Calaveras County, California

Calaveras County (/ˌkæləˈvɛrəs/ ), officially the County of Calaveras, is a county in both the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,292. The county seat is San Andreas. Angels Camp is the county's only incorporated city. Calaveras is Spanish for "skulls"; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga.

Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County view
Interactive map of Calaveras County
Location in the state of California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionsSierra Nevada, Gold Country
IncorporatedFebruary 18, 1850
Named forSpanish word meaning "skulls"
County seatSan Andreas
Largest communityRancho Calaveras (population)
Mountain Ranch (area)
Government
  TypeCouncil–CAO
  BodyBoard of Supervisors
  ChairGary Tofanelli
  Vice ChairJack Garamendi
  Board of Supervisors
Supervisors
  • Gary Tofanelli
  • Jack Garamendi
  • Martin Huberty
  • Amanda Folendorf
  • Benjamin Stopper
  County Administrative OficerCrista Voh Latta
Area
  Total1,037 sq mi (2,690 km2)
  Land1,020 sq mi (2,600 km2)
  Water17 sq mi (40 km2)
Highest elevation
8,174 ft (2,491 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total45,292
  Density44/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
  Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area code209
FIPS code06-009
GNIS feature ID1675885
Congressional district5th
Websitecalaverasgov.us

Calaveras Big Trees State Park, a preserve of giant sequoia trees, is in the county several miles east of the town of Arnold on State Highway 4. Credit for the discovery of giant sequoias there is given to Augustus T. Dowd, a trapper who made the discovery in 1852 while tracking a bear. When the bark from the "Discovery Tree" was removed and taken on tour around the world, the trees became a worldwide sensation and one of the county's first tourist attractions. The uncommon gold telluride mineral calaverite was discovered in the county in 1861 and is named for it.

Mark Twain set his story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in the county. The county hosts an annual fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, featuring a frog-jumping contest, to celebrate the association with Twain's story. Each year's winner is commemorated with a brass plaque mounted in the sidewalk of downtown Historic Angels Camp and this feature is known as the Frog Hop of Fame.

In 2015, Calaveras County had the highest rate of suicide deaths in the United States, with 49.1 per 100,000 people.

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