Alta Sierra (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "Upper Range") 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 counte ...

(CDP) in Nevada County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. The population was 7,204 at the 2020 census.

History

Alta Sierra was laid out by property developers in the 1960s. Alta Sierra is a

golf course community A golf course community is a type of residential Subdivision (land), housing development built around a golf course. History Temple Terrace, Florida is often described as the first planned golf-course community in the United States, dating fro ...

, with homes built around the Alta Sierra Country Club, a semi-private 18 hole course built in 1964. The community has a member-owned airport with a 2800-foot runway. The community is located just east of California State Highway 49, at an elevation of approximately 2300 feet, between the cities of

Grass Valley, California Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,016. Situated at roughly in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this norther ...

to the north and

Auburn, California Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Placer County, California, United States. Its population was 13,776 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history and is registered as a Califo ...

to the south. There is a small commercial district with several restaurants, a gas station, a market and personal service businesses. There is also an elementary school and a motel.

Geography

Alta Sierra is located at (39.128952, -121.052442). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.25%) is water. There is also another community called Alta Sierra in northcentral Kern County, CA near Lake Isabella.

Climate

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Alta Sierra had a population of 7,204. The population density was . The racial makeup of Alta Sierra was 85.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.7% from other races, and 9.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population. The census reported that 100.0% of the population lived in households and 1 person (0.0%) was institutionalized. There were 2,947 households, out of which 25.0% included children under the age of 18, 59.2% were married-couple households, 7.2% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 21.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 12.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 20.5% of households were one person, and 12.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44. There were 2,161

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(73.3% of all households). The age distribution was 19.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% aged 18 to 24, 20.1% aged 25 to 44, 26.5% aged 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 50.7years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. There were 3,065 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,947 (96.2%) were occupied. Of these, 85.6% were owner-occupied, and 14.4% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 3.3% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 95.6% spoke only English at home, 2.7% spoke

, 0.6% spoke other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, 0.1% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.0% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 96.5% were high school graduates and 42.0% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income was $99,576, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $49,657. About 3.3% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

Politics

In the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

, Alta Sierra is in , and . Federally, Alta Sierra is in .

References

External links

* Alta Sierra Property Owner's Associatio

provides local information about the area. {{authority control Census-designated places in Nevada County, California Census-designated places in California