Sonora, California
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Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population was 5,003 during the 2020 census, an increase from the 4,610 counted during the 2010 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
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Sonora was founded by Mexican miners during the California gold rush. Sonorans were alongside Chileans among the most experienced miners in the rush.<ref name=nuevom>Template:Cite journal</ref> Named after their home state of Sonora, Mexico, it was once a booming center of industry and trade in California's Mother Lode. Most of the gold removable with traditional mining techniques was quickly extracted, leaving miners to use more complex and expensive mining techniques to reach deep pockets of quartz and gold. Sonora as well as other mining towns of the era experienced economic hardship when the value of gold decreased. As "gold fever" died down, Sonora's size and population steadily decreased over the years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In Template:Circa, the Sonora Hebrew Cemetery was formed by the Hebrew Benevolent Society and predominantly contains the graves of European-born Jews who emigrated to Gold Country.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>
As detailed in the 2005 memoir of novelist David Carkeet, Campus Sexpot, Sonora was fictionalized as "Wattsville", the setting of Dale Koby's cult/underground classic (also titled Campus Sexpot).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The sequel, From Roundheel To Revolutionary by Jeff Daiell, also takes place primarily in "Wattsville"/Sonora.
The Tuolumne County Museum and History Center preserves the town's Gold Rush legacy.
Geography
Sonora is located around the intersection of California State Highways 49 and 108 The altitude is Template:Convert. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of Template:Convert, making it the county's largest community by land area. 99.57% of the area is land and 0.43% of it is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020"/>
Climate
There are an average of 75 days annually with highs of Template:Convert or higher and an average of 65.5 days annually with lows of Template:Convert or lower. The record high temperature was Template:Convert on June 22, 1961, and July 15, 1972. The record low temperature was Template:Convert on December 9, 1972.<ref name = NOAA/>
Average annual rainfall is Template:Convert, almost all from November through April, although there are occasionally afternoon and evening thunderstorms in the summer months, which drift down from the Sierra Nevada. There are an average of 63.8 days annually with measurable precipitation. The wettest "rain year" has been from July 1982 to June 1983 with Template:Convert and the driest from July 1975 to June 1976 with Template:Convert.<ref>National Weather Service (Sacramento); NOW Data</ref> The most rainfall in one month was Template:Convert in December 1955, including Template:Convert on December 27, the record 24-hour rainfall. The most snowfall in one month was Template:Convert in January 1933.<ref name="wrcc.dri.edu">Template:Cite web</ref> The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Csa (hot-summer Mediterranean climate).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demographics
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Sonora had a population of 5,003. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Sonora was 80.0% White, 0.5% African American, 1.6% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races, and 11.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.1% of the population.<ref name=DP1>Template:Cite web</ref>
The census reported that 97.8% of the population lived in households, 0.7% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.5% were institutionalized.<ref name=DP1/>
There were 2,301 households, out of which 26.8% included children under the age of 18, 30.2% were married-couple households, 9.4% were cohabiting couple households, 38.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 22.3% had a male householder with no partner present. 39.1% of households were one person, and 16.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.13.<ref name=DP1/> There were 1,163 families (50.5% of all households).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The age distribution was 18.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% aged 18 to 24, 26.9% aged 25 to 44, 24.1% aged 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65Template:Nbspyears of age or older. The median age was 41.4Template:Nbspyears. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males.<ref name=DP1/>
There were 2,515 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, of which 2,301 (91.5%) were occupied. Of these, 42.0% were owner-occupied, and 58.0% were occupied by renters.<ref name=DP1/>
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $62,621, and the per capita income was $39,503. About 17.4% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010
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At the 2010 census Sonora had a population of 4,903. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Sonora was 4,402 (89.8%) White, 24 (0.5%) African American, 95 (1.9%) Native American, 79 (1.6%) Asian, 12 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 84 (1.7%) from other races, and 207 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 542 people (11.1%).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The census reported that 4,613 people (94.1% of the population) lived in households, 85 (1.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 205 (4.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 2,199 households, 562 (25.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 689 (31.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 308 (14.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 116 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 192 (8.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 12 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 881 households (40.1%) were one person and 312 (14.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.10. There were 1,113 families (50.6% of households); the average family size was 2.77.
The age distribution was 975 people (19.9%) under the age of 18, 526 people (10.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,266 people (25.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,324 people (27.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 812 people (16.6%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
There were 2,463 housing units at an average density of 800.2 per square mile; of the occupied units, 898 (40.8%) were owner-occupied and 1,301 (59.2%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%. 1,960 people (40.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,653 people (54.1%) lived in rental housing units.
Economy and tourism
The area economy was historically based on the mining and timber industries, but now relies on tourism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One of two active lumber mills in Tuolumne County was shut down in 2009, but reopened in July 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
As a city close to Yosemite National Park, Sonora provides services to some of Yosemite's visitors. The city also benefits from its proximity to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and Columbia State Park.
Education
The city's schools include its namesake educational institutions Sonora Union High School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Sonora Elementary School,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as Dario Cassina High<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Foothill Horizons Outdoor School.
Columbia Community College is part of Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) which also includes Modesto Junior College. It is the sole college in Tuolumne County and offers two-year degrees. Individuals wishing to attend a university must commute 50 miles to University of California, Merced, or to California State University, Stanislaus, in Turlock.
Government and politics
Sonora uses a city council consisting of five council members, including the mayor. The city council appoints a city administrator to implement the council's policies and enforce ordinances. As of June 2024, the current mayor of Sonora is Ann Segerstrom and the current city administrator is Melissa Eads.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the California State Legislature, Sonora is in Template:Representative,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the United States House of Representatives, Sonora is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Culture and arts
The newspaper of record for the Sonora area is The Union Democrat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Tuolumne County Film Commission describes Sonora as "one of the country's most versatile locations", where more than "300 film[s] and television series" have been made.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Local museums depict the Gold Rush era and historic Sonora.
The small town is home to the professional theatre company Sierra Repertory Theatre<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> that produces a variety of musicals and plays each year at two different theatre buildings, the East Sonora Theatre and the Fallon House Theatre in Columbia.
Sonora is also home to the Tuolumne County Arts Alliance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The pilot, and various scenes, of the television show Little House on the Prairie was filmed in Sonora.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Notable people
- Vaughn Armstrong – actor
- Melvin Belli – attorney
- David Carkeet - writer
- Jack Cassinetto – painter
- Phil Coke – MLB pitcher
- Molly Culver - actress
- Charles Dellschau – artist
- T.J. Dillashaw - UFC Bantamweight Champion
- Ross Dwelley - NFL tight end
- Larry Franco - film producer
- James P. Hogan – writer
- Jenny O'Hara – actress
- Josh Parry - NFL fullback
- Dan Pastorini – NFL quarterback
- Francis "Rocco" Prestia - bassist of Tower of Power
- Tata Vega - Entertainer
- Kahale Warring - NFL Tight End
References
External links
Template:Tuolumne County, California Template:California county seats Template:California Gold Rush Template:Sierra Nevada
- Pages with broken file links
- Sonora, California
- 1851 establishments in California
- Cities in Tuolumne County, California
- County seats in California
- Incorporated cities and towns in California
- Mining communities of the California Gold Rush
- Populated places established in 1851
- Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States)