Amador County, California
Encyclopedia : A : AM : AMA : Amador County, California
Amador County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2000 census, the population was 35,100. The county seat is Jackson.
Amador County bills itself as "The Heart of the Mother Lode" and lies with the Gold Country. There is a substantial wine-growing industry in the county.
History
Amador County was created in 1854 from parts of Calaveras and El Dorado Counties. In 1864, part of the county's territory was given to Alpine County.The county is named for Jose Maria Amador, soldier, rancher and miner, who was born in San Francisco in 1794, the son of Sergeant Pedro Amador, a Spanish soldier who settled in California in 1771. In 1848, Jose Maria Amador, with several Native Americans, established a successful gold mining camp near the present town of Amador City. In Spanish, the word amador means "one who loves."
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,566 km² (605 mi²). 1,536 km² (593 mi²) of it is land and 30 km² (12 mi²) of it (1.94%) is water.Adjacent Counties
- Calaveras County, California - south
- San Joaquin County, California - southwest
- Sacramento County, California - west
- El Dorado County, California - north
- Alpine County, California - east
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 35,100 people, 12,759 households, and 9,071 families residing in the county. The population density was 23/km² (59/mi²). There were 15,035 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (25/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.79% White, 3.87% Black or African American, 1.78% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 5.04% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. 8.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 12,759 households out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.60% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 28.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 122.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,280, and the median income for a family was $51,226. Males had a median income of $39,697 versus $28,850 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,412. About 6.10% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- Drytown
- Fiddletown
- Martell
- Pine Grove
- Pioneer
- Herald
See also
External links
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