San Andreas, California

San Andreas, California
Census-designated place
Main Street
Location in Calaveras County and the state of California
San Andreas, California
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°11′46″N 120°40′50″W / 38.19611°N 120.68056°W / 38.19611; -120.68056
Country United States
State California
County Calaveras
Area
[1]
 • Total
8.406 sq mi (21.771 km2)
 • Land8.390 sq mi (21.730 km2)
 • Water0.016 sq mi (0.041 km2)  0.19%
Elevation
[2]
879 ft (268 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total
2,994
 • Density356.9/sq mi (137.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
95249-95250
Area code209
FIPS code06-64420
GNIS feature IDs277590, 2409247
Reference no.252

San Andreas (Californio Spanish for "St. Andrew") is an unincorporated census-designated place in and the county seat of Calaveras County, California. The population was 2,994 at the 2020 census, up from 2,783 at the 2010 census. Like most towns in the region, it was founded during the California Gold Rush. The town is located on State Route 49 and is registered as California Historical Landmark #252.[4]

History

Settled by Mexican gold miners in 1848 and named after the Catholic parish St. Andrew, the town has been a noted mining camp since early days.[5] It existed as a tent city for the first few years, and even included a tent church.[5] A few miles outside of town is the Pioneer Cemetery, established in c. 1851.[6][7]

In August 1852, a nugget of gold was found here and was sold to Wells Fargo & Co. for US$12,000.[5] The gold from the initially discovered placers gave out after a few years, but the discovery of gold in an underground river channel in 1853 revitalized the camp and it soon became a town. Mining of the channels was lucrative enough for the town to completely rebuild after fires in 1858 and 1863. The gold discovered here contributed greatly to the success of the Union during the Civil War.

In 1866, San Andreas became the seat of Calaveras County. It was said to be a rendezvous location for Joaquin Murrieta. Notorious highwayman Black Bart was tried here and sent to prison.

The post office was established in 1854.[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.4 square miles (22 km2), of which, 99.81% is land and 0.19% is water.

Climate

San Andreas has a Mediterranean climate typical of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Winters are cool and wet with mild days, chilly nights, and substantial rainfall. Summers are hot and dry with very hot days, cool nights, and minimal rainfall. Due to the orographic effect, rainfall in all seasons is significantly greater than on the valley floor to the west.

Climate data for San Andreas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 55.5
(13.1) 		60.3
(15.7) 		64.7
(18.2) 		69.6
(20.9) 		79.1
(26.2) 		88.0
(31.1) 		94.9
(34.9) 		94.0
(34.4) 		88.7
(31.5) 		77.6
(25.3) 		64.0
(17.8) 		55.1
(12.8) 		74.3
(23.5)
Daily mean °F (°C) 45.3
(7.4) 		49.1
(9.5) 		52.8
(11.6) 		56.2
(13.4) 		63.5
(17.5) 		71.1
(21.7) 		76.9
(24.9) 		76.5
(24.7) 		71.4
(21.9) 		62.1
(16.7) 		51.7
(10.9) 		45.7
(7.6) 		60.2
(15.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 35.0
(1.7) 		37.8
(3.2) 		40.9
(4.9) 		42.8
(6.0) 		47.9
(8.8) 		54.2
(12.3) 		59.0
(15.0) 		58.9
(14.9) 		54.1
(12.3) 		46.6
(8.1) 		39.2
(4.0) 		36.4
(2.4) 		46.1
(7.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.40
(137) 		5.15
(131) 		4.15
(105) 		2.40
(61) 		0.71
(18) 		0.27
(6.9) 		0.04
(1.0) 		0.07
(1.8) 		0.25
(6.4) 		1.50
(38) 		3.22
(82) 		5.45
(138) 		28.61
(726.1)
Average relative humidity (%) 74.6 70.0 66.6 59.4 51.4 43.5 38.6 38.2 39.4 46.9 63.4 72.6 55.4
Source: PRISM Climate Group[9]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20002,615—
20102,7836.4%
20202,9947.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1860–1870[11][12] 1880-1890[13]
1900[14] 1910[15] 1920[16]
1930[17] 1940[18] 1950[19]
1960[20] 1970[21] 1980[22]
1990[23] 2000[24] 2010[25]

2020 census

San Andreas CDP, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[26] Pop 2010[27] Pop 2020[28] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 2,310 2,330 2,270 88.34% 83.72% 75.82%
Black or African American alone (NH) 2 17 26 0.08% 0.61% 0.87%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 35 36 39 1.34% 1.29% 1.30%
Asian alone (NH) 19 27 53 0.73% 0.97% 1.77%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 1 6 0.00% 0.04% 0.20%
Other race alone (NH) 7 0 26 0.27% 0.00% 0.87%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 76 117 210 2.91% 4.20% 7.01%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 166 255 364 6.35% 9.16% 12.16%
Total 2,615 2,783 2,994 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

The 2020 United States census reported that San Andreas had a population of 2,994. The population density was 356.9 inhabitants per square mile (137.8/km2). The racial makeup of San Andreas was 80.1% White, 1.2% African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 4.4% from other races, and 10.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.2% of the population.[29]

The census reported that 92.4% of the population lived in households, 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6.6% were institutionalized.[29]

There were 1,172 households, out of which 24.7% included children under the age of 18, 37.3% were married-couple households, 8.6% were cohabiting couple households, 34.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 19.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 33.7% of households were one person, and 20.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36.[29] There were 671 families (57.3% of all households).[30]

The age distribution was 20.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% aged 18 to 24, 22.6% aged 25 to 44, 25.6% aged 45 to 64, and 25.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.[29]

There were 1,296 housing units at an average density of 154.5 units per square mile (59.7 units/km2), of which 1,172 (90.4%) were occupied. Of these, 59.0% were owner-occupied, and 41.0% were occupied by renters.[29]

Politics

In the state legislature, San Andreas is in the 4th senatorial district, represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil,[31] and the 8th Assembly district, represented by Republican David Tangipa.[32] Federally, San Andreas is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom McClintock.[33]

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "San Andreas". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  3. ^ "US Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  4. ^ "San Andreas". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Jenner, Gail L. (September 15, 2021). What Lies Beneath: California Pioneer Cemeteries and Graveyards. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 179. ISBN 978-1-4930-4896-0.
  6. ^ Guide to the Mother Lode. Automobile Club of Southern California. 1971. p. 24.
  7. ^ "California Historical Landmark #271: Pioneer Cemetery in Calaveras County". noehill.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  8. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 824. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  9. ^ "PRISM Climate Group". Oregon State University. Retrieved June 25, 2020. Input coordinates: 38.1987 N, 120.6835 W.
  10. ^ "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ^ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  13. ^ "1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  14. ^ "1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  15. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  16. ^ "1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  20. ^ "1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  21. ^ "1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  22. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^ "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  24. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  25. ^ "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  26. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – San Andreas CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  27. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – San Andreas CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  28. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – San Andreas CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  29. ^ a b c d e "San Andreas CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  30. ^ "San Andreas CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  31. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  32. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  33. ^ "California's 5th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
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