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Bishop, California

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City of Bishop
City
Downtown Bishop looking south along US 395
Downtown Bishop looking south along US 395
Location in Inyo County and the state of California
Location in Inyo County and the state of California
Country United States
State California
CountyInyo
Area
[1]
 • Total1.911 sq mi (4.949 km2)
 • Land1.864 sq mi (4.827 km2)
 • Water0.047 sq mi (0.122 km2)  2.5%
Elevation
[2]
4,147 ft (1,264 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total3,879
 • Density2,000/sq mi (780/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
93514-93515
Area code760
FIPS code06-06798
GNIS feature ID0277475
Websitehttp://www.ca-bishop.us/

Bishop (formerly, Bishop Creek)[3] is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley,[3] at an elevation of 4147 feet (1264 m).[2] The population was 3,879 at the 2010 census, up from 3,575 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Bishop Creek, flowing out of the Sierra Nevada: the creek was named after Samuel Addison Bishop, a settler in the Owens Valley.

Geography

Bishop lies west of the Owens River at the northern end of the Owens River Valley.

It is on U.S. Route 395, the main north-south artery through the Owens Valley, connecting the Inland Empire to Reno, Nevada. US 395 also connects Bishop to Los Angeles via State Route 14 through Palmdale. Bishop is also the western terminus of U.S. Route 6. The Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony control land just west of the town. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) controls much of the upstream and surrounding area.

Bishop is immediately to the east of the Sierra Nevada, and west of the White Mountains. Numerous peaks are within a short distance of Bishop, including Mount Humphreys (13,986'), to the west, White Mountain Peak (14,242') in the northeast, and pyramidal Mount Tom (13,658') northwest of town. Basin Mountain (13,187') is viewed to the west from Bishop as it rises above the Buttermilks.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), over 97% of it land.

Bishop is known as the "Mule Capital of the World" and a week long festival called Bishop Mule Days has been held since 1969 on the week of Memorial Day, celebrating the contributions of pack mules to the area. The festival attracts many tourists, primarily from the Southern California area.

Bishop is well known in the rock climbing community. Near the city are numerous climbing spots that attract visitors from around the world. There are over 2,000 bouldering problems in Bishop. The two main types of rock are volcanic tuff and granite.

Aerial view of Bishop, looking west. Line Street, Bishop's main East-West Street, is in center left, running form the bottom of the photo into the distance.

Notable locations

Climate

Bishop, as well as the rest of the Owens Valley, has an arid climate with an average of 5.02 inches of precipitation falling per year. The wettest year was 1969 with 17.09 inches of precipitation and the driest 1989 with 1.81 inches. Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 29 days annually. The most precipitation in one month was 8.93 inches in January 1969, which included 4.00 inches on January 4, the most rainfall recorded in 24 hours in Bishop. Snowfall averages 8.4 inches per year. The snowiest year was 1969 with 57.1 inches. The most snow in one month was 23.2 inches in January 1969.

There an average of 96.7 days annually with highs of 90°F (32°C) or higher and an average of 142.1 days annually with lows of 32°F (0°C) or lower. The record high temperature of 110°F was on July 10, 2002; the record low, -8°F was on December 27, 1988. Despite summer daytime temperatures usually exceeding 90°F, very low humidity results in nighttime temperatures in the fifties.[4]

Climate data for Bishop
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 77
(25) 		81
(27) 		87
(31) 		93
(34) 		102
(39) 		109
(43) 		110
(43) 		107
(42) 		112
(44) 		97
(36) 		84
(29) 		78
(26) 		112
(44)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 53.6
(12.0) 		58.4
(14.7) 		64.3
(17.9) 		72.1
(22.3) 		81.2
(27.3) 		91.5
(33.1) 		97.9
(36.6) 		95.8
(35.4) 		87.6
(30.9) 		76
(24) 		62.4
(16.9) 		54.3
(12.4) 		74.6
(23.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 22.4
(−5.3) 		26.4
(−3.1) 		31
(−1) 		36
(2) 		43.7
(6.5) 		50.7
(10.4) 		55.7
(13.2) 		53.7
(12.1) 		46.9
(8.3) 		37.1
(2.8) 		27.1
(−2.7) 		21.6
(−5.8) 		37.7
(3.1)
Record low °F (°C) −7
(−22) 		−2
(−19) 		9
(−13) 		15
(−9) 		25
(−4) 		29
(−2) 		34
(1) 		37
(3) 		26
(−3) 		16
(−9) 		5
(−15) 		−8
(−22) 		−8
(−22)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.88
(22) 		0.97
(25) 		0.62
(16) 		0.24
(6.1) 		0.26
(6.6) 		0.21
(5.3) 		0.17
(4.3) 		0.13
(3.3) 		0.28
(7.1) 		0.2
(5.1) 		0.44
(11) 		0.62
(16) 		5.02
(128)
Source: [5]

