Inyo County, California Totally Explained

Everything about Inyo County totally explained

Inyo County is located in east-central California in the southwestern United States, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and south of Yosemite National Park. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states, is located in Inyo County. Badwater, in Death Valley National Park and the lowest point in the United States, is also located in the county. The two points are not visible from each other, but both can be observed from the Panamint Range on the west side of Death Valley.

History

Inyo County was formed in 1866 from parts of Mono and Tulare Counties.
The county derived its name from the Native American name for the mountains in its area. The meaning of the word inyo is "dwelling place of the great spirit."

Natural History

Inyo County is host to a number of natural superlatives. Among them are:

Mount Whitney, the highest point in the United States outside of Alaska
Badwater, in Death Valley, the lowest point in North America
Methuselah, an ancient Bristlecone pine and one of the oldest things on Earth
Owens Valley, the deepest valley on the American continents
Two mountain ranges exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation: The Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains
Fourteen of California's fifteen peaks which exceed 14,000 feet (a Fourteener) in elevation
The largest escarpment in the United States, rising from the floor of Death Valley to the top of Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 10,227 square miles (26,488 km²), of which 10,203 sq mi (26,426 km²) is land and 24 sq mi (62 km²) is water. Relatively, it's a very large county. It is the second largest in California and the tenth largest in the nation (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska).

Cities and towns

Big Pine

Bishop

Cartago

Darwin

Deep Springs

Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek

Furnace Creek

Homewood Canyon-Valley Wells

Independence

Keeler

Lone Pine

Mesa

Olancha

Tecopa

Adjacent counties

San Bernardino County, California - south

Kern County, California - southwest

Tulare County, California - west

Fresno County, California - west

Mono County, California - north

Esmeralda County, Nevada - northeast

Nye County, Nevada - east

Clark County, Nevada - southeast

Transportation Infrastructure

Major highways

State Route 190

Public Transportation

Inyo Mono Transit operates intercity bus service along U.S. 395, as well as local services in Bishop. Service extends south to Ridgecrest (Kern County) and north to Reno, Nevada.

Airports

Bishop Airport, Independence Airport, and Lone Pine Airport are general aviation airports located near their respective cities. Stovepipe Wells Airport and Furnace Creek Airport are located near Death Valley National Park.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,945 people, 7,703 households, and 4,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 9,042 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.06% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 10.04% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 4.15% from two or more races. 12.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.4% were of German, 12.2% English, 10.6% Irish and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 89.2% spoke English and 9.3% Spanish as their first language.
   There were 7,703 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
   In the county the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
   The median income for a household in the county was $35,006, and the median income for a family was $44,970. Males had a median income of $37,270 versus $25,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,639. About 9.30% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.00% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Presidential election results>

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2004	59.1% 5,091	38.9% 3,350	2.0% 175
2000	60.3% 4,713	33.9% 2,652	5.8% 450
1996	51.8% 3,924	34.4% 2,601	13.8% 1,044
1992	43.6% 3,689	31.8% 2,695	24.6% 2,080
1988	64.3% 5,042	33.9% 2,653	1.8% 142
1984	70.3% 5,863	28.3% 2,360	1.4% 115
1980	64.8% 5,201	25.9% 2,080	9.3% 736
1976	58.2% 3,905	39.3% 2,635	2.5% 166
1972	68.1% 4,873	28.0% 2,006	3.9% 280
1968	54.5% 3,641	34.6% 2,314	10.9% 732
1964	46.5% 2,751	53.4% 3,161	0.1% 3
1960	54.6% 2,962	45.1% 2,443	0.3% 15

Inyo is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
Inyo is part of California's 25th congressional district, which is held by Republican Buck McKeon. In the state legislature, Inyo is part of the 34th Assembly district, which is held by Republican Bill Maze, and the 18th Senate district, which is held by Republican Roy Ashburn.

Education

School district in Inyo County are:

Bishop Union Elementary School District

Bishop Joint Union High School District

Big Pine Unified School District

Lone Pine Unified School District

Owens Valley Unified School District

Round Valley School District

Death Valley Unified School DistrictFurther Information

Get more info on 'Inyo County'.

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