El Dorado County (; ''El Dorado'', Spanish for "The Golden ne), officially the County of El Dorado, is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Placerville. The county is part of the

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

- Roseville- Arden-Arcade, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located entirely in 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 primari ...

, from the historic Gold Country in the western foothills to the High Sierra in the east. El Dorado County's population has grown as Greater Sacramento has expanded into the region. Where the county line crosses US 50 at Clarksville, the distance to Sacramento is . In the county's high altitude eastern end at

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

, environmental awareness and environmental protection initiatives have grown along with the population since the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Valley ...

, hosted at the former Squaw Valley Ski Resort in neighboring Placer County.

History

What is now known as El Dorado County has been home to the Maidu, Nisenan, Washoe, and

Miwok The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native Americans in the United States, Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok lan ...

Indigenous American

nation A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, t ...

s for centuries. The region became famous for being the site of the 1848 discovery that sparked the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) 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 from the rest of the U ...

. As a result, the name "El Dorado" was derived from the Spanish word for, "The Gilded One". The County of El Dorado was one of California's original 27 counties created effective February 18, 1850 (the number has risen to 58 today). The final segments of the Pony Express mail route ran through El Dorado County until its replacement with the telegraph service in 1861;

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

follows the Pony Express route today. The '' Placerville Mountain Democrat'', California's oldest surviving newspaper, serves El Dorado County. The Caldor Fire started on August 14, 2021, near Little Mountain, south of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County, about east of Omo Ranch and south of Grizzly Flats. It initially burned slowly, but exploded in size on August 16 due to high winds. By the night of August 16, it was . On August 17, the fire grew to as it expanded rapidly north and east, crossing the North Fork Cosumnes River and approaching Sly Park Reservoir. By August 20, the fire had burned nearly to U.S. Route 50, forcing a closure of the highway. Over the next few days, the fire crossed Highway 50 in the vicinity of Kyburz. Starting on August 27, winds drove the fire rapidly east towards the

Basin. By August 30, it had reached Echo Summit, less than from South Lake Tahoe. There are only two municipalities in El Dorado County: Placerville and South Lake Tahoe.

Government and policing

Policing

The El Dorado County Sheriff provides court protection, county jail administration, and coroner service for all of the county and provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated cities Placerville, population 11,000, and South Lake Tahoe, population 22,000, have municipal police departments.

Sheriffs

* James Hume (Feb 18, 1850 – November 7, 1852) * Steven Charles Austin (Nov 7, 1852 – November 7, 1856) * William Tanner Henson (Nov 7, 1856 – September 15, 1859) * Walter J. Burwell (Sep 15, 1859 – August 15, 1863) * Henry Gooding (Aug 15, 1863 – November 7, 1867) * Jacob Hart Neff (Nov 7, 1867 – November 7, 1871) * Charles Benjamin Dunnam (Nov 7, 1871 – November 7, 1875) * Jason McCormick (Nov 7, 1875 – November 7, 1881) * George Burnham (Nov 7, 1881 - November 7, 1883) * Thomas Augustus Galt (Nov 7, 1883 - November 7, 1887) * George H. Hilbert (Nov 7, 1887 - November 7, 1898) * Archie Speer Bosquit (Nov 7, 1898 - November 7, 1907) * Gilbert Cook (Nov 7, 1907 – May 9, 1912) * Albert George Bradshaw (May 9, 1912 - November 7, 1914) * Charles E. Hand (Nov 7, 1914 – November 7, 1925) * Charles F. Woods (Nov 7, 1925 – November 7, 1931) * George Martin Smith Sr. (Nov 7, 1931 – November 7, 1941) * Lowell Fred West (Nov 7, 1941 – November 7, 1949) * Rowland M. Morris (Nov 7, 1949 – November 7, 1955) * Ernie Carlson (Nov 7, 1955 – November 7, 1965) * Robert Mitchum (Nov 7, 1965 - November 7, 1971) * Ernie Carlson (Nov 7, 1971 - November 7, 1975) * Al Coombs (Nov 7, 1975 - November 7, 1977) * Richard "Dick" Pacileo (Nov 7, 1975 – November 7, 1991) * Don McDonald (1991 – 1997) * Hal Barker (1997 – 2002) * Jeff Neves (Nov 7, 2001 – November 7, 2010) * John D'Agostini (Nov 7, 2010 – January 3, 2023) * Jeff Leikauf (January 3, 2023 – Present)

