Mother of Counties

Mariposa County, located in Central California on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, has an area of approximately 931,200 acres of which 452,384 acres are publicly owned and occupied by Yosemite National Park, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests.

The climate of Mariposa County ranges from warm, dry summers and mild winters in the foothills to mild summers and snowy winters in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. Schools include one sustained distinguished high school, one distinguished middle school, seven elementary schools including two distinguished schools, a CSBA Golden Bell winner and a national Blue Ribbon nominee. Business activity in Mariposa County is based on trade and service transactions that support a fluctuating tourist population, livestock, timber and mining operations and viticulture.
 
The county offers unsurpassed scenery, which includes the splendor of Yosemite Valley. Recreational activities include snow skiing, fishing, boating, whitewater rafting, hiking, sightseeing, historic gold rush towns, and wine tasting all to be enjoyed above the fog with clean, fresh air.
 
In 1850, when California became part of the United States at the conclusion of the Mexican American war, almost no Europeans lived in the interior southern half of the vast new territory. For administrative purposes, the entire area was designated Mariposa County.
 
The discovery of gold that same year quickly initiated a flood of miners and settlers into the area. The demands of various groups wanting control of specific areas, as well as administrative necessity, resulted in division of successively more discreet areas into new counties. In a series of stages over the next twelve years, the state legislature kept redefining and adding to more counties in middle California.
 
Mariposa county is proud of its grand past, happy with the range and variety of terrain within today's boundaries, and greatly relieved that other jurisdictions are now responsible for dealing with the sprawl and development consuming all too much of its former territory.

CSAC Snapshot Info

Official County Website