Valley Springs, California

Valley Springs (formerly known as Spring Valley and Valley Spring) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Valley Springs is registered as a California Historical Landmark, number 251.

As of the 2020 census, Valley Springs had a population of 3,779.

History

Early Native American inhabitants

The earliest inhabitants of Valley Springs were Native Americans, specifically the Mi-Wuk and Yokuts tribes. Evidence of their presence includes grinding rocks found in the area. These tribes gathered acorns for trade and food before returning to their homes in the spring. The Mi-Wuk were later driven further into the hills due to the influx of gold miners.

Settler construction

In 1849, the first saloon and store opened in the Valley Springs region. This development was followed by the establishment of small farms and large ranches to provide food for settlers. Stage stops emerged along what is now Highway 26, and lodging developed. Additionally, what is now Highway 12 linked roads to the surrounding areas. On April 25, 1885, the first train arrived at Valley Springs station, initially just a tent. Valley Springs became a center of freight distribution, with residents able to reach San Francisco in 7.5 hours, Stockton in 2.5 hours, and Sacramento in 3 hours by train. A post office currently operates in the town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Summers are typically very warm to hot, springs and falls are temperate, and winters are cool with a slight dusting of snow and/or frost. Hot, dry summers make Valley Springs fire-prone; however, three fire stations, lake water, and adequate road access assist in extinguishing fires expediently.

Demographics

Valley Springs first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|2,124

|2,850

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |2,649

|82.97%

|80.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |70.10%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|17

|30

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |36

|0.66%

|0.84%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.95%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|34

|25

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |24

|1.33%

|0.70%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.64%

|Asian alone (NH)

|35

|68

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |114

|1.37%

|1.91%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |3.02%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |3

|0.12%

|0.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.08%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |19

|0.12%

|0.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |0.50%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|69

|112

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |244

|2.70%

|3.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |6.46%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|275

|454

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |690

|10.74%

|12.78%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |18.26%

|Total

|2,560

|3,553

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |3,779

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6;' |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Valley Springs had a population of 3,779. The median age was 44.5 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.6 males age 18 and over.

96.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,429 households in Valley Springs, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.2% were married-couple households, 14.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Politics

<!-- {| class="wikitable"

!Voters

!Valley Springs

!United States

|Republican

|57.4%

|45.9%

|Democrats

|33.8%

|48.0%

|Independent

|8.8%

|6.0%

|} -->

Valley Springs voters are a majority Republican, about one-third Democrat, and roughly 9% independent. This is a greater percentage Republican and Independent than the United States average, and a lesser percentage Democrat.

In the state legislature, Valley Springs is in , and .

Federally, Valley Springs is in .