Mono County ( ) is a county located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 13,195, making it the fourth-least populous county in California. The county seat is Bridgeport. The county is located east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. The only incorporated town in the county is Mammoth Lakes, which is located at the foot of Mammoth Mountain. Other locations, such as June Lake, are also famous as skiing and fishing resorts. Located in the middle of the county is Mono Lake, a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. The lake is located in a wild, natural setting, with pinnacles of tufa arising out of the salty and alkaline lake. Also located in Mono County is Bodie, the official state gold rush ghost town, which is now a California State Historic Park.

History

thumb|left|[[Bodie, California|Bodie, as seen from the hill looking to the cemetery]]

Mono County was formed in 1861 from parts of Calaveras, Fresno, and Mariposa Counties. A portion of northern Mono County contributed to the formation of Alpine County in 1864; parts of the county's territory were given to Inyo County in 1866.

The county is named after Mono Lake which, in 1852, was named for a Native American Paiute tribe, the Mono people, who historically inhabited the Sierra Nevada from north of Mono Lake to Owens Lake. The tribe's western neighbors, the Yokuts, called them monachie, meaning "fly people" because they used fly larvae as their chief food staple and trading article.

Archeologists know almost nothing about the first inhabitants of the county, as little material evidence has been found from them. The Kuzedika, a band of Paiute, had been there many generations by the time the first anglophones arrived. The Kuzedika were hunter-gatherers and their language is a part of the Shoshone language. The highest point in Mono County is White Mountain Peak, which at , is the third-highest peak in California.

Adjacent counties

  • Inyo County - south
  • Fresno County - southwest
  • Madera County - southwest
  • Tuolumne County- west
  • Alpine County - northwest
  • Douglas County, Nevada - north
  • Lyon County, Nevada - northeast
  • Mineral County, Nevada - east
  • Esmeralda County, Nevada - southeast

Demographics

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Transportation

thumb|alt=photo of Mono County Court House|The [[Mono County Courthouse in Bridgeport.]]

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Route 6
  • 25px U.S. Route 395
  • 25px State Route 89
  • 25px State Route 108
  • 25px State Route 120
  • 25px State Route 158
  • 25px State Route 167
  • 25px State Route 168
  • 25px State Route 182
  • 25px State Route 203
  • 25px State Route 266
  • 25px State Route 270

Public transportation

Eastern Sierra Transit Authority operates intercity bus service along U.S. 395, as well as local services in Mammoth Lakes. Service extends south to Lancaster, California (Los Angeles County) and north to Reno, Nevada.

Yosemite Area Regional Transit System (YARTS) also runs along U.S. 395 from Mammoth Lakes to Lee Vining before entering Yosemite National Park.

Airports

General aviation airports in Mono County include Bryant Field near Bridgeport, Mammoth Yosemite Airport and Lee Vining Airport. In December 2021, seasonal commercial air service by United Airlines to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver began at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop, providing local service to southern Mono County.

Communities

Town

  • Mammoth Lakes

Census-designated places

  • Aspen Springs
  • Benton
  • Bridgeport (county seat)
  • Chalfant
  • Coleville
  • Crowley Lake
  • June Lake
  • Lee Vining
  • McGee Creek
  • Mono City
  • Paradise
  • Sunny Slopes
  • Swall Meadows
  • Topaz
  • Twin Lakes
  • Virginia Lakes
  • Walker

Population ranking

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

† county seat

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Rank

!City/Town/etc.

!Municipal type

!Population (2010 Census)

|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"

| 1

|Mammoth Lakes

| Town

| 8,234

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 2

|Crowley Lake

| CDP

| 875

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 3

|Walker

| CDP

| 721

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 4

|Chalfant

| CDP

| 651

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 5

|June Lake

| CDP

| 629

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 6

|† Bridgeport

| CDP

| 575

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 7

|Coleville

| CDP

| 495

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 8

|Benton

| CDP

| 280

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 9

|Lee Vining

| CDP

| 222

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 10

|Swall Meadows

| CDP

| 220

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 11

|Sunny Slopes

| CDP

| 182

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 12

|Mono City

| CDP

| 172

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 13

|Paradise

| CDP

| 153

|- style="background:#ff9;"

| 14

|Benton Reservation (Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe)

| AIAN

| 76

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 15

|Aspen Springs

| CDP

| 65

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 16

|Topaz

| CDP

| 50

|- style="background:honeyDew;"

| 17

|McGee Creek

| CDP

| 41

|- style="background:#ff9;"

| 18

|Bridgeport Reservation (Paiute Indians)

| AIAN

| 35

|}

Education

There are two school districts covering grades PK-12 in the county: Eastern Sierra Unified School District and Mammoth Unified School District. There is another section in the Round Valley Joint Elementary School District for elementary and middle school, and Bishop Unified School District for grades 9-12 (high school) only.

Previously the Bishop USD 9-12 area was in the Bishop Joint Union High School District.

See also

  • List of school districts in Mono County, California
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Mono County, California

References

Further reading

  • Mono County Film and Tourism Commission