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39-534: Eureka Valley is located in Inyo County , in eastern California in the southwestern United States . It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) long and up to 10 miles (16 km) wide, with elevations varying from 2,870 feet (870 m) up to 8,456 feet (2,577 m). The southern section of the valley is now part of the Death Valley National Park - Death Valley itself lies just to the southeast. To

78-431: A complex-linear dune – the main ridge is a static linear dune but there are active star dunes formations superimposed on the linear dune A linear dune has alternating slip faces on opposite sides of the crest. This means that both sides of the dune have similar slopes and wind must have come from both the northern and southern ends of the valley. Star dunes have "arms" radiating off of a central crest that change direction as

117-433: A population of 18,546. The racial makeup of Inyo County was 13,741 (74.1%) White , 109 (0.6%) African American , 2,121 (11.4%) Native American , 243 (1.3%) Asian , 16 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 1,676 (9.0%) from other races , and 640 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,597 persons (19.4%). At the 2000 census , there were 17,945 people, 7,703 households and 4,937 families residing in

156-503: A strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. From 1944 to 2016 , the only Democrat to win the county (and the last to win a majority of its vote) was Lyndon Johnson in 1964 . However, the county shifted significantly leftward in 2020 , narrowly supporting Joe Biden over Donald Trump . As a result, it became one of only two counties that previously voted for Trump by double digits in 2016 to flip to

195-696: Is a two-year alternative education college in Deep Springs Valley . Higher education in Inyo County is provided by the Kern Community College District . In the 1920s, automobile clubs and nearby towns started to lobby for trans-Sierra highways over Piute Pass and other locations. However, by end of the 1920s, the Forest Service and the Sierra Club decided that roadless wilderness in

234-490: Is an exclave ( Devil's Hole ) in southern Nye County. The park covers 5,262 square miles (13,630 km ), encompassing Saline Valley , a large part of Panamint Valley , almost all of Death Valley , and parts of several mountain ranges . Death Valley National Monument was proclaimed in 1933, placing the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument was redesignated a national park, as well as being substantially expanded to include Saline and Eureka Valleys. It

273-652: Is the hottest and driest of the national parks in the United States. It also features the second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and the lowest point in North America at the Badwater Basin , which is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level . It is home to many species of plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment. Some examples include Creosote Bush , Bighorn Sheep , Coyote , and

312-650: Is the second-largest county by area in California, after San Bernardino County . Almost half of that area is within Death Valley National Park . However, with a population density of 1.8 people per square mile, it also has the second-lowest population density in California, after Alpine County . Present-day Inyo county has been the historic homeland for thousands of years of the Mono , Timbisha , Kawaiisu , and Northern Paiute Native Americans . The descendants of these ancestors continue to live in their traditional homelands in

351-762: The 2020 census , the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence . Inyo County is on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite National Park in Central California . It contains the Owens River Valley ; it is flanked to the west by the Sierra Nevada and to the east by the White Mountains and the Inyo Mountains . With an area of 10,192 square miles (26,400 km ), Inyo

390-612: The 8th Assembly District , represented by Republican David Tangipa . The county is in California's 3rd congressional district , represented by Republican Kevin Kiley . On November 4, 2008, Inyo County voted 60.6% for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. The county was home to Manzanar Internment Camp, where Japanese Americans were interned during World War II. Although

429-568: The Death Valley National Park as part of its expansion in 1994. Foot travel in the dunes is permitted, but vehicle access is prohibited. A primitive campground is located at the north end of the dune field. Sand dunes also exist in Death Valley near Stovepipe Wells . The Eureka Dunes share regional characteristics with the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert . The Eureka Dunes are an example of

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468-487: The Death Valley Pupfish , a survivor of much wetter times. Approximately 95% of the park is designated as wilderness . Death Valley National Park is visited annually by more than 770,000 visitors who come to enjoy its diverse geologic features, desert wildlife, historic sites, scenery, clear night skies, and the solitude of the extreme desert environment. The 2010 United States Census reported that Inyo County had

507-542: The Democrats , the other being Talbot County, Maryland . Inyo still leans Republican. It voted Republican in all statewide races held in 2022 . It flipped back to voting for Donald Trump in 2024 , though by a much smaller margin than Trump had won the county in 2016. In the California State Legislature , Inyo County is in the 4th Senate District , represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil , and

