Inyo County, California

Inyo County is a place in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California. It is located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. During the 2020 census, the population of Inyo County was 19,016 people. The main town, called the county seat, is Independence.

Inyo County is on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite National Park in Central California. The county includes the Owens River Valley. To the west are the Sierra Nevada mountains, and to the east are the White Mountains and the Inyo Mountains. The nearby county to the north is Mono County.

Inyo County is very large, covering 10,192 square miles (26,400 km²). It is the second-largest county by area in California, after San Bernardino County, which lies directly south. Almost half of Inyo County’s land is part of Death Valley National Park. Despite its big size, Inyo County has very few people living there. With only 1.8 people per square mile, it has the second-lowest number of people per area in California, after Alpine County.

History

See also: Category:Native American history of California

For thousands of years, the Mono, Timbisha, Kawaiisu, and Northern Paiute Native Americans lived in what is now Inyo County. Their descendants still live in places like the Owens River Valley and Death Valley National Park.

Inyo County was created in 1866 from land that was not part of any organized county before. Over time, it grew by taking land from nearby counties. People often thought the county's name came from the Mono tribe's word for the mountains, but it actually comes from the name of a leader of the Timbisha tribe.

In 1913, water from the Owens River was sent to Los Angeles through a big pipeline called the Los Angeles Aqueduct. This changed life in the Owens River Valley a lot. During World War II, the county was home to a place where Japanese Americans were kept away from the rest of the country, called the Manzanar War Relocation Center.

Further information: History of California through 1899

Natural history

Inyo County is home to some amazing natural features. Mount Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States, standing at 14,505 feet. Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest point in North America. The area also has very old trees, like Methuselah, an ancient Bristlecone pine. Owens Valley is one of the deepest valleys in the Americas. The county includes parts of two high mountain ranges and many tall peaks.

Geography

Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, is located on the western border of Inyo County, which also borders Tulare County. The Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, the lowest place in North America, lies in eastern Inyo County. The difference in height between these two points is about 14,700 feet (4,500 meters). Both can be seen from the Panamint Range on the west side of Death Valley, above the Panamint Valley. This makes Inyo County have the greatest elevation difference among all counties in the contiguous United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county covers a total area of 10,227 square miles (26,490 km²), with 10,181 square miles (26,370 km²) of land and 46 square miles (120 km²) of water. It is the second-largest county by area in California and the ninth-largest in the United States (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska).

Lakes

• Camp Lake
• Cottonwood Lakes
• Diaz Lake
• Dingleberry Lake
• Granite Lake
• Inconsolable Lake
• Loch Leven
• Mills Lake
• Pee Wee Lake
• Robinson Lake
• Rock Creek Lake
• Lake Sabrina
• Weir Lake
• Wishbone Lake

National protected areas

• Death Valley National Park (part)
• Inyo National Forest (part)
• Manzanar National Historic Site

There are 22 official wilderness areas in Inyo County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. This is the second-largest number for any county, only behind San Bernardino County's 35 wilderness areas. Most of these are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but four are part of Death Valley National Park or Inyo National Forest and are managed by the National Park Service or the Forest Service. Some of these wilderness areas extend into neighboring counties.

Except as noted, the wilderness areas are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management and lie entirely within Inyo County:

• Argus Range Wilderness
• Coso Range Wilderness
• Darwin Falls Wilderness
• Death Valley Wilderness (part)
• Funeral Mountains Wilderness
• Golden Trout Wilderness (part)
• Ibex Wilderness
• Inyo Mountains Wilderness (part)
• John Muir Wilderness (part)
• Malpais Mesa Wilderness
• Manly Peak Wilderness
• Nopah Range Wilderness
• Owens Peak Wilderness (part)
• Pahrump Valley Wilderness (part)
• Piper Mountain Wilderness
• Resting Spring Range Wilderness
• Sacatar Trail Wilderness (part)
• Saddle Peak Hills Wilderness (part)
• South Nopah Range Wilderness
• South Sierra Wilderness (part)
• Surprise Canyon Wilderness
• Sylvania Mountains Wilderness

Death Valley National Park

Main article: Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in California, with a small extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada. It also includes an exclave (Devil's Hole) in southern Nye County. The park covers 5,262 square miles (13,630 km²), including Saline Valley, much of Panamint Valley, almost all of Death Valley, and parts of several mountain ranges. Death Valley National Monument was established in 1933, and in 1994, it was redesignated as a national park and greatly expanded to include Saline and Eureka Valleys.

