Jump to content

Grizzly Flats, California

Coordinates: 38°38′11″N 120°31′39″W / 38.63639°N 120.52750°W / 38.63639; -120.52750
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
Grizzly Flats
Location of Grizzly Flats in El Dorado County, California.
Location of Grizzly Flats in El Dorado County, California.
Grizzly Flats is located in California
Grizzly Flats
Grizzly Flats
Location in California
Coordinates: 38°38′11″N 120°31′39″W / 38.63639°N 120.52750°W / 38.63639; -120.52750
Country United States
State California
CountyEl Dorado
Area
 • Total
6.629 sq mi (17.169 km2)
 • Land6.629 sq mi (17.169 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation3,868 ft (1,179 m)
Population
 • Total
1,093
 • Density160/sq mi (64/km2)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
95636
Area code530
GNIS feature IDs1658675; 2628736
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Grizzly Flats, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Grizzly Flats, California

Grizzly Flats (formerly Grizzly Flat and Chickenmasee)[4] is a census-designated place[5] in El Dorado County, California.[2] It is located southeast of Camino,[4] at an elevation of 3868 feet (1179 m).[2] Grizzly Flats is the town nearest to Baltic Peak, a small peak to the northwest. The population at the 2010 census was 1,066.

History

Grizzly Flats originated as a gold mining camp in the 1850s. The name was given by prospectors who were surprised by a grizzly bear there in 1850.[4] In 1852 it was described as being on a flat piece of land measuring approximately one mile by three quarters of a mile and having two combination bars, stores, and boarding houses, with more under construction. It was located centrally in a jurisdiction called Mountain Township.[6] A post office opened in 1854, a stagecoach route to Diamond Springs in 1855, and a Wells Fargo office in 1857.[7] Catholic and Methodist churches were also established in the mid-1850s.[8]

Fires in 1866 and 1869 destroyed most of the settlement; the 1869 fire killed one person and destroyed all but two buildings in the business district, which was only partly rebuilt.[9]

On August 17, 2021, the Caldor Fire destroyed around 500 buildings in and near Grizzly Flats, including the original 1850s post office, the modern post office, and Walt Tyler Elementary School.[10][11][12] Two people from the area with serious injuries caused by the fire were airlifted to hospitals.[12] The mandatory evacuation order was lifted on September 6.[13]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
20201,093
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
2010[15]

Grizzley Flats first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.[15]

The 2010 United States Census[16] reported that Grizzly Flats had a population of 1,066. The population density was 160.8 inhabitants per square mile (62.1/km2). The racial makeup of Grizzly Flats was 954 (89.5%) White, 6 (0.6%) African American, 14 (1.3%) Native American, 7 (0.7%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 19 (1.8%) from other races, and 64 (6.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 96 persons (9.0%).

The Census reported that 1,066 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 432 households, out of which 111 (25.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 259 (60.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 17 (3.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 23 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 22 (5.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 (1.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 104 households (24.1%) were made up of individuals, and 39 (9.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47. There were 299 families (69.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.94.

The population was spread out, with 235 people (22.0%) under the age of 18, 54 people (5.1%) aged 18 to 24, 215 people (20.2%) aged 25 to 44, 386 people (36.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 176 people (16.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.2 males.

There were 645 housing units at an average density of 97.3 per square mile (37.6/km2), of which 432 were occupied, of which 370 (85.6%) were owner-occupied, and 62 (14.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.8%. 901 people (84.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 165 people (15.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Csb" (Mediterranean Climate).[17]

Climate data for Grizzly Flats
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 51.1
(10.6)
52.5
(11.4)
57.2
(14.0)
62.6
(17.0)
71.3
(21.8)
81.0
(27.2)
89.6
(32.0)
90.0
(32.2)
83.7
(28.7)
71.7
(22.1)
57.1
(13.9)
50.2
(10.1)
68.2
(20.1)
Daily mean °F (°C) 42.2
(5.7)
43.1
(6.2)
46.3
(7.9)
49.9
(9.9)
57.4
(14.1)
65.8
(18.8)
72.9
(22.7)
72.6
(22.6)
67.6
(19.8)
58.4
(14.7)
46.9
(8.3)
41.3
(5.2)
55.4
(13.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 33.4
(0.8)
33.7
(0.9)
35.3
(1.8)
37.2
(2.9)
43.4
(6.3)
50.5
(10.3)
56.2
(13.4)
55.3
(12.9)
51.5
(10.8)
45.1
(7.3)
36.7
(2.6)
32.4
(0.2)
42.6
(5.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 9.01
(229)
8.02
(204)
7.36
(187)
4.36
(111)
3.12
(79)
0.79
(20)
0.07
(1.8)
0.08
(2.0)
0.71
(18)
2.83
(72)
5.92
(150)
8.17
(208)
50.42
(1,281)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[18]

References

  1. ^ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Grizzly Flats, California
  3. ^ "US Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 495. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Grizzly Flats, California
  6. ^ Algier, Keith W. (1992). Grizzly Flat - The First Fifty Years. Richmond, Kentucky: A & K. pp. 2–3. OCLC 28253508.
  7. ^ Algier, p. 10.
  8. ^ Algier, p. 9.
  9. ^ Sioli, Paolo (1998) [1883]. Historical Souvenir of El Dorado County, California. Georgetown, California: Cedar Ridge. pp. 195–96. ISBN 0-9658763-2-2.
  10. ^ Johnson, Julie (September 26, 2021). "The Caldor Fire destroyed nearly two-thirds of Grizzly Flats. Burned-out residents are determined to reclaim their town". San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. ^ "Grizzly Flats: the California town leveled by the Caldor fire – in pictures". The Guardian (photo gallery, Ethan Swope, AP). August 18, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Fueled by winds, largest wildfire moves near California city". The Associated Press. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  13. ^ "Caldor Fire: More evacuation orders downgraded to warnings". KCRA. September 16, 2021.
  14. ^ "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  15. ^ a b "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  16. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Grizzly Flats CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Climate Summary for Grizzly Flats
  18. ^ "PRISM Climate Group". Oregon State University. Retrieved April 22, 2020. Input coordinates: 38.6397 N, 120.5256 W.