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census[6] reported that Bishop had a population of 3,879. The population density was 2,029.9 people per square mile (783.8/km²). The racial makeup of Bishop was 2,867 (73.9%) White, 22 (0.6%) African American, 91 (2.3%) Native American, 61 (1.6%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 723 (18.6%) from other races, and 114 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,200 persons (30.9%).

The Census reported that 3,771 people (97.2% of the population) lived in households, 36 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 72 (1.9%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,748 households, out of which 499 (28.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 574 (32.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 181 (10.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 99 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 143 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 10 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 767 households (43.9%) were made up of individuals and 288 (16.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 854 families (48.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.07.

The population was spread out with 925 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 298 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,014 people (26.1%) aged 25 to 44, 1,031 people (26.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 611 people (15.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.9 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

There were 1,926 housing units at an average density of 1,007.9 per square mile (389.2/km²), of which 676 (38.7%) were owner-occupied, and 1,072 (61.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%. 1,353 people (34.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,418 people (62.3%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,575 people, 1,684 households, and 831 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,042.5 people per square mile (788.8/km²). There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of 1,066.7 per square mile (411.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.62% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 2.04% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.49% from other races, and 5.37% from two or more races. 17.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,684 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 44.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,338, and the median income for a family was $34,423. Males had a median income of $23,433 versus $24,545 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,660. About 14.0% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics and government

In the state legislature Bishop is located in the 18th Senate District, represented by Republican Jean Fuller, and in the 34th Assembly District, represented by Republican Connie Conway. Federally, Bishop is located in California's 25th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +7[7] and is represented by Republican Buck McKeon.

Bishop maintains its own police force (the only one in Inyo County), but also has a substation of the Inyo County Sheriff's Department on the outskirts of the City. The California Highway Patrol also has an office in town. Ambulance services are provided by Symons Ambulance.

History

The Bishop Creek post office operated from 1870 to 1889 and from 1935 to 1938.[3] The first Bishop post office opened in 1889.[3]

In order to provide water needs for 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 the valley for water rights and control. The economy of Bishop suffered when farmers sold their land. Jack Foley, a Bishop resident and sound effects specialist, mitigated the economic loss by persuading several Los Angeles studio bosses that the town of Bishop would be ideal as a location to shoot westerns.

Notable residents

The aforementioned Jack Foley is the namesake for the art of adding sound effects to films, with the profession named Foley artist.

Bishop was the home of Galen Rowell, and his wife Barbara, before their death at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport.

Retired astronaut Randy Cook, the thirteenth person to walk on the moon, is the principal at Bishop's Home Street Middle School.[citation needed]

Stuntman and NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett also calls Bishop home.

Matt Williams, former Major League Baseball 3rd baseman and slugger, was born in Bishop.

Horace M. Albright the second director of the National Park Service was born in Bishop in 1890.

Artist Robert Clunie lived and painted in Bishop for decades.

Jill Kinmont, noted ski racer who was paralyzed in a 1955 accident, grew up in Bishop.

The actor Robert Bray, who portrayed forest ranger Corey Stuart in CBS's Lassie from 1964–1968 and Simon Kane in ABC's Stagecoach West from 1960–1961, retired to Bishop, where he died in 1983 at the age of sixty-five.

Former child actor Richard Eyer, who played Bray's son in Stagecoach West, is a teacher in Bishop.

Tod Griffin, a television actor from 1953–1961, resided in Bishop at the time of his death in 2002.

Mountaineer Peter Croft lives in Bishop.

Media

AM radio

FM radio

Television

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Census
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bishop, California
  3. ^ a b c d Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 1148. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  4. ^ http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0822
  5. ^ "USTravelWeather.com".
  6. ^ Template:USCensus-2010CA
  7. ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
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