546-680: The National Wilderness Preservation System . This is the second-largest number of any county, exceeded only by San Bernardino County 's 35 wilderness areas. Most of these are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management , but four are integral components of Death Valley National Park or Inyo National Forest and are thus managed by either the National Park Service or the Forest Service . Some of these wilderness areas also extend into neighboring counties. Except as noted,

585-401: The Owens River Valley and in Death Valley National Park . Inyo County was formed in 1866 out of the territory of the unorganized Coso County , which had been created on April 4, 1864, from parts of Mono County and Tulare County . It acquired more territory from Mono County in 1870 and Kern County and San Bernardino County in 1872. For many years it has been commonly believed that

624-479: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 10,227 square miles (26,490 km ), of which 10,181 square miles (26,370 km ) is land and 46 square miles (120 km ) (0.5%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in California and the ninth-largest in the United States (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska ). There are 22 official wilderness areas in Inyo County that are part of

663-619: The Mississippian and Cambrian periods while the surficial deposits on the valley floor are made up mainly of alluvium dating to the Quaternary period. They are also classified as booming sand dunes , one of only about forty worldwide. Accessed via a gravel road in Eureka Valley (which connects to a road running from Big Pine to the Grapevine section of Death Valley ), the dunes became part of

702-661: The Sierra was valuable, and fought the proposal. The Piute Pass proposal faded out by the early 1930s, with the Forest Service proposing a route over Minaret Summit in 1933. The Minaret Summit route was lobbied against by California's Governor Ronald Reagan in 1972. The expansion of the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses in the 1980s sealed off the Minaret Summit route. A trans-Sierra route between Porterville and Lone Pine

741-529: The Timbisha tribe headed by a man whose name was Inyo. Inyo was the name of the headman of one of the Timbisha bands at the time of contact when the first whites, the Bennett-Arcane Party of 1849, wandered, lost, into Death Valley on their expedition to the gold fields of western California. The Owens Valley whites misunderstood the reference and thought that Inyo was the name of the mountains when actually it

780-531: The age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. 24.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

819-485: The case of Eureka, a distant propeller plane. Most researchers agree that the average sand grain size should be smaller than 300 μm, well-sorted with no dusty material, dry and in low humidity, loosely packed, and each sand grain should be spherical and smooth The booming sound occurs when a sheet of sand avalanches down the slip face, exciting the sand grains. The friction between these grains creates an acoustic air wave that emits an audible sound. The Eureka Dunes are

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858-441: The community of Big Pine to the northern Grapevine section of Death Valley. A 10-mile gravel road provides access to the southern end of the valley. More primitive routes exit the valley to the northwest via Soldier Pass, to the northeast via Horse Thief Pass, and to the south via Dedeckera Canyon. The valley has two distinguishing features. Its shape alters the wind in such a way as to collect sand near its southern end, leading to

897-517: The county derived its name from the Mono tribe's name for the mountains in its former homeland. Actually the name came to be thought of, mistakenly, as the name of the mountains to the east of the Owens Valley when the first whites there asked the local Owens Valley Paiutes for the name of the mountains to the east. They responded that that was the land of Inyo. They meant by this that those lands belonged to

936-616: The county was typically Democratic before World War II, in the decades since Japanese internment the county has been solidly Republican, only voting for Lyndon Johnson (who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964) and Joe Biden (who ran on a ticket with Kamala Harris, the first Asian American to be part of a major party ticket). The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. Stephanie J. Rennie (Jan 3, 2023 - Current) School districts in Inyo County are: Deep Springs College

975-673: The county. The population density was 2 per square mile (0.77/km ). There were 9,042 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0.39/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 80.1% White , 0.2% Black or African American , 10.0% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 4.6% from other races , and 4.2% from two or more races. 12.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.4% were of German , 12.2% English , 10.6% Irish and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000 . 89.2% spoke English and 9.3% Spanish as their first language. There were 7,703 households, of which 27.9% had children under

1014-469: The following table is based on the 2010 census of Inyo County. † county seat Swallenia alexandrae Swallenia is a rare genus of plants in the grass family , found only in Death Valley National Park , California . The only known species is Swallenia alexandrae , known by the common names Eureka dunegrass and Eureka Valley dune grass . This genus was named for American botanist Jason Richard Swallen (1903-1991). The species

1053-557: The highest dune fields in North America. Eureka Valley is a basin and range structural valley oriented northwest–southeast and enclosed by the Last Chance Range to the east and the Saline Range to the west. The Eureka Dunes themselves are located in the southeasternmost tip of the valley and trend north–south, parallel to Last Chance Range . According to a USGS survey map, the surrounding mountain ranges contain rocks that date back to

