Formed March 22, 1866 (48th county)
Inyo County (19,025), Independence* (669), Bishop (3,822)
The large columns of the 1923 courthouse stand out in this small desert community. It is along United States Highway 395 in the middle of the town. The building is located on North Edwards (United States Highway 395) at Center Street. William H. Weeks provided the Classical Revival designs for the masonry courthouse. An annex was added in 1964. There is also an auxiliary courthouse in Bishop. There was an 1887 courthouse also in Independence since Independence has been the only county seat. March 22, 1866 Inyo County was formed from parts of Mono and Tulare counties as the 48th county. The county was named for the Inyo Mountains which is Native American for “dwelling place of the great spirit.” The county seat was named for a nearby military post.
Inyo County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive). It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.) A Superior Court Judge, clerk, and counsel serve Inyo County (judicial.) Nevada is on the eastern border of the county. Las Vegas, Nevada is southeast of the county. Mount Whitney, the highest point in California, is the western border. Death Valley, the lowest point in the United States, is also in the southeast. The county center is 59.2 miles Southeast of Independence nearer Darwin. The county is surrounded clockwise by Nevada and San Bernardino, Kern, Tulare, Fresno, and Mono counties. A triangle with the top cut off is the county’s shape. Independence is slightly north but on the extreme western part of the county. Bishop is in the extreme northwest corner of the county. Independence is the county seat but unincorporated. Bishop is the largest and only incorporated city. Independence is 3.5% of the county population while Bishop is 20.1% of the county population. The county is pronounced IN-YOE.
The area of the county is 10192 square miles. It is 2 out of 58 in the state. It ranks 52 out of 58 in population in the state. It has a density of 1.9 persons per square mile making it 57 out of 58 in the state. Inyo County has 20.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 6 enters from Mono County on the north and terminates in the far north of the county when it intersects with United States Highway 395. United States Highway 395 crosses north to south through the length of the county from Mono County, north, to Kern County, southwest. This county is in the Bishop Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Bishop
Independence (unincorporated)
