El Dorado County, California

History

Main article: Sutter's Mill, California Gold Rush

What is now known as El Dorado County has been home to the Maidu, Nisenan, Washoe, and Miwok Indigenous American nations for centuries. The region became famous for being the site of the 1848 discovery that sparked the California Gold Rush. 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 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 2 mi east of Omo Ranch and 4 mi 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 6500 acre. On August 17, the fire grew to 30000 acre 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 Lake Tahoe Basin. By August 30, it had reached Echo Summit, less than 5 mi 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1786 sqmi, of which 1708 sqmi is land and 78 sqmi (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 – northeast
• Alpine County – southeast
• Amador County – south
• Sacramento County – southwest

Geographic features

• American River
• Carson Range
• Crystal Range
• Echo Lake
• Fallen Leaf Lake
• Folsom Lake
• Francis Lake
• Freel Peak as its highest point at 10886 ft
• Gilmore Lake
• Green Springs Ranch
• Lake Tahoe
• Loon Lake
• Lost Lake
• Mount Price
• Mount Tallac
• Pyramid Lake
• Sierra Nevada
• 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 U.S. Route 50, 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.

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 191,185. The median age was 46.3 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 76.7% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.8% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.0% from some other race, and 11.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.8% of the population.

63.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 75,320 households in the county, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 93,467 housing units, of which 19.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.9% were owner-occupied and 25.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

Racial and ethnic composition

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, 1,409 (0.8%) African American, 2,070 (1.1%) Native American, 6,297 (3.5%) Asian, 294 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 7,278 (4.0%) from other races, and 6,917 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic 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 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 156,299 people, 58,939 households, and 43,025 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 PD/sqmi. There were 71,278 housing units at an average density of 42 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 9.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.9% were of German, 13.4% English, 10.3% Irish, 6.6% Italian and 6.6% American ancestry 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 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 for the county was $25,560. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 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, and in 1976 narrowly for Jimmy Carter.

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, 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 Sacramento, 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. 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 .{{Cite web |access-date=November 4, 2025

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

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.

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 formations near the surface. The USGS studied amphiboles 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.{{Citation | url-access =subscription

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

• JPN Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, 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
• Somerset
• Strawberry
• Twin Bridges

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

• Black Oak Mine Unified School District
• Lake Tahoe Unified School District
• Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District

Secondary:

• El Dorado Union High School District

Elementary:

• Buckeye Union Elementary School District
• Camino Union Elementary School District
• Gold Oak Union Elementary School District
• Gold Trail Union Elementary School District
• Indian Diggings Elementary School District
• Latrobe Elementary School District
• Mother Lode Union Elementary School District
• Pioneer Union Elementary School District
• Placerville Union Elementary School District
• Pollock Pines Elementary School District
• Rescue Union Elementary School District
• Silver Fork Elementary School District

Notes

References

References

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2. "Freel Peak". Peakbagger.com.
3. "Board of Supervisors - El Dorado County".
4. "Chief Administrative Office - El Dorado County".
5. "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in El Dorado County, CA". [[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]].
6. (December 12, 2013). "Origin of the Names for California and El Dorado County".
7. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
8. (August 1, 2008). "Brief History of El Dorado County".
9. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Printing Office.
10. (August 16, 2021). "Caldor Fire Incident Update". State of California.
11. (August 17, 2021). "CALDOR FIRE: 219,000+ acres, 68 percent contained".
12. (August 23, 2021). "How did the Caldor Fire in California start?".
13. (August 18, 2021). "Caldor Fire levels homes in Grizzly Flats, destroys school, church in El Dorado County". [[The Modesto Bee]].
14. (September 19, 2021). "Caldor Fire Containment Remains at 71%".
15. "About Us".
16. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
17. "Freel Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost".
18. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
19. "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". [[US Census Bureau]].
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21. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
22. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
23. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
24. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
25. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
26. "California: 1980, General Social and Economic Characteristics, Part 1".
27. "California: 1990, Part 1".
28. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – El Dorado County, California".
29. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – El Dorado County, California".
30. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – El Dorado County, California".
31. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
32. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
33. not an option in the 1980 Census
34. not an option in the 1990 Census
35. {{USCensus2010CA
36. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
37. "El Dorado County, California".
38. California Secretary of State. [https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/15day-gen-2024/complete-ror.pdf October 21, 2024 - Report of Registration]. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
39. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
40. Carlos Alcalá. (May 24, 2012). "El Dorado County folks riled by U.N. agenda for sustainable growth". Sacramento Bee.
41. Cathy Locke. (March 10, 2013). "The Public Eye: El Dorado County grand jury disbands after mass resignation". Sacramento Bee.
42. Ting, Eric. (July 17, 2023). "'This state is under tyranny': Scenes from California's latest secession movement". [[SFGate]].
43. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
44. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. [http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf Table 11: Crimes – 2009] {{webarchive. link. (December 2, 2013 . Retrieved November 14, 2013.)
45. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
46. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_california_by_city_2012.xls Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California)]. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
47. "El Dorado Transit - El Dorado Transit: Public Transportation for El Dorado County, California".
48. [http://tahoetransportation.org/ Tahoe Transportation District]
49. Raloff, Janet. (July 8, 2006). "Dirty Little Secret". Science News.
50. "Northern and Central California Sister Cities in Japan".
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52. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. (August 2019). "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map".
53. Geography Division. (December 18, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: El Dorado County, CA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].