Mariposa County

administration
Mariposa County Courthouse in Mariposa, listed on NRHP No. 77000306
US state :	California
Administrative headquarters :	Mariposa
Address of the administrative headquarters:	4982 10th Street P.O. Box 247 Mariposa, CA 95338
Foundation :	January 4, 1850
Demographics
Residents :	18,251 (2010)
Population density :	4.9 inhabitants / km ²
geography
Total area :	3789 km²
Water surface :	30 km²
map

Website : www.mariposacounty.org

Mariposa County is a county in the US state of California . The county seat is Mariposa . It is located in the geographic center of California.

history

The county was formed on January 4, 1850 with the other 17 founding counties of California. At the time California was founded, Mariposa County was the largest county. Areas that formerly belonged to Mariposa County are now part of twelve other counties: Fresno County, Inyo County, Kern County, Kings County, Los Angeles County, Madera County, Merced County, Mono County, San Benito County, San Bernardino County, San Luis Obispo County and Tulare County. For this reason, Mariposa County is also known as the "Mother of Counties".

The county's name comes from Mariposa Creek , an area that was given this name by Spanish explorers in 1807 when they encountered a large population of butterflies (Spanish: mariposa = butterfly).

Historical objects

Located in Yosemite National Park on California State Route 41 in Wawona is the historic Wawona Hotel and Pavilion (also known as the Kawona Hotel or Thomas Hill Studio ). The hotel was listed on October 1, 1975 on the National Register of Historic Places with number 75000223. It was also registered as a National Historic Landmark . There are three other National Historic Landmarks in the county . A total of 43 structures and sites in the county are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demographic data

growth of population
Census	Residents	± in%
1850	4379	-
1860	6243	42.6%
1870	4572	-26.8%
1880	4339	-5.1%
1890	3787	-12.7%
1900	4720	24.6%
1910	3956	-16.2%
1920	2775	-29.9%
1930	3233	16.5%
1940	5605	73.4%
1950	5145	-8.2%
1960	5064	-1.6%
1970	6015	18.8%
1980	11,108	84.7%
1990	14.302	28.8%
2000	17,130	19.8%
2010	18,251	6.5%
Before 1900 1900–1990 2000 + 2010 Age pyramid of Mariposa County (as of 2000)

Sunset at Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

According to the 2000 census , Mariposa County had a population of 17,130. There were 6,613 households and 4,490 families. The population density was 5 people per square kilometer. The racial the population was composed of 88.93% White, 0.67% African American, 3.51% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, and 2.67% other races Groups; 3.38% were from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 7.76% of the population.

Of the 6,613 households, 25.6% had children and adolescents under the age of 18 living with them. 55.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% single mothers. 32.1% were not families. 26.5% are single households and 11.2% have people aged 65 years or over. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86 people.

The age structure of the county's population was: 21.6% under 18 years, 6.9% 18–24 years, 25.1% 25–44 years, 29.2% 45–64 years and 17.2% 65 years or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $ 34,626 , and the median income for a family is $ 42,655. Males had a median income of $ 31,194 versus $ 25,440 for females. The per capita income was $ 18,190. 14.8% percent of the population and 10.5% of families are below the poverty line. 16.5% of them were under 18 years of age and 9.0% were 65 years of age or older.