El Portal, California

El Portal
census-designated place
El Portal

Location in California

Coordinates: 37°40′29″N 119°47′03″W / 37.67472°N 119.78417°W / 37.67472; -119.78417Coordinates: 37°40′29″N 119°47′03″W / 37.67472°N 119.78417°W / 37.67472; -119.78417
Country  United States
State  California
County Mariposa
Area[1]
 • Total 1.639 sq mi (4.247 km2)
 • Land 1.592 sq mi (4.124 km2)
 • Water 0.047 sq mi (0.123 km2)  2.89%
Elevation[2] 1,939 ft (591 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 474
 • Density 290/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
GNIS feature IDs 259813; 2583008
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: El Portal, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: El Portal, California

El Portal is a census-designated place[3] in Mariposa County, California.[2] It is located 11.5 miles (19 km) west-southwest of Yosemite Village,[4] at an elevation of 1939 feet (591 m).[2] The population was 474 at the 2010 census.

El Portal lies along State Route 140 by the Merced River located on the western boundary of Yosemite National Park. It is partly under the administrative jurisdiction of Yosemite National Park. Community buildings include a post office, community center, and a small school. Town businesses include two hotels, a small general store, and a gas station.

El Portal plays host to a number of outdoor activities.

El Portal was the terminus of the Yosemite Valley Railroad at the entrance to the National Park.[4] El Portal is Spanish for "the gateway" derived from this fact.[4]

The first post office at El Portal opened in 1907.[4]

The National Park Service and several park partner organizations have offices in El Portal.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covered an area of 1.639 square miles (4.245 km2), of which 1.592 square miles (4.123 km2) was land and 2.89% was water.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census[5] reported that El Portal had a population of 474. The population density was 289.1 people per square mile (111.6/km²). The racial makeup of El Portal was 434 (91.6%) White, 1 (0.2%) African American, 9 (1.9%) Native American, 5 (1.1%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 5 (1.1%) from other races, and 20 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28 persons (5.9%).

The Census reported that 474 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 230 households, out of which 41 (17.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 84 (36.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 14 (6.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 7 (3.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 12 (5.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 93 households (40.4%) were made up of individuals and 13 (5.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06. There were 105 families (45.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.65.

The population was spread out with 73 people (15.4%) under the age of 18, 29 people (6.1%) aged 18 to 24, 181 people (38.2%) aged 25 to 44, 156 people (32.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 35 people (7.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

There were 276 housing units at an average density of 168.3 per square mile (65.0/km²), of which 88 (38.3%) were owner-occupied, and 142 (61.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. 185 people (39.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 289 people (61.0%) lived in rental housing units.

Locality

The area made national headlines in 1999 when one-time hotel handyman Cary Stayner abducted two teenaged girls and a female adult from a room at the Cedar Lodge, driving them a distance away then killing them. One teen was found near Lake Don Pedro in neighboring Tuolumne County with the other two bodies found in the back of the adult's rented car, which had been set on fire near the Sierra Village/Long Barn area, also in Tuolumne County. Shortly after, Stayner abducted another woman at a swimming hole in Yosemite and after moving her away, decapitated her. He was convicted of all four murders and sits on Death Row at the Folsom State Prison near Sacramento.

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Census
  2. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: El Portal, California
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: El Portal, California
  4. 1 2 3 4 Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 770. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  5. ↑ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - El Portal CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.

External links

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