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Amador City, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amador City
City
Historic buildings in Amador City
Historic buildings in Amador City
Official seal of Amador City
Seal
Nickname: 
The gold country's hidden nugget
Motto: 
"Essence of the California Gold & Wine Country"
Location of Amador City in Amador County, California.
Location of Amador City in Amador County, California.
Amador City is located in California
Amador City
Amador City
Location in California
Amador City is located in the United States
Amador City
Amador City
Amador City (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°25′10″N 120°49′27″W / 38.41944°N 120.82417°W / 38.41944; -120.82417
Country United States
State California
CountyAmador
IncorporatedJune 2, 1915[1]
Government
 • MayorSandra Staples[2]
 • State SenateMarie Alvarado-Gil (R)[3]
 • State AssemblyJoe Patterson (R)[4]
 • U. S. CongressTom McClintock (R)[5]
Area
[6]
 • Total
0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2)
 • Land0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation
[7]
919 ft (280 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
200
 • Density645.16/sq mi (249.46/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
95601
Area code209
FIPS code06-01514
GNIS feature IDs1657922, 2409693
Websiteamador-city.com

Amador City (formerly Amadore's Creek or South Amador) is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 200 as of the 2020 census, up from 185 in 2010, making it the least populous incorporated city in California. Amador City is also noted for being the smallest city in California by area.

Geography

[edit]

Only two miles (3.2 km) from Sutter Creek on Old Highway 49, Amador City is the state's smallest incorporated city by area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), all of which is land, making it the smallest city in California by size.

History

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Amador City is named after José María Amador, a Californio miner who found gold in the area in 1848.

Amador City was originally settled in 1849 at what is now Turner Road and Amador Creek (an old wagon road between Drytown and Sutter Creek) by several groups of gold panners who were drawn to the area. One of the groups was the Sunol Group. The Sunol group included José María Amador. José María Amador panned the creek, but his primary success was providing supplies that he brought from his rancheria in the San Ramon area. José María Amador left the group after six months, returning to his rancheria. The rancheria had suffered during his absence, and he needed to care for his ailing wife. José María Amador must have made a significant impression among the other panners. The creek, city and County eventually carried the name "Amador", the city taking its name from the county.[8]

Early in 1851 gold quartz veins were discovered along the same creek but further west. Arrastras were brought to the area to crush the quartz. Shortly stamps mills were brought in to process the hard quartz that the gold veins were embedded in. By September two stamp mills were erected along Amador Creek. These stamp mills were so remarkable that it drew the attention of Eadweard Muybridge. He photographed the area and 3D images taken in 1851 were made of the stamp mills.

Amador City was incorporated as a city on June 2, 1915.

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880824—
189098419.4%
1920377—
1930171−54.6%
194024945.6%
1950151−39.4%
196020233.8%
1970156−22.8%
1980136−12.8%
199019644.1%
20001960.0%
2010185−5.6%
20202008.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

The 2020 United States census reported that Amador City had a population of 200. The population density was 645.2 inhabitants per square mile (249.1/km2). The racial makeup of Amador City was 81.0% White, 0.5% African American, 2.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 3.0% from other races, and 13.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.5% of the population.

All of the population lived in households.

There were 95 households, out of which 29.5% included children under the age of 18, 38.9% were married-couple households, 8.4% were cohabiting couple households, 32.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 29.5% of households were one person, and 12.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.11. There were 61 families (64.2% of all households).

The age distribution was 15.5% under the age of 18, 6.0% aged 18 to 24, 28.0% aged 25 to 44, 21.5% aged 45 to 64, and 29.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males.

There were 119 housing units at an average density of 383.9 units per square mile (148.2 units/km2), of which 95 (79.8%) were occupied. Of these, 54.7% were owner-occupied, and 45.3% were occupied by renters.[10][11]

Government and politics

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In the California State Legislature, Amador City is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby,[3] and in the 5th Assembly District, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.[4]

In the United States House of Representatives, Amador City is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom McClintock.[5]

Education

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Amador City is within the sole school district in Amador County: Amador County Unified School District.[12]

There are currently no schools within Amador City's boundaries. The city is serviced by Amador High School, Ione Junior High and Sutter Creek Elementary.

Points of interest

[edit]
The Imperial Hotel

An abandoned brick building stands next to the Fleehart Store, an example of reflection of historic stonemasonry in the area. Also on Main Street is the old Imperial Hotel, another example of historic Californian brickwork.[13] A bridge replacement project completed in 2014 has beautified and revitalized the center of the city, providing patio dining at the Imperial Hotel, new public restrooms and improved access to the businesses in the area.

  • Little Amador Railroad — Remnants remain of an incredibly-detailed G-Scale model train set in a garden that featured miniature mines and mills and turn-of-the-century full-size mining equipment. It is currently unused.
  • Amador City Cemetery — located behind the Imperial Hotel. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the 1.25-acre (5,100 m2) cemetery that dates back to the beginning of the town.[14]
  • Amador Whitney Museum — located in one of the oldest commercial buildings in town, dating back 1860, the museum collects and displays items related to history and culture of the Mother Lode region. The museum is named after Mr. Whitney, an antique dealer, who bequeathed the building to the city of Amador to be used as a museum.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  2. ^ "Amador City Government". Amador City CA. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "California's 5th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Amador". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 24, 2007.
  8. ^ Bright, William (1998). 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "Amador City city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  11. ^ "Amador City city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  12. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Amador County, CA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 25, 2023. - Text list
  13. ^ Division of Mines, The Motherlode Country, Bulletin 141
  14. ^ "Amador County's Pioneer Cemeteries | Amador City". historichwy49.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  15. ^ "Amador City ~ Amador Whitney Museum". amador-city.com. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
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