Rail Road Flat, California
Encyclopedia
Rail Road Flat is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Calaveras County
, California
, United States
. The population was 475 at the 2010 census, down from 549 at the 2000 census.
town, elevation
2,600 feet (788 m), was named after primitive mule-drawn ore cars used here. There was never actually a railroad here. The town was established in 1849. It was the site of an Indian council as well as the center of rich placer
and quartz
mining. Its largest producer was the Petticoat Mine. The post office
was established in 1857, closed in 1858, and re-established in 1869 and the Edwin Taylor store built in 1867. The town's population was decimated in 1880 by black fever.
The Clark Reservoir was created when an engineer named W.V. Clark constructed a ditch from the Mokelumne River
, as there was not much water to work the placers. The reservoir, located on his property, supplied water to the mines and to the town.
The town is registered as California Historical Landmark
#286.
, the CDP has a total area of 33.2 square miles (86 km²), of which, 33 square miles (85.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.47%) is water.
was 14.3 people per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of Rail Road Flat was 411 (86.5%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 15 (3.2%) Native American, 4 (0.8%) Asian, 2 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 9 (1.9%) from other races
, and 34 (7.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41 persons (8.6%).
The Census reported that 475 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 220 households, out of which 41 (18.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 101 (45.9%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 15 (6.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 7 (3.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 18 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 72 households (32.7%) were made up of individuals and 38 (17.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 123 families
(55.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.79.
The population was spread out with 77 people (16.2%) under the age of 18, 20 people (4.2%) aged 18 to 24, 70 people (14.7%) aged 25 to 44, 186 people (39.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 122 people (25.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.7 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
There were 340 housing units at an average density of 10.3 per square mile (4.0/km²), of which 169 (76.8%) were owner-occupied, and 51 (23.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%. 363 people (76.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 112 people (23.6%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 549 people, 240 households, and 150 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 16.7 people per square mile (6.5/km²). There were 326 housing units at an average density of 9.9 per square mile (3.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.17% White
, 0.18% Black
or African American
, 1.46% Native American
, 0.91% Asian
, 0.18% Pacific Islander
, 1.82% from other races
, and 3.28% from two or more races. 5.28% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 240 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,938, and the median income for a family was $35,278. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $18,454. About 6.7% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Rail Road Flat is located in the 1st Senate
District, represented by Republican
Dave Cox
, and in the 25th Assembly
District, represented by Republican Kristin Olsen
. Federally, Rail Road Flat is located in California's 3rd congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +7 and is represented by Republican Dan Lungren
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Calaveras County
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 475 at the 2010 census, down from 549 at the 2000 census.
History
This historic miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town, elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
2,600 feet (788 m), was named after primitive mule-drawn ore cars used here. There was never actually a railroad here. The town was established in 1849. It was the site of an Indian council as well as the center of rich placer
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
mining. Its largest producer was the Petticoat Mine. The post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in 1857, closed in 1858, and re-established in 1869 and the Edwin Taylor store built in 1867. The town's population was decimated in 1880 by black fever.
The Clark Reservoir was created when an engineer named W.V. Clark constructed a ditch from the Mokelumne River
Mokelumne River
The Mokelumne River is a river in Northern California. The Upper Mokelumne River originates in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and flows into Pardee Reservoir and then Camanche Reservoir in the Sierra foothills. The Lower Mokelumne River refers to the portion of the river below Camanche Dam...
, as there was not much water to work the placers. The reservoir, located on his property, supplied water to the mines and to the town.
The town is registered as California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
#286.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 33.2 square miles (86 km²), of which, 33 square miles (85.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.47%) is water.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Rail Road Flat had a population of 475. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 14.3 people per square mile (5.5/km²). The racial makeup of Rail Road Flat was 411 (86.5%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 15 (3.2%) Native American, 4 (0.8%) Asian, 2 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 9 (1.9%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 34 (7.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41 persons (8.6%).
The Census reported that 475 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 220 households, out of which 41 (18.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 101 (45.9%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15 (6.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 7 (3.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 18 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 72 households (32.7%) were made up of individuals and 38 (17.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 123 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(55.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.79.
The population was spread out with 77 people (16.2%) under the age of 18, 20 people (4.2%) aged 18 to 24, 70 people (14.7%) aged 25 to 44, 186 people (39.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 122 people (25.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.7 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
There were 340 housing units at an average density of 10.3 per square mile (4.0/km²), of which 169 (76.8%) were owner-occupied, and 51 (23.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%. 363 people (76.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 112 people (23.6%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 549 people, 240 households, and 150 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 16.7 people per square mile (6.5/km²). There were 326 housing units at an average density of 9.9 per square mile (3.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.17% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.18% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.46% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.91% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.18% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.82% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.28% from two or more races. 5.28% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 240 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,938, and the median income for a family was $35,278. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $18,454. About 6.7% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Rail Road Flat is located in the 1st Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Dave Cox
Dave Cox
David E. Cox was an American politician from Holdenville, Oklahoma. A Republican, he served as a California State Senator, representing the 1st district from December 2004 until his death in July 2010, and also served as an California State Assemblyman for the six years immediately before his...
, and in the 25th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Republican Kristin Olsen
Kristin Olsen
Kristin Olsen is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. She is a Republican representing the 25th district, encompassing Calaveras, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties, and parts of Madera and Stanislaus counties...
. Federally, Rail Road Flat is located in California's 3rd congressional district
California's 3rd congressional district
California's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. It covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +7 and is represented by Republican Dan Lungren
Dan Lungren
Daniel Edward "Dan" Lungren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...
.