Formed February 18, 1850 (24th county)
Tuolumne County (55,623), Sonora (5,008)
The appearance of the Classical Revival county courthouse gives it a stately aura. The structure was built in 1899 using the designs of William Mooser and Son. It was the only courthouse in the county. An Administration building was added in 1978 and a County Office building in 1981. This is one of the original California counties dating back to February 18, 1850. It is the 24th county. The county was named for the river which is Native American for “cave people” or “stone wigwams.” Sonora was named by Mexican settlers after their home state in Mexico. It is sited one block west of California State Highway 49 on Yaney Avenue at Green Street.
Tuolumne County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive). It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.) Four Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Tuolumne County (judicial.) The county is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of Modesto, California. The Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers originate in the county. The county center is 11 miles East of Sonora nearer Tuolumne. The county is surrounded clockwise by Alpine, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Madera, and Mono counties. The county is shaped like a bag of marbles facing to the southwest. Sonora is in the western third of the county. Sonora is the county seat and the largest and only incorporated city. It is 9.0% of the county population. The county is pronounced TOO-OL-OOM-NEE. The county seat is pronounced SOE-NORE-A.
The area of the county is 2236 square miles. It is 24 out of 58 in the state. It ranks 43 out of 58 in population in the state. It has a density of 24.9 persons per square mile making it 45 out of 58 in the state. Tuolumne County has 9.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. This county is in the Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Sonora
