Inyo County, California

Inyo County is a place in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California. It sits between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. During the 2020 census, Inyo County had 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 has many 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 tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, is on the west side of Inyo County. The Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, the lowest spot in North America, is on the east side. The height difference between these two places 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 biggest height change of any county in the contiguous United States.

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 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. Most of these are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but some are managed by the National Park Service or the Forest Service. Some of these areas go into neighboring counties.

The wilderness areas in Inyo County are:

• 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 United States National Park east of the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in California. It is the hottest and driest national park in the United States. It has the second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and the lowest point in North America at the Badwater Basin, which is below sea level. The park has many plants and animals that have learned to live in this dry desert place. Death Valley National Park gets many visitors each year who come to see its unique geology, desert animals, historic places, beautiful views, and quiet nights in the desert.

Other parks

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

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census said Inyo County had 19,016 people. The average age was 44.8 years. About 20.2% were younger than 18, and 23.7% were 65 or older. There were a few more boys than girls.

People in the county were mostly White, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Hispanic or Latino.

Most people lived in towns, but some lived in the country.

Many families had homes, and some homes had children. There were also many empty homes.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 Census

The 2010 United States census counted 18,546 people in Inyo County. Most were White, Native American, and Hispanic or Latino.

Politics

Inyo County in California usually supports Republican candidates in big elections, like choosing presidents and members of Congress. The last time a Democrat won the county was in 1964.

In recent years, the county's voting has changed a little. In 2020, it narrowly supported Joe Biden instead of Donald Trump. However, in 2024, the county voted for Donald Trump again.

Currently, Inyo County still leans toward Republican candidates. The county is represented in the California State Legislature by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil and Republican David Tangipa. 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. 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. The Kern Community College District also offers higher education opportunities.

Notable locations

Inyo County has many famous places to visit. You can see Mushroom Rock, a special rock shape. The tallest mountain in the lower United States, Mount Whitney, is there. Death Valley National Park is well-known as one of the warmest places on Earth. Other interesting spots are 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