It is the hottest and driest national park in the United States. It also has the second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and the lowest point in North America at the Badwater Basin, which is 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. The park is home to many plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment, such as the Creosote Bush, Bighorn Sheep, Coyote, and the Death Valley Pupfish, which survived from much wetter times. About 95% of the park is designated as wilderness. Death Valley National Park receives more than 770,000 visitors each year who come to see its unique geology, desert wildlife, historic sites, beautiful scenery, clear night skies, and the quiet solitude of the extreme desert.

Other parks

• Alabama Hills Recreation Area
• Last Chance Meadow Research Natural Area
• California Bighorn Sheep Zoological Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,016 and a median age of 44.8 years. About 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18, and 23.7% were 65 years or older. There were slightly more males than females.

The racial makeup of the county included many White, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Hispanic or Latino residents, among other groups.

Most people lived in urban areas, while some lived in rural areas.

There were many households, some with children and some without. Many homes were owned by the people living there.

There were also many housing units, some of which were empty.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 Census

The 2010 United States census reported that Inyo County had a population of 18,546. The racial makeup included many White, Native American, and Hispanic or Latino residents, among other groups.

Politics

Inyo County in California has often supported Republican candidates in big elections, like choosing presidents and members of Congress. The last time a Democrat won the county was in 1964 with Lyndon Johnson.

In recent years, the county's voting patterns have changed a bit. In 2020, it narrowly supported Joe Biden instead of Donald Trump, making it one of only two counties in the U.S. that switched from voting for Trump in 2016 to voting for a Democrat in 2020. However, in 2024, the county voted for Donald Trump again, though by a smaller margin than in 2016.

Currently, Inyo County still leans toward Republican candidates. In state elections in 2022, it voted Republican. The county is represented in the California State Legislature by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil in the 4th senatorial district and Republican David Tangipa in the 8th Assembly district. At the federal level, it is part of California's 3rd congressional district, represented by Independent Kevin Kiley.

Crime

The following table shows the number of reported incidents and the rate per 1,000 people for different types of offenses.

Cities by population and crime rates

Education

Inyo County has several school districts that help children learn from preschool through high school. Some of these districts, like the Bishop Unified School District and Lone Pine Unified School District, serve all grades, while others cover only certain grades. There is also a smaller elementary school district called Round Valley Joint Elementary School District.

For students who want to continue their education after high school, there is Deep Springs College, a two-year college located in Deep Springs Valley, and the Kern Community College District offers higher education opportunities.

Notable locations

Inyo County is home to many famous places. You can visit Mushroom Rock, a unique rock formation. The highest peak in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, is also here. Death Valley National Park is famous for being one of the hottest places on Earth. Other interesting spots include Badwater Basin, Lake Manly, and Furnace Creek, California.

Transportation

In the 1920s, people wanted to build roads over Piute Pass and other places, but groups like the Forest Service and the Sierra Club thought the wilderness was important and stopped the idea. Later, a route over Minaret Summit was suggested but faced opposition too.

Some local business people wanted a road between Porterville and Lone Pine. Eventually, a longer road was built through Sherman Pass by 1976. This road connects different parts of the area.

Major highways

• .svg) U.S. Route 6
• .svg) U.S. Route 395
• State Route 127
• State Route 136
• State Route 168
• State Route 178
• State Route 190

Public transportation

The Eastern Sierra Transit Authority runs buses along US 395 and also provides local service in Bishop. The service goes south to Lancaster in Los Angeles County and north to Reno, Nevada.

Airports

There are several small airports near cities such as Bishop, Independence, Lone Pine, and Shoshone. Airports in Death Valley National Park include Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek.

Communities

Inyo County has several places where people live. One city is Bishop. There are also many smaller places called census-designated places, including Big Pine, Cartago, and Independence, which is the county seat.

There are also other small communities without their own local government, such as Alabama Hills and Coso Junction.

Cities

• Bishop

Census-designated places

• Big Pine
• Cartago
• Charleston View
• Darwin
• Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek
• Furnace Creek
• Homewood Canyon
• Independence (county seat)
• Keeler
• Lone Pine
• Mesa
• Olancha
• Pearsonville
• Round Valley
• Shoshone
• Tecopa
• Trona
• Valley Wells
• West Bishop
• Wilkerson

Other unincorporated communities

• Alabama Hills
• Chicago Valley
• Coso Junction
• Death Valley Junction
• Deep Springs
• Dunmovin
• Haiwee
• Laws
• Panamint Springs
• Sandy Valley
• Stewart Valley

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Inyo County.

† county seat