Lone Pine (California)

Lone Pine
The main street of Lone Pine
Location in California
Lone Pine
Basic data
State :	United States
State :	California
County :	Inyo County
Coordinates :	36 ° 35 ′  N , 118 ° 4 ′  W Coordinates: 36 ° 35 ′  N , 118 ° 4 ′  W
Time zone :	Pacific ( UTC − 8 / −7 )
Residents :	2,035 (as of 2010)
Population density :	42.2 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	48.5 km 2  (approx. 19 mi 2 ) of which 48.2 km 2  (approx. 19 mi 2 ) are land
Height :	1136 m
Postal code :	93545
Area code :	+1 760
FIPS :	06-42580
GNIS ID :	0277545
Looking west from Lone Pine to Mount Whitney

Lone Pine is a census-designated place with 2035 inhabitants (as of 2010) in Inyo County of the state of California . It is located in the Owens Valley at an altitude of 1136 m below the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada at the foot of the 4418 m high Mount Whitney , the highest mountain in the USA outside of Alaska.

The Owens Valley indigenous people were Paiute Indians. In 1860 they were forcibly relocated to an Indian reservation near Fort Tejon, 200 km further south . In the early days of the city, it was a supply center for the surrounding farmers . Between 1942 and 1945, up to 10,046 internees were held north of the village in the Manzanar War Relocation Center as part of the internment of Americans of Japanese origin .

geography

The place in the north-south facing valley of the Owen River is mainly developed by US Highway 395, which runs along the valley . The Los Angeles Aqueduct runs parallel to the river , into which the river's water has been diverted since 1924 in order to supply Los Angeles, about 300 km away, with drinking water. Owens Lake , south of the village, has almost dried up since then.

East of the valley rise the Inyo Mountains with their highest peaks Waucoba Mountain (3337 m) and Cerro Gordo Peak (2755 m). Some of them are already part of Death Valley National Park , which can be reached from Lone Pine on California State Route 136 . The adjacent parts of the Sierra belong to the ridge to the Inyo National Forest , a National Forest and are largely as John Muir Wilderness , a wilderness area designated (wildlife reserve). Beyond the chain of peaks lies the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park , to which there are no roads from this side of the mountains.

tourism

The inhabitants live mainly from tourism. There are several motels, restaurants and, since the spring of 2006, the Lone Pine Film History Museum . With its picturesque location, the location served as a location for the outdoor shots of numerous westerns , especially in the 1930s and 1940s, but also in the 1950s and 1960s. Associated memorabilia are shown in the museum. The museum has also issued a guide to the nearby Alabama Hills . It takes visitors on a tour of the range of hills where a large number of the region's films were filmed.

The place also benefits from its location between several heavily visited national parks and as a starting point for mountain climbers in the Sierra. In 1873 people climbed Mount Whitney for the first time, the difference in altitude between Lone Pine and the summit is over 3000 m.

Web links

• Lone Pine Film History Museum