{"id":786,"date":"2023-01-20T09:20:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T09:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=786"},"modified":"2026-08-11T21:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:32:46","slug":"tuolumne-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/tuolumne-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuolumne County, California"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tuolumne County is a county in California, United States, in the central Sierra Nevada about<br \/>\n120 miles east of San Francisco. It had a population of 55,620 at the 2020 census, an estimated<br \/>\n53,160 by 2025, and covers 2,274 square miles (5,890 km2) centred near 38\u00b001\u2032N 119\u00b056\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Sonora is the county seat and the only incorporated city; its postal code is 95370. The county<br \/>\nholds 1 city, 18 census-designated places and several smaller unincorporated communities, and it<br \/>\nruns on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 06109.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Tuolumne County<\/h2>\n<p>Tuolumne County has 19 named places on record: Sonora, the only incorporated city, and 18<br \/>\ncensus-designated places (CDPs) with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census<br \/>\ndesignated place; Unincorp. covers smaller communities the Census Bureau does not track as a<br \/>\nseparate place.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Sonora<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>5,003<\/td>\n<td>95370, 95373<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Phoenix Lake<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>4,264<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jamestown<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>3,478<\/td>\n<td>95327<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mono Vista<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>3,236<\/td>\n<td>95370<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pine Mountain Lake<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,636<\/td>\n<td>95321<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Columbia<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,577<\/td>\n<td>95310<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Twain Harte<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,378<\/td>\n<td>95383<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>East Sonora<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,431<\/td>\n<td>95370<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Soulsbyville<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>2,092<\/td>\n<td>95372<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tuolumne City<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>1,798<\/td>\n<td>95379<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cedar Ridge<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>1,235<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mi-Wuk Village<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>935<\/td>\n<td>95346<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tuttletown<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>787<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Groveland<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>540<\/td>\n<td>95321<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sierra Village<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>411<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Long Barn<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>162<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cold Springs<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>123<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Chinese Camp<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>90<\/td>\n<td>95309<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Strawberry<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>87<\/td>\n<td>95375<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake share ZIP 95321, and East Sonora and Mono Vista share Sonora&#8217;s<br \/>\n95370 &mdash; both pairs are separate CDPs but neither has a post office of its own. Chinese Camp<br \/>\npredates the Gold Rush-era mining camps around it and is now the smallest CDP in the county by<br \/>\npopulation.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>95370 &mdash; Sonora (also covers East Sonora and Mono Vista)<\/li>\n<li>95373 &mdash; Sonora (PO box ZIP)<\/li>\n<li>95327 &mdash; Jamestown<\/li>\n<li>95321 &mdash; Groveland (also covers Pine Mountain Lake)<\/li>\n<li>95310 &mdash; Columbia<\/li>\n<li>95383 &mdash; Twain Harte<\/li>\n<li>95372 &mdash; Soulsbyville<\/li>\n<li>95379 &mdash; Tuolumne City<\/li>\n<li>95346 &mdash; Mi-Wuk Village<\/li>\n<li>95309 &mdash; Chinese Camp<\/li>\n<li>95375 &mdash; Strawberry (post office closed; mail now routed through Pinecrest)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Phoenix Lake, Cedar Ridge, Tuttletown, Sierra Village, Long Barn and Cold Springs have no ZIP<br \/>\ncode of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated place&#8217;s code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Tuolumne County sits in the central Sierra Nevada, climbing from the rolling oak foothills of the<br \/>\nMother Lode gold belt near Sonora to peaks above 13,000 feet along the Sierra crest. Of its 2,274<br \/>\nsquare miles, 2,221 are land and 54 are water. The county contains the entire northern portion of<br \/>\nYosemite National Park, including Hetch Hetchy Valley, and most of the Stanislaus National Forest.<br \/>\nThe Tuolumne River and its tributaries drain the county&#8217;s high country, feeding Hetch Hetchy<br \/>\nReservoir, San Francisco&#8217;s primary water source.<\/p>\n<p>Calaveras County lies to the north, Alpine County touches the county&#8217;s northeastern corner, Mono<br \/>\nCounty borders it to the east, Mariposa and Madera counties lie to the south, and Stanislaus and<br \/>\nMerced counties border it to the west. <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/calaveras-county\/\">Calaveras<br \/>\nCounty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/alpine-county\/\">Alpine County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mono-county\/\">Mono County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mariposa-county\/\">Mariposa County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/madera-county\/\">Madera County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/stanislaus-county\/\">Stanislaus County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/merced-county\/\">Merced County<\/a> all border Tuolumne.