, and 0.04% of it water.
Bridgeport Reservoir Bridgeport Reservoir is a lake at the lower end of Bridgeport Valley in Mono County, California. Its earth-filled dam was constructed in 1923 by the Walker River Irrigation District, along the East Walker River. The lake has a storage capacity of ...
, an impoundment on the
East Walker River The East Walker River is an approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed March 17, 2011 tributary of the Walker River, in eastern California and western Nevada i ...
, forms the northwest edge of the community. The US Marine Corps'
Mountain Warfare Training Center The Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) is a United States Marine Corps installation located in Pickel Meadows on California State Route 108 at above sea level in the Toiyabe National Forest, northwest of Bridgeport, California. The train ...
is located approximately west of Bridgeport on State Route 108.


Demographics

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 ...
reported that Bridgeport had a population of 575. The population density was . The racial makeup of Bridgeport was 484 (84.2%) White, 1 (0.2%) African American, 43 (7.5%) Native American, 1 (0.2%)
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 ...
, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 25 (4.3%) from other races, and 21 (3.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or
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 148 persons (25.7%). The Census reported that 559 people (97.2% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 16 (2.8%) were institutionalized. There were 257 households, out of which 67 (26.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 124 (48.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 22 (8.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 9 (3.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 12 (4.7%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships POSSLQ ( , plural POSSLQs) is an abbreviation (or acronym) for "Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters", a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of ...
, and 1 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 88 households (34.2%) were made up of individuals, and 26 (10.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18. There were 155 families (60.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.83. The population was spread out, with 119 people (20.7%) under the age of 18, 46 people (8.0%) aged 18 to 24, 118 people (20.5%) aged 25 to 44, 193 people (33.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 99 people (17.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.5 males. There were 357 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.3/km2), of which 160 (62.3%) were owner-occupied, and 97 (37.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 19.0%. 341 people (59.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 218 people (37.9%) lived in rental housing units.


Tourism

Formerly known as Big Meadows, Bridgeport is annually visited by thousands of tourists, many of whom come to the area for its well-known trout streams and lakes.
Bridgeport Reservoir Bridgeport Reservoir is a lake at the lower end of Bridgeport Valley in Mono County, California. Its earth-filled dam was constructed in 1923 by the Walker River Irrigation District, along the East Walker River. The lake has a storage capacity of ...
, Twin Lakes,
Virginia Lakes Virginia Lakes refers to a basin of lakes in the Eastern Sierra Nevada in Mono County, California. Virginia Lakes is located a few miles off U.S. Highway 395; the road to the lakes turns off U.S. 395 at Conway Summit, roughly halfway between ...
, Green Creek, the
East Walker River The East Walker River is an approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed March 17, 2011 tributary of the Walker River, in eastern California and western Nevada i ...
, the
West Walker River The West Walker River is a tributary of the Walker River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 17, 2011 in eastern California and western Nevada in t ...
and numerous small tributaries and backcountry lakes offer rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout fishing. The Bridgeport Fish Enhancement Program sponsors fishing tournaments twice per season. Bridgeport also occasionally plays host to the annual
E Clampus Vitus The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) is a fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of Western United States, the American West, especially the history of the Mother Lode#California Mother Lode, Mother ...
celebration. Bridgeport is known for its backcountry winter recreation. Over 500 miles of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding, snowmobiling and multiple-use trails are found around the town, including Virginia Lakes Road, the Sweetwater Range, Buckeye, Bodie Hills and Summers Meadows. Many backcountry bowls can be used for telemarking and cross-country downhilling. Bridgeport is also notable for its proximity to the well-preserved ghost town of
Bodie Bodie ( ) is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States. It is about southeast of Lake Tahoe, and east-southeast of Bridgeport, California, Bridgepo ...
. The
Mono County Courthouse The Mono County Courthouse, on Main St. in Bridgeport, California, is a historic Italianate-style building that was built in 1880. It is a -story building with dimensions . It was designed by architect J. R. Roberts and was built for total cos ...
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


Climate

Bridgeport experiences a
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
(''Dsb'') and featuring cold, relatively snowy winters and dry summers with very warm days and cold mornings. Average January temperatures in Bridgeport are a maximum of and a minimum of . Average July temperatures are a maximum of and a minimum of . There are an average of 8.4 days with highs of or higher and 15.2 days where the high does not top freezing. With the high altitude, nights are extremely cold, with an average of 243.0 mornings with lows of or lower and 17.7 mornings with lows under . The record high temperature of was on July 11, 2002. The record low temperature of occurred on January 31, 1937. Average annual precipitation is . There are an average of 40.4 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983 with and the driest was 1966 with . The most precipitation in one month was during January 2017. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on February 2, 1936. Average annual snowfall is . The snowiest year was 1916 with , including in January 1916. The maximum snow depth was on February 25, 1969.


Politics


State

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 ...
, Bridgeport is in , and in .


Federal

Bridgeport is in .


Native Americans

Bridgeport is the tribal headquarters for the
Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California The Bridgeport Indian Colony of California ( pao, A'waggu Dükadü, ''lit. those who eat suckers''), formerly known as the "Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California", is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute Indians in Mono County, ...
.


Education

Bridgeport is in the Eastern Sierra Unified School District, which has its main office in town.Mono County Office of Education
/ref> An elementary school and a high school (
Eastern Sierra Academy Eastern Sierra Academy (ESA) was an extremely small (twenty students and four teachers), technology-based, college-preparatory public high school serving the town of Bridgeport, California, United States. In ''Newsweek'' magazine's Challenge in ...
School's website
) are located in Bridgeport. Bridgeport also has a public library.


Bridgeport in fiction

Bridgeport is the setting of the 1947 film '' Out of the Past''; several sequences were filmed on location in the town. Bridgeport plays a small role in the novel '' The Dharma Bums'' (1958) by
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...
; it is the place from where the main characters Ray Smith, Japhy Ryder and Henry Morley start their climb to the nearby Matterhorn Peak. Bridgeport is also mentioned in the 1973 supernatural thriller novel '' The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' by Max Ehrlich. The protagonist, a Native American studies professor at UCLA, is distracted by various memories of a previous life recalled constantly and involuntarily in the form of dreams whenever he falls asleep to the point where it begins to detract from his ability to function. He is called as an expert witness on behalf of a local band of Paiute Native Americans at a court hearing in Bridgeport and bungles it. Bridgeport in 1867 is the setting for the 2017 historical fiction novel, ''Heartwood'', by JoAnn Conner. The main character, Matthew Raines recruits the townspeople, including the historic figure of Sheriff Zachary Tinkum, to solve a murder and mystery. Interaction with surrounding towns, including Bodie, Genoa, and Virginia City, become important to the story. Historical facts are used to enhance the plot and numerous characters, including a mysterious cowboy from the legendary Hunewill Ranch.


References


External links


Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Census-designated places in Mono County, California County seats in California Hot springs of California Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States) Populated places established in 1864 1864 establishments in California Hot springs of Mono County, California