Alpine County is a county in California, United States, in the Sierra Nevada about 30 miles south of South Lake Tahoe and 20 miles west of Carson City, Nevada. It had a population of 1,204 at the 2020 census, an estimated 1,043 by 2025, and covers 742.8 square miles (1,924 km2) centred near 38°35′N 119°48′W.
Markleeville is the county seat — an unincorporated community, since Alpine has zero incorporated cities or towns; its postal code is 96120. The county’s 1,204 residents live across five census-designated places and one additional unincorporated community, Woodfords, which the Census Bureau counts inside Alpine Village. Alpine has no civil townships, and it runs on Pacific time. Its FIPS code is 06003.
Towns & Villages in Alpine County
Alpine County has six named places and not one incorporated city, town, or village — every community here is a census-designated place (CDP) or an unincorporated settlement governed directly by the county. That makes Alpine the only California county with zero incorporated municipalities.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markleeville | CDP · seat | 191 | 96120 |
| Alpine Village | CDP | 224 | 96120 |
| Mesa Vista | CDP | 217 | 96120 |
| Kirkwood | CDP | 190 | 95646 |
| Bear Valley | CDP | 128 | 95223 |
| Woodfords | Unincorp. | — | 96120 |
Kirkwood is the one entry that isn’t purely Alpine’s: the resort village straddles the county line, with parts of its base area falling in Amador and El Dorado counties, though its post office and ZIP code sit on the Alpine side. Woodfords carries no separate population figure because the Census Bureau folds it into the Alpine Village CDP boundary rather than tracking it as its own place.
ZIP Codes
- 96120 — Markleeville (post office town; also serves Alpine Village, Mesa Vista and Woodfords)
- 95646 — Kirkwood (shared with the Amador and El Dorado sides of the resort)
- 95223 — Bear Valley
No community in the county has a ZIP code of its own beyond these three post office towns; every smaller settlement uses whichever office is closest by road.
Geography
Alpine County sits entirely within the Sierra Nevada, straddling the range’s crest along the California–Nevada line. Of its 742.8 square miles, 738 are land and 4.8 are water. About 96% of the county is federally owned, split across the Eldorado, Stanislaus and Humboldt–Toiyabe national forests. The East Fork of the Carson River is the county’s principal waterway, running north through Markleeville toward Nevada; Silver Lake and Lake Alpine are its largest bodies of water. Two Sierra passes close every winter under heavy snow: Ebbetts Pass (State Route 4, 8,736 feet) and Monitor Pass (State Route 89, 8,314 feet).
Alpine borders six counties: El Dorado to the north, Douglas County, Nevada to the northeast, Mono to the south, Tuolumne to the southwest, Calaveras to the west, and Amador to the northwest.
Demographics
Alpine County had 1,204 residents at the 2020 census and an estimated 1,043 by 2025 — it is California’s least populous county by a wide margin. Alpine Village (224) and Mesa Vista (217) are the two largest communities. Median household income runs about $105,500, above California’s statewide figure of roughly $99,100, though the small population makes that estimate volatile year to year. Population density works out to about 1.6 people per square mile of land, among the lowest of any county in the contiguous United States.
Economy & Local Life
Winter recreation drives the county’s economy: Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Bear Valley Mountain Resort together employ a large share of the workforce that isn’t in county government. Arts, entertainment and recreation is the single largest employment sector, followed by health care and social assistance and retail trade. The Alpine County Courthouse in Markleeville, a California Historical Landmark, houses most county offices. The county’s best-known annual event is the Death Ride, a 129-mile bicycle ride over five Sierra passes held out of Markleeville each July; Markleeville also hosts the Woollystar Music Festival.
History
Alpine County was organized on March 16, 1864, carved from parts of five neighboring counties — Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mono and Tuolumne. It took its name from its resemblance to the Swiss Alps. Kit Carson and John C. Frémont passed through in 1844, and a silver-mining boom brought the county’s population to roughly 11,000 at its founding. The 1873 collapse of Comstock-era silver prices ended that boom; by 1930 the county’s population had fallen to 241, then the lowest of any county in the United States. Development of the Kirkwood and Bear Valley ski areas from the late 1960s onward rebuilt the population to its current level. The Washoe people have lived in the region for centuries; Woodfords Community, known in Washoe as Hung-A-Lel-Ti, in nearby Diamond Valley, is the tribe’s only community in California.
Getting There
No interstate reaches Alpine County. State Route 88 crosses year-round over Carson Pass; State Route 4 and State Route 89 both close seasonally at Ebbetts Pass and Monitor Pass.
- South Lake Tahoe, California — about 30 miles north
- Carson City, Nevada — about 20 miles east
- Jackson, California — about 60 miles west
- Sacramento, California — about 110 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Reno-Tahoe International Airport, about 75 miles northeast. There is no Amtrak station in the county; the closest California Zephyr stop is in Truckee, about 65 miles north.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Alpine County?
It is in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California, on the Nevada border, about 30 miles south of South Lake Tahoe.
What is the population of Alpine County?
1,204 at the 2020 census, an estimated 1,043 by 2025 — the smallest population of any county in California.
How big is Alpine County?
742.8 square miles (1,924 km2), of which 738 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Alpine County?
Markleeville, an unincorporated community with a population of 191.
Does Alpine County have any incorporated cities?
No. It is the only county in California with zero incorporated cities or towns; every community is a census-designated place or an unincorporated settlement.
What ZIP codes serve Alpine County?
96120 (Markleeville), 95646 (Kirkwood) and 95223 (Bear Valley).
What are the main ski resorts in Alpine County?
Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Bear Valley Mountain Resort, both in the Sierra Nevada high country.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in California.