Alpine County is a county in the eastern part of the U.S. state of California located within the Sierra Nevada on the state border with Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,204, making it California's least populous county. The county seat is Markleeville and the largest community is Alpine Village.
History
The Washoe people, a Great Basin tribe, inhabited the Sierra Nevada on the California–Nevada boundary, with the Hung A Lel Ti band populating the Diamond Valley including what would become Alpine County.
Kit Carson and John C. Frémont were among the first explorers to bring nationwide attention to the Sierra Nevada region in their winter 1844 expedition, though the first known westerners to actually explore the area were Jedediah Smith and Joseph R. Walker. Though gold spurred the infrastructural development of Alpine County, the Comstock Lode found near Virginia City, Nevada and the subsequent silver boom was what triggered Alpine County's growth, even attracting gold miners from neighboring Nevada. This prompted the formation on March 16, 1864, from parts of Amador County, Calaveras County, El Dorado County, Mono County and Tuolumne County. It was named Alpine County due to its resemblance to the Swiss Alps. At its formation, it had a population numbering around 11,000. By 1868, however, the local silver mines had proven unfruitful of replicating the Nevada silver boom and the population fell to about 685 in the 1870 Census, a decline that would steadily continue through the 1950s. Silver Mountain (established as Köngsberg) was designated the county seat following the discovery of silver nearby by Norwegian miners. Markleeville, established by Jacob Markley in 1861 as a 160-acre claim encompassing a bridge and toll station, became the new county seat in 1875. The collapse of the silver industry and closing of mines was finalized with the demonetization of silver in 1873, and Silver Mountain was abandoned by 1886, with most businesses moving to Markleeville.
Following the devastating collapse of the silver industry, the population began quickly declining until the 1950s, falling to an all-time low of 241 in 1930. During this time, its small economy limited the county to serving primarily as a trading center for the local farming and lumber industries, as well as fishing and hunting during the 1930s. Several lots in the county were left vacant.
Alpine County finally managed an economic rebound with the construction of the Bear Valley and Kirkwood ski resorts in the late 1960s, the latter of which is split with Amador County. The population shot up from 484 in 1970 to 1,097 in 1980, a 126.65% increase, and has remained around that level. The three national forests (Eldorado, Humboldt–Toiyabe and Stanislaus) means 96% of the county is owned by the federal government, providing opportunities for economic development and tourism to the skiing resorts as well as historical tourism and outdoor recreation.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. The federal government owns about 96% of Alpine County, the highest percentage in California, including three national forests: Eldorado (54,318 acres, or 7.81% of the 695,098-acre total), Stanislaus (119,805 acres, or 13.32% of the 899,427 acre-total) and Humboldt–Toiyabe (233,962 acres, or 3.72% of the 6,290,945 acre-total).
Adjacent counties El Dorado County – northwest Douglas County, Nevada – northeast Mono County – southeast Tuolumne County – south Calaveras County – southwest Amador County – west
National protected areas Eldorado National Forest (part) Stanislaus National Forest (part) Toiyabe National Forest (part)
Geology
Alpine County's geology is characterized by granitic intrusions, volcanic activity, and glacial sculpting. A significant portion of Alpine County is underlain by granitic rocks of the Sierra Nevada Batholith, a vast composite of plutonic rocks formed during the Mesozoic Era, that extends along the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
During the Miocene epoch, the region experienced extensive volcanic activity, leading to the deposition of andesitic lava flows, ash-flow tuffs, and volcanic breccias. These volcanic deposits are particularly evident along Monitor Pass and Ebbetts Pass. The Pleistocene epoch brought significant glaciation to Alpine County, carving out characteristic alpine landforms such as U-shaped valleys, cirques, and moraines. These glacial features are prominent in areas like the Mokelumne and Carson-Iceberg Wildernesses.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,204. The median age was 50.1 years. 16.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 110.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 111.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 67.6% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 19.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 9.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.0% of the population.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 530 households in the county, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,540 housing units, of which 65.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.4% were owner-occupied and 29.