Silver City, California

Coordinates: 36°27′50″N 118°39′03″W / 36.46389°N 118.65083°W / 36.46389; -118.65083
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Silver City
Unincorporated
Silver City is located in California
Silver City
Silver City
Position in California.
Coordinates: 36°27′50″N 118°39′03″W / 36.46389°N 118.65083°W / 36.46389; -118.65083
Country United States
State California
CountyTulare
Area
 • Total0.576 sq mi (1.491 km2)
 • Land0.576 sq mi (1.491 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation6,732 ft (2,052 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total0
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
GNIS feature ID2585449
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silver City, California

Silver City is a census-designated place (CDP) in the mountainous area of central Tulare County, California.[2] Silver City sits at an elevation of 6,732 feet (2,052 m).[2] It lies 72 km ENE of Visalia, California, within the boundary of Sequoia National Park. The 2010 United States census reported Silver City was uninhabited.[3]

Silver City is the name of an inholding in Sequoia National Park located at Mile 21 on the 25-mile road to Mineral King.[4] It consists of 58 fee-simple lots, 39 of which have cabins on them, plus a commercial area consisting of a store, restaurant and several rental cabins called the Silver City Mountain Resort.[5] It is classified as a transient non-community because it is occupied only during the spring, summer and fall but not during the winter.[citation needed]

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 0.6 square miles (1.5 km2), all of it land.

History[edit]

Archaeological evidence indicates that the area surrounding Silver City has supported indigenous peoples for thousands of years.[citation needed] A Yokuts tribe called Wukchumni established permanent campsites along the Kaweah River in the lower elevations below Silver City.[citation needed] During the hot summers, these people moved to the higher elevations, thus becoming the first users of the Silver City area.[citation needed] They traded with the Monache and the Numic peoples who came over the Sierras from the eastern side in hunting and foraging movements.[citation needed]

The first settler of the modern historical era homesteaded Silver City in 1856; Hale Tharp. In 1858 Tharp’s brother-in-law, John Swanson, erected a dwelling there.[citation needed] For several subsequent years, valley ranchers used the alpine areas during the summer heat, allowing their cattle to graze there.[citation needed]

By 1873, sufficient metal ore had been identified in the nearby mountains to cause a minor gold rush. Although short-lived, it consolidated Mineral King and Silver City into viable summertime communities.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ U.S. Census Archived July 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Silver City, California
  3. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
  4. ^ The county-owned Mineral King Road is not maintained in wintertime, and due to heavy snowfall the road is closed.
  5. ^ [1] Resort website home page
  6. ^ [2] History of Silver City, Silver City Mountain Resort (website)