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.4%) is water. The county, owing to its location in the Sierra Nevada, consists of rolling hills and mountainous terrain. The northeast corner is in the Lake Tahoe Basin (part of the Great Basin), including a portion of the lake itself. Across the Sierra crest to the west lies the majority of the county, referred to as the "western slope." A portion of Folsom Lake is in the northwest corner of the county. Much of the county is public land. The Eldorado National Forest comprises a significant portion (approximately 43%) of the county's land area, primarily on the western slope. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, formerly part of the Eldorado and two other National Forests, manages much of the land east of the crest. The Pacific Crest Trail runs through the eastern part of the county, along or roughly paralleling the Sierra crest. The county is home to the Desolation Wilderness, a popular destination for hiking, backpacking, and fishing.

Adjacent counties

* Placer County – north *

Douglas County, Nevada Douglas County is a County (United States), county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,488. Its county seat is Minden, Nevada, Minden. Douglas County comprises the Gardnerville Ran ...

– northeast * Alpine County – southeast * Amador County – south * Sacramento County – southwest

Geographic features

American River The American River is a List of rivers of California, river in California that runs from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range to its confluence with the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento. Via the Sacramento River, it ...

* Carson Range * Crystal Range * Echo Lake * Fallen Leaf Lake * Folsom Lake * Francis Lake * Freel Peak as its highest point at * Gilmore Lake * Green Springs Ranch *

* Loon Lake * Lost Lake * Mount Price * Mount Tallac * Pyramid Lake *

* Silver Peak * Talking Mountain * Union Valley Reservoir * Waca Lake

Recreation

Local landmarks

* Fountain-Tallman Soda Works * John Pearson Soda Works * Combellack-Blair House * Rubicon Point Light

Parks

* D. L. Bliss State Park * Desolation Wilderness * Eagle Falls trailhead * Eldorado National Forest * Emerald Bay State Park * Folsom Lake State Recreation Area * Glen Alpine Springs trailhead * Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park * Pine Hill Ecological Reserve * Tahoe National Forest

Skiing

* Heavenly Ski Resort * Sierra-At-Tahoe Ski Resort

Racing

* Placerville Speedway

Wineries

* California Shenandoah Valley AVA * El Dorado AVA * Fair Play AVA * Sierra Foothills AVA

Demographics

The vast majority of the population lives in a narrow strip along

, with the majority living between El Dorado Hills and Pollock Pines. The remainder resides in the South Lake Tahoe area, and in various dispersed rural communities.

2020 census

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

The 2010 United States census reported that El Dorado County had a population of 181,058. The racial makeup of El Dorado County was 156,793 (86.6%)

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 ...

, 1,409 (0.8%)

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 ...

, 2,070 (1.1%) Native American, 6,297 (3.5%) Asian, 294 (0.2%)

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 ...

, 7,278 (4.0%) from other races, and 6,917 (3.8%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 21,875 persons (12.1%). The largest growth in the county has come in El Dorado Hills where the population grew by 24,092 residents to a total of 42,108 since 2000.

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 156,299 people, 58,939 households, and 43,025 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 71,278 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.7%

, 0.5%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 1.0% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1%

, 3.6% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 9.3% of the population were

or Latino of any race. 14.9% were of German, 13.4% English, 10.3% Irish, 6.6% Italian and 6.6%

American ancestry In the demography of the United States, some people self-identify their ancestral origin or descent as "American", rather than the more common officially recognized racial and ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the American people. The ...

according to Census 2000. 90.5% spoke English and 6.5% Spanish as their first language. There were 58,939 households, out of which 34.2% had youngsters under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The 2000 census also states that the median income for a household in the county was $51,484, and the median income for a family was $60,250. Males had a median income of $46,373 versus $31,537 for females. 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 ...

for the county was $25,560. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% 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 ...

, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

El Dorado is a predominantly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. However, from 1880 until 1952, the county was a Democratic stronghold, with

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and Warren Harding being the only two Republicans to carry the county. Since 1952, however, El Dorado has gone Democratic only three times: in 1960 narrowly for John F. Kennedy, in 1964 in a landslide for

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

, and in 1976 narrowly for

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. The county is noted as a center of political concern with the United Nations non-binding sustainable development plan Agenda 21, which was on the County Board of Supervisors meeting Agenda on May 15, 2012. Concerns included the threat of U.S. Forest Service road closures and traffic roundabouts. On February 19, 2013, 14 members of the El Dorado County Grand Jury resigned, forcing Supervising Judge Steven Bailey to dissolve it. El Dorado County has a secessionist movement, calling for the county of less than 200,000 residents to become a new state of the union.

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, the least populous current state, has approximately three times the number of residents. Sharon Durst, one of the leaders of the movement, was previously a supporter of the State of Jefferson movement, that advocates for Northern California counties and Southern Oregon counties to form a new state. El Dorado County's seat, Placerville, is located 45 miles from

, the state's capital. The leadership of the movement acknowledges that it is unlikely that the California legislature would approve their separation from the state, as required by the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

. They promote an unproven theory that the county "is technically not a legitimate piece of California and is instead 'other property' of Congress". El Dorado County is split between two Congressional districts, with the western third of the County in the 5th Congressional District, represented by Tom McClintock, and the eastern two-thirds in the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Kevin Kiley. In the State Assembly, the county is split between and . In the

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

, it is in .

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Transportation

Major highways

* State Route 49 * State Route 89 * State Route 153 * State Route 193 * Luther Pass

Public transportation

* El Dorado Transit runs local service in Placerville and surrounding areas (as far east as Pollock Pines). Commuter service into Sacramento and Folsom is also provided. * Tahoe Transportation District is the transit operator for the South Lake Tahoe area. Service also runs into the state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Airports

General aviation airports include Placerville Airport, Georgetown Airport, Cameron Park airport and Lake Tahoe Airport.

Asbestos

Portions of El Dorado County are known to contain natural

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

formations near the surface. The

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

studied

amphibole Amphibole ( ) is a group of inosilicate minerals, forming prism or needlelike crystals, composed of double chain tetrahedra, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures. Its IMA symbol is ...

s in rock and soil in the area in response to an EPA sampling study and subsequent criticism of the EPA study. The study found that many amphibole particles in the area meet the counting rule criteria used by the EPA for chemical and morphological limits, but do not meet morphological requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos. The executive summary pointed out that even particles that do not meet requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos may be a health threat and suggested a collaborative research effort to assess health risks associated with naturally occurring asbestos. In 2003, after construction of the Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills) soccer field, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found that some student athletes, coaches and school workers had received substantial exposures. The inside of the school needed to be cleaned of dust.

Sister city

* Warabi,

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

, Japan is a sister city to El Dorado County, California on March 26, 1975.

Communities

Cities

* Placerville (county seat) * South Lake Tahoe

Census-designated places

* Auburn Lake Trails * Cameron Park * Camino * Cold Springs * Coloma * Diamond Springs * El Dorado Hills * Georgetown * Grizzly Flats * Meyers * Pollock Pines * Shingle Springs * Tahoma

Other unincorporated communities

* Camp Richardson * Camp Sacramento * Cool * Echo Lake * El Dorado * Fair Play * Garden Valley * Greenwood * Happy Valley * Kyburz * Omo Ranch * Outingdale * Phillips * Pilot Hill *

Rescue Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, removal from danger, liberation from restraint, or the urgent treatment of injury, injuries after an incident. It may be facilitated by a range of tools and equipm ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

* Twin Bridges

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of El Dorado County. † ''county seat''

Education

Notes

References

External links

*
El Dorado County Deeds, 1873-1930.

official El Dorado County Historical Museum website

El Dorado Environmental air quality management
- naturally occurring asbestos information
El Dorado County Weather

El Dorado County Visitors Authority

Sierra Community Access Television

El Dorado Western Railway Foundation blog
- The railway is restoring the Diamond & Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive at the El Dorado County Historical Museum. {{coord, 38.78, -120.53, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-CA_source:UScensus1990 California counties Counties in the Sacramento metropolitan area Sierra Nevada (United States) 1850 establishments in California Populated places established in 1850