1092-532: The home of several unique (and protected) plant species. The Eureka Dune Grass (Swallenia alexandrae) , the Eureka Evening Primrose (Oenothera californica eurekensis) , and the Shining Locoweed (Astragalus lentiginosus micans) are only found in this area. Visitors to the dunes may also experience other unique aspects of these dunes, other than the booming. In wet weather, patterns can be seen in

1131-554: The lowest place in North America, is in eastern Inyo County. The difference between the two points is about 14,700 feet (4,500 m). They are not visible from each other, but both can be observed from the Panamint Range on the west side of Death Valley, above the Panamint Valley . Thus, Inyo County has the greatest elevation difference among all of the counties and county-equivalents in the contiguous United States. According to

1170-647: The north is Deep Springs Valley , Fish Lake Valley , and the White Mountain Range . To the east the Last Chance Range rises over 5,500 feet (1,700 m) above the valley floor. To the west are the Saline Mountains, and to the southwest lies Saline Valley . Eureka Valley is a graben , like most other lower-lying areas of the Basin and Range Province . An improved gravel road crosses the valley, connecting

1209-424: The sand that reveals the diverse sources, and the complex Aeolian process by which these dunes are formed and re-formed, and sources and processes that are not yet fully understood. Inyo County, California Inyo County ( / ˈ ɪ n j oʊ / ) is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California , located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada . In

Eureka Valley (Inyo County) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-429: The unique Eureka Dunes. Just to the east of the dunes, the Last Chance Range climbs over 3,500 feet (1,100 m) as near-vertical cliffs, displaying colorful rock strata . The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are located in the southern part of Eureka Valley . Although covering an area of only 3 square miles (7.8 km), the dunes rise approximately 680 feet (210 m) above the surrounding valley floor, making them one of

1287-683: The valley for water rights and control. In 1941 the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power extended the Los Angeles Aqueduct system farther upriver into the Mono Basin . Inyo County is host to a number of natural superlatives. Among them are: Mount Whitney , the highest peak in the contiguous United States , is on Inyo County's western border (with Tulare County ). The Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park,

1326-615: The wilderness areas are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management and lie entirely within Inyo County: Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in California , with a small extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada . In addition, there

1365-464: The wind direction changes. Little is known about the past of the Eureka Dunes and its development. The sand source is unknown, although some scientists believed that it originated from an ancient lake at the northern end of the valley. The unique booming characteristic of the Eureka Dunes is caused by the relative motion of moving sand grains. The sound has been compared to moans, hums, drums, and, in

1404-506: Was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median household income was $ 35,006 and the median family income was $ 44,970. Males had a median income of $ 37,270 versus $ 25,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,639. About 9.3% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Inyo has historically been

1443-668: Was named for American philanthropist and paleontological collector Annie Montague Alexander . This is a rare plant endemic to Inyo County, California , where it is found on a single isolated dune system, the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes in the Eureka Valley of the Mojave Desert , within Death Valley National Park. Swallenia alexandrae is a coarse, tufted perennial grass which grows in sand from thick rhizomes . Its stiffly erect clums, sharp-leafed grass, and erect pale-colored panicle inflorescences are diagnostic. This

1482-857: Was proposed by local businessmen in 1923. Eventually, a circuitous route across the Sierra was built across the only trans-Sierra route south of Yosemite: Sherman Pass by 1976. That route is Forest Route 22S05 to the west, and Kennedy Meadow Road ( County Route J41 ) and 9-Mile Canyon Road to the east. Eastern Sierra Transit Authority operates intercity bus service along US 395, as well as local services in Bishop. Service extends south to Lancaster (Los Angeles County) and north to Reno, Nevada . Bishop Airport , Independence Airport , Lone Pine Airport and Shoshone Airport are general aviation airports located near their respective cities. Stovepipe Wells Airport and Furnace Creek Airport are located in Death Valley National Park . Source: The population ranking of

1521-571: Was the name of the chief, or headman, of the tribe that had those mountains as part of their homeland. In Timbisha, ɨnnɨyun means "it's (or he's) dangerous". To supply the growing City of Los Angeles , water was diverted from the Owens River into the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. The Owens River Valley cultures and environments changed substantially. From the 1910s to 1930s the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power purchased much of

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