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 22.7%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Alpine County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)90177286785280182.13%69.36%71.77%72.51%66.53%Black or African American alone (NH)3570100.27%0.45%0.58%0.00%0.83%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)14625718821021413.31%23.09%15.56%17.87%17.77%Asian alone (NH)5547120.46%0.45%0.33%0.60%1.00%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)xx100xx0.08%0.00%0.00%Other race alone (NH)006170.00%0.00%0.50%0.09%0.58%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx412176xx3.39%1.79%6.31%Hispanic or Latino (any race)42749484843.83%6.65%7.78%7.15%6.98%Total1,0971,1131,2081,1751,204 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2019 American Community Survey estimates
PopulationGroupEstimatePercentTotal population1,039SexGroupEstimatePercentMale55453.32%Female48546.68%Sex ratio (males per 100 females)92.8114.2AgeGroupEstimatePercentUnder 5 years444.23%5 to 9 years504.81%10 to 14 years737.03%15 to 19 years595.68%20 to 24 years434.14%25 to 29 years212.02%30 to 34 years454.33%35 to 39 years868.28%40 to 44 years625.97%45 to 49 years131.25%50 to 54 years434.14%55 to 59 years737.03%60 to 64 years11611.16%65 to 69 years979.34%70 to 74 years13312.80%75 to 79 years545.20%80 to 84 years40.38%85 years and over232.21%Median age (years)52.2Age dependency ratio97.2Old-age dependency ratio59.0Child dependency ratio38.1RaceGroupEstimatePercentWhite59957.65%Black or African American90.87%American Indian or Alaska Native35333.97%--- Cherokee tribal grouping00.00%--- Chippewa tribal grouping00.00%--- Navajo tribal grouping00.00%--- Sioux tribal grouping00.00%Asian100.96%--- Asian Indian00.00%--- Chinese00.00%--- Filipino00.00%--- Japanese00.00%--- Korean00.00%--- Vietnamese50.48%--- Other Asian50.48%Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander60.58%--- Native Hawaiian60.58%--- Guamanian or Chamorro00.00%--- Samoan00.00%--- Other Pacific Islander00.00%Some other race90.87%Two or more races535.10%--- White and Black or African American00.00%--- White and American Indian and Alaska Native474.52%--- White and Asian00.00%--- Black or African American and American Indian and Alaska Native00.00%Hispanic or Latino and raceGroupEstimatePercentHispanic or Latino13012.51%--- Mexican11611.16%--- Puerto Rican00.00%--- Cuban00.00%--- Other Hispanic or Latino141.35%Not Hispanic or Latino90987.49%--- White55153.03%--- Black or African American90.87%--- American Indian and Alaska Native31430.22%--- Asian100.96%--- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander00.00%--- Some other race00.00%--- Two or more races252.41%Voting Age PopulationGroupEstimatePercentVoting Age Population81578.44%--- Male42841.19%--- Female38737.25%Nativity and citizenship statusGroupEstimatePercentNative (born in the United States)98694.90%--- Born in California52450.43%--- Born in other U.S. state44642.93%------ Northeastern state656.26%------ Midwestern state656.26%------ Southern state413.95%------ Western state27526.47%--- Native born outside U.S. states161.54%------ Puerto Rico00.00%------ U.S. Island Areas00.00%------ Born abroad of American parents161.54%Foreign Born535.10%--- Naturalized U.S. citizen302.89%------ Europe161.54%------ Asia141.35%------ Africa00.00%------ Oceania00.00%------ Latin America00.00%------ Northern America00.00%--- Not a U.S. citizen232.21%------ Europe00.00%------ Asia50.48%------ Africa00.00%------ Oceania00.00%------ Latin America181.73%------ Northern America00.00%
2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Alpine County had a population of 1,175. The racial makeup of Alpine County was 881 (75.0%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 240 (20.4%) Native American, 7 (0.6%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 19 (1.6%) from other races, and 28 (2.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 84 persons (7.1%).
Population reported at 2010 United States census Alpine County1175881024070192884 Alpine Village1149101910216Bear Valley 1211190010011Kirkwood‡97940300000Markleeville 21019204206611Mesa Vista200178015200511 All others not CDPs (combined)433217019910111551‡ – census results for the portion of this CDP in Alpine County
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 1,208 people, 483 households, and 295 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,514 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 73.7% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 18.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.4% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. 7.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.1% were of German, 12.1% Irish, 9.3% English, 6.5% American and 5.7% Italian ancestry. 95.0% spoke English, 3.1% Spanish and 2.0% Washo as their first language.
There were 483 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,875, and the median income for a family was $50,250. Males had a median income of $36,544 versus $25,800 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,431. About 12.0% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
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