Swall Meadows, California
Swall Meadows, California | |
|---|---|
 Top end of Swall Meadows (center), below the Wheeler Crest | |
 Location in Mono County and the state of California | |
  Swall Meadows  Swall Meadows | |
| Coordinates: 37°30′06″N 118°37′45″W / 37.50167°N 118.62917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mono |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.462 sq mi (11.556 km2) |
| • Land | 4.462 sq mi (11.556 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,559 ft (1,999 m) |
| Population (2020)[3] | |
• Total | 178 |
| • Density | 40/sq mi (15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 93514 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-77430 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 2583158[2] |
Swall Meadows is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)[2] in southern Mono County, California, United States. The population was 178 as of the 2020 census.[3] The community is residential, including second homes and a volunteer fire department, but no commercial development. The ZIP Code is 93514.[4] The community is inside area code 760.
Geography
[edit]Swall Meadows sits partway up the Sherwin Grade below the Wheeler Crest of the eastern Sierra Nevada, at an elevation range of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 feet (1,800 to 2,100 m). It is in pinon-juniper/subalpine zone habitat, with views south along the Sierra Crest of Mt. Tom, and east across the Owens Valley to the White Mountains and Nevada. It is accessed from "old 395", or Lower Rock Creek Road. Swall Meadows is approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Bishop and 25 miles (40 km) south of Mammoth Lakes (by highway distance). It also well known in the area as an important deer migration route for the Round Valley mule deer population, which cherish the grazing in the meadow and apple falls from the old orchard trees.[citation needed]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Swall Meadows CDP covers an area of 4.5 square miles (12 km2), all of it land.[1] At the high, northwestern end is the old Sky Meadows Ranch, then houses and firehouse near the meadow, and at the southeast end a development known as Pinyon Ranch.
In addition to the predominant pinyon-juniper-sagebrush habitat, there are permanent and seasonal streams and the eponymous meadow with wetter-habitat vegetation such as Jeffrey pines, willows, stream and bog orchids, and the remnant trees of the old commercial apple orchard. In 2011 the Eastern Sierra Land Trust secured a conservation easement to protect 104 acres (42 ha) of the Swall Meadows meadow area (location of the historic homesite), for the continued benefit of the migrating mule deer. A number of other conservation easements have been completed in Swall Meadows since the ESLT organization was founded in 2001.
Between Paradise and Swall Meadows the old wagon road can be seen that climbed about 3,000 ft (910 m) up the Sherwin Grade from Owens Valley toward Crowley Lake.
Demographics
[edit]The 2020 United States census reported that Swall Meadows had a population of 178. The population density was 39.9 inhabitants per square mile (15.4/km2). The racial makeup of Swall Meadows was 152 (85.4%) White, 3 (1.7%) Native American, 3 (1.7%) Asian, 1 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, and 19 (10.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12 persons (6.7%).[5]
The whole population lived in households. There were 94 households, out of which 11 (11.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 56 (59.6%) were married-couple households, 1 (1.1%) were cohabiting couple households, 7 (7.4%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 30 (31.9%) had a male householder with no partner present. 29 households (30.9%) were one person, and 12 (12.8%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.89.[5] There were 62 families (66.0% of all households).[6]
The age distribution was 11 people (6.2%) under the age of 18, 7 people (3.9%) aged 18 to 24, 29 people (16.3%) aged 25 to 44, 70 people (39.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 61 people (34.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 63.1 years. There were 94 males and 84 females.[5]
There were 128 housing units at an average density of 28.7 units per square mile (11.1 units/km2), of which 94 (73.4%) were occupied. Of these, 79 (84.0%) were owner-occupied, and 15 (16.0%) were occupied by renters.[5]
Government
[edit]In the California State Legislature, Swall Meadows is in the 8th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby, and in the 5th Assembly district, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.[7]
In the United States House of Representatives, Swall Meadows is in California's 8th congressional district, represented by Democrat John Garamendi.[8]
Round Fire
[edit]On February 6, 2015, Swall Meadows and the neighboring community of Paradise were ravaged by the Round Fire, which burned 7,000 acres (28 km2).[9] The fire destroyed 40 homes: 39 homes in Swall Meadows and 1 home in Paradise.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swall Meadows, California
- ^ a b "P1. Race – Swall Meadows CDP, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "USPS.com – ZIP Code Lookup". usps.com. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Swall Meadows CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "Swall Meadows CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ "California's 8th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
- ^ "Firefighters Work to Contain Destructive California Wildfire Near Swall Meadows". Huffington Post. February 8, 2015.
- ^ "Wildfire destroys 40 homes, burns 11 square miles of timber in California near Nevada line". U.S. News & World Report. February 8, 2015.
External links
[edit]
Municipalities and communities of Mono County, California, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town |  | |
| Census-designated places | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Former settlements | ||