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Tuolumne County had a population of 55,620 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the<br \/>\ncounty near 53,160 residents, a slight decline. Phoenix Lake and Jamestown are the two largest<br \/>\nunincorporated communities, while Sonora remains the only incorporated city. Median household<br \/>\nincome runs $77,404, below California&#8217;s statewide figure of $95,521 (2023 ACS). Population<br \/>\ndensity works out to roughly 25 people per square mile of land, low for California and typical of<br \/>\na mountain county with most of its territory in national forest and park land.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 3,347 people,<br \/>\nfollowed by public administration at 2,013 and retail trade at 1,979. Adventist Health Sonora, the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s hospital, is one of the largest single employers. Columbia College, part of the Yosemite<br \/>\nCommunity College District, sits just north of Sonora and serves roughly 4,500 students. The<br \/>\nTuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians operates Black Oak Casino Resort near Tuolumne, one of the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s larger private employers, with a hotel, restaurants and an arcade and bowling alley.<br \/>\nRailtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown runs vintage steam trains on the old Sierra Railway<br \/>\nand has served as a filming location for numerous Western movies and TV shows. The county&#8217;s<br \/>\nbiggest annual event is the Mother Lode Fair, held each May at the county fairgrounds in Sonora.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Tuolumne County was one of California&#8217;s original 27 counties, organised in 1850 at statehood.<br \/>\nIts name is a corruption of a Native American word, talmalamne, reported by General Mariano<br \/>\nVallejo to mean a cluster of stone wigwams. Sonora was founded during the Gold Rush by miners from<br \/>\nthe Mexican border region Sonora and quickly became the county seat and the Mother Lode&#8217;s<br \/>\nwealthiest town.<\/p>\n<p>In August 2013 the Rim Fire ignited in Stanislaus National Forest near the county&#8217;s Groveland<br \/>\narea and burned 257,314 acres, ranking as the third-largest wildfire recorded in California<br \/>\nhistory at the time. It scorched a large portion of Yosemite National Park and reshaped forest<br \/>\nmanagement across the county&#8217;s eastern half for years afterward.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>No interstate highway crosses the county. California State Route 108 runs east-west through<br \/>\nSonora and continues over Sonora Pass into Mono County; State Route 120 runs through Groveland<br \/>\ntoward Yosemite&#8217;s Big Oak Flat entrance; State Route 49 runs north-south through Jamestown and<br \/>\nColumbia; State Route 132 serves the county&#8217;s western edge.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Modesto &mdash; about 60 miles west<\/li>\n<li>Stockton &mdash; about 70 miles northwest<\/li>\n<li>Yosemite Valley &mdash; about 45 miles southeast of Sonora via Highway 120<\/li>\n<li>South Lake Tahoe &mdash; about 100 miles northeast<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Columbia Airport, in the county&#8217;s southwest, and Pine Mountain Lake Airport, in the northeast,<br \/>\nare both general-aviation fields; the nearest commercial service is Modesto City-Schmidt Airport.<br \/>\nNo Amtrak line runs through the county; Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System buses connect<br \/>\nSonora to Yosemite Valley in summer.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Tuolumne County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in the central Sierra Nevada, about 120 miles east of San Francisco, bordered by<br \/>\nCalaveras, Alpine, Mono, Mariposa, Madera, Stanislaus and Merced counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Tuolumne County?<\/strong><br \/>\n55,620 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 53,160.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Tuolumne County?<\/strong><br \/>\n2,274 square miles (5,890 km2), of which 2,221 square miles are land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Tuolumne County?<\/strong><br \/>\nSonora, founded during the Gold Rush, is the county seat and the only incorporated city.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Tuolumne County?<\/strong><br \/>\nOne incorporated city, Sonora, plus 18 census-designated places including Jamestown, Columbia,<br \/>\nTwain Harte and Groveland.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Tuolumne County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n95370 and 95373 for Sonora, 95327 for Jamestown, 95321 for Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake,<br \/>\n95310 for Columbia, and 95383 for Twain Harte, among others.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Tuolumne County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe northern half of Yosemite National Park, Gold Rush towns like Columbia State Historic Park<br \/>\nand Jamestown&#8217;s Railtown 1897, and the 2013 Rim Fire.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/california\/\">Towns and villages in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tuolumne County is a county in California, United States, in the central Sierra Nevada about 120 miles east of San Francisco. It had a population of 55,620 at the 2020 census, an estimated 53,160 by 2025, and covers 2,274 square miles (5,890 km2) centred near 38\u00b001\u2032N 119\u00b056\u2032W. Sonora is the county seat and the only [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Tuolumne County, California","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 18 towns and CDPs in Tuolumne County, California - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Sonora and Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-california","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9621,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions\/9621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}