What is now known as El Dorado County has been home to theMaidu,Nisenan,Washoe, andMiwokIndigenous Americannations for centuries. The region became famous for being the site of the 1848 discovery that sparked theCalifornia Gold Rush. As a result, the name "El Dorado" was derived from the Spanish word for, "The Gilded One".[9][10] The County of El Dorado was one of California's original 27 counties created effective February 18, 1850 (the number has risen to 58 today).
The final segments of thePony Express mail route ran through El Dorado County until its replacement with the telegraph service in 1861;U.S. Route 50 follows the Pony Express route today.
TheCaldor Fire started on August 14, 2021, near Little Mountain, south ofPollock Pines in El Dorado County,[11] about two miles (3.2 km) east ofOmo Ranch and four miles (6.4 km) south ofGrizzly Flats.[12][13] It initially burned slowly, but exploded in size on August 16 due to high winds. By the night of August 16, it was 6,500 acres (2,600 ha).[14] On August 17, the fire grew to 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) as it expanded rapidly north and east, crossing the North Fork Cosumnes River and approachingSly Park Reservoir. By August 20, the fire had burned nearly to U.S. Route 50, forcing a closure of the highway.[15] Over the next few days, the fire crossed Highway 50 in the vicinity ofKyburz. Starting on August 27, winds drove the fire rapidly east towards theLake Tahoe Basin. By August 30, it had reachedEcho Summit, less than five miles (8.0 km) fromSouth Lake Tahoe.
There are only two municipalities in El Dorado County:Placerville and South Lake Tahoe.[16]
The El Dorado County Sheriff provides court protection, county jail administration, and coroner service for all of the county and provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. Incorporated cities Placerville, population 11,000, and South Lake Tahoe, population 22,000, have municipal police departments.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,786 square miles (4,630 km2), of which 1,708 square miles (4,420 km2) is land and 78 square miles (200 km2) (4.4%) is water.[17]
The county, owing to its location in the Sierra Nevada, consists of rolling hills and mountainous terrain. The northeast corner is in the Lake Tahoe Basin (part of theGreat Basin), including a portion of the lake itself. Across the Sierra crest to the west lies the majority of the county, referred to as the "western slope." A portion ofFolsom Lake is in the northwest corner of the county.
Much of the county is public land. TheEldorado National Forest comprises a significant portion (approximately 43%) of the county's land area, primarily on the western slope. TheLake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, formerly part of the Eldorado and two other National Forests, manages much of the land east of the crest. ThePacific Crest Trail runs through the eastern part of the county, along or roughly paralleling the Sierra crest. The county is home to theDesolation Wilderness, a popular destination for hiking, backpacking, and fishing.
The vast majority of the population lives in a narrow strip alongU.S. Route 50, with the majority living between El Dorado Hills and Pollock Pines. The remainder resides in the South Lake Tahoe area, and in various dispersed rural communities.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 191,185. The median age was 46.3 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.7 males age 18 and over.[26]
63.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.7% lived in rural areas.[28]
There were 75,320 households in the county, of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[26]
There were 93,467 housing units, of which 19.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.9% were owner-occupied and 25.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.[26]
El Dorado County, 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.
The2010 United States census reported that El Dorado County had a population of 181,058. The racial makeup of El Dorado County was 156,793 (86.6%)White, 1,409 (0.8%)African American, 2,070 (1.1%)Native American, 6,297 (3.5%)Asian, 294 (0.2%)Pacific Islander, 7,278 (4.0%) fromother races, and 6,917 (3.8%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 21,875 persons (12.1%).[36] The largest growth in the county has come in El Dorado Hills where the population grew by 24,092 residents to a total of 42,108 since 2000.[36]
As of thecensus[37] of 2000, there were 156,299 people, 58,939 households, and 43,025 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 inhabitants per square mile (35/km2). There were 71,278 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.7%White, 0.5%Black orAfrican American, 1.0%Native American, 2.1%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 3.6% fromother races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 9.3% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 14.9% were ofGerman, 13.4%English, 10.3%Irish, 6.6%Italian and 6.6%American ancestry according toCensus 2000. 90.5% spokeEnglish and 6.5%Spanish as their first language.
There were 58,939 households, out of which 34.2% had youngsters under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% weremarried couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The 2000 census also states that the median income for a household in the county was $51,484, and the median income for a family was $60,250. Males had a median income of $46,373 versus $31,537 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $25,560. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
El Dorado is a predominantlyRepublican county inpresidential andcongressional elections. However, from 1880 until 1952, the county was a Democratic stronghold, withTheodore Roosevelt andWarren Harding being the only two Republicans to carry the county. Since 1952, however, El Dorado has gone Democratic only three times: in 1960 narrowly forJohn F. Kennedy, in 1964 in a landslide forLyndon Johnson, and in 1976 narrowly forJimmy Carter.
United States presidential election results for El Dorado County, California[39]
The county is noted as a center of political concern with the United Nations non-binding sustainable development planAgenda 21, which was on the County Board of Supervisors meeting Agenda on May 15, 2012. Concerns included the threat of U.S. Forest Service road closures and traffic roundabouts.[40] On February 19, 2013, 14 members of the El Dorado County Grand Jury resigned, forcing Supervising Judge Steven Bailey to dissolve it.[41]
El Dorado County has a secessionist movement, calling for the county of less than 200,000 residents to become a new state of the union.Wyoming, the least populous current state, has approximately three times the number of residents. Sharon Durst, one of the leaders of the movement, was previously a supporter of theState of Jefferson movement, that advocates for Northern California counties and Southern Oregon counties to form a new state. El Dorado County's seat, Placerville, is located 45 miles fromSacramento, the state's capital. The leadership of the movement acknowledges that it is unlikely that the California legislature would approve their separation from the state, as required by theUnited States Constitution. They promote an unproven theory that the county "is technically not a legitimate piece of California and is instead 'other property' of Congress".[42]
El Dorado Transit[49] runs local service in Placerville and surrounding areas (as far east as Pollock Pines). Commuter service into Sacramento and Folsom is also provided.
Portions of El Dorado County are known to contain naturalasbestos formations near the surface.[51] TheUSGS studiedamphiboles in rock and soil in the area in response to an EPA sampling study and subsequent criticism of the EPA study. The study found that many amphibole particles in the area meet the counting rule criteria used by the EPA for chemical and morphological limits, but do not meet morphological requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos. The executive summary pointed out that even particles that do not meet requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos may be a health threat and suggested a collaborative research effort to assess health risks associated with naturally occurring asbestos.[52]
In 2003, after construction of the Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills) soccer field, the federalAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found that some student athletes, coaches and school workers had received substantial exposures. The inside of the school needed to be cleaned of dust.[51]
^"Caldor Fire Incident Update".Cal Fire. State of California. August 16, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2021.Situation Summary: The Caldor Fire started August 14, 2021 near Little Mountain, south of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County.
^"Senators". State of California. RetrievedNovember 4, 2025.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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