(95373)

County seat for Tuolumne County, Sonora is nicknamed "Queen of the Southern Mines." Two brothers from Mexico, Joe and Seamon Cabezut, found gold here in 1848. Their compatriots flocked to the area, and since many were from Sonora, the most northerly of Mexican provinces, the town took the region's name. In its heyday, this was one of the wildest towns in the Mother Lode.

Ethnic contention plagued the town, especially in 1850 when a greed and bigotry-motivated state-wide tax of $30 a month was levied on all so-called foreigners. The town's population dwindled for a time as Mexican and French miners—between 3,00 and 5,000 of them—departed en masse, unwilling to pay the tax. The tax was repealed the following year, and the Mexicans and French returned.

The Tuolumne County Historical Museum, in an old jail on West Bradford Street, features old-time firearms, a gold collection and history of the westward migration. On the second floor of City Hall (94 West Washington Street), visitors will find a display of vintage firefighting equipment.

Piety Hill, close by the beautiful and much-photographed St. James Episcopal Church, was the site of Big Bonanza Mine, considered the largest pocket mine in the Mother Lode. In the 1879s, three partners purchased the mine for a pittance, and after several years discovered a body of almost pure gold. In one day they sent $160,000 in gold to the San Francisco mint, and after another week had passed found another $500,000.

Today Sonora, at the junction of Highway 49 and Highway 108, is a bustling community with many buildings that survive from the early days. Stroll downtown to see many of these buildings. The historic communities of Jamestown and Columbia are only a few miles away.

**U.S. Census 2000 Population Figures**
Go here for a detailed explanation of the figures below.
Subject	Number	Percent
Total population	4,423	100.0
SEX AND AGE
Male	2,003	45.3
Female	2,420	54.7
Under 5 years	265	6.0
5 to 9 years	247	5.6
10 to14 years	227	5.1
15 to19 years	277	6.3
20 to 24years	304	6.9
25 to 34 years	571	12.9
35 to 44 years	591	13.4
45 to 54 years	660	14.9
55 to 59 years	200	4.5
60 to 64 years	180	4.1
65 to 74 years	365	8.3
75 to 84 years	333	7.5
85 years and over	203	4.6
Median age (years)	41.1	(X)
18 years and over	3,522	79.6
Male	1,533	34.7
Female	1,989	45.0
21 years and over	3,340	75.5
62 years and over	1,007	22.8
65 years and over	901	20.4
Male	330	7.5
Female	571	12.9
RACE
One race	4,285	96.9
White	4,041	91.4
Black or African American	30	0.7
American Indian and Alaska Native	66	1.5
Asian	54	1.2
Asian Indian	2	-
Chinese	12	0.3
Filipino	17	0.4
Japanese	7	0.2
Korean	1	-
Vietnamese	10	0.2
Other Asian	5	0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	6	0.1
Native Hawaiian	-	-
Guamanian or Chamorro	-	-
Samoan	4	0.1
Other Pacific Islander	2	-
Some other race	88	2.0
Two or more races	138	3.1
Race alone or in combination with one or more other races:
White	4,173	94.3
Black or African American	40	0.9
American Indian and Alaska Native	149	3.4
Asian	77	1.7
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	12	0.3
Some other race	122	2.8
HISPANIC OR LATINO AND RACE
Total population.		100.0
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	372	8.4
Mexican	249	5.6
Puerto Rican	15	0.3
Cuban	-	-
Other Hispanic or Latino	108	2.4
Not Hispanic or Latino	4,051	91.6
White alone	3,814	86.2
RELATIONSHIP
Total population	4,423	100.0
In households	4,224	95.5
Householder	2,051	46.4
Spouse	681	15.4
Child	1,009	22.8
Own child under 18 years	817	18.5
Other relatives	142	3.2
Under 18 years	52	1.2
Nonrelatives	341	7.7
Unmarried partner	166	3.8
In group quarters	199	4.5
Institutionalized population	171	3.9
Noninstitutionalized population	28	0.6
HOUSEHOLD BY TYPE
Total households	2,051	100.0
Family households (families)	1,045	51.0
With own children under 18 years	493	24.0
Married-couple family	681	33.2
With own children under 18 years	234	11.4
Female householder ,no husband present	288	14.0
With own children under 18 years	206	10.0
Nonfamily households	1,006	49.0
Householder living alone	827	40.3
Householder 65 years and over	317	15.5
Households with individuals under 18 years	543	26.5
Households with individuals 65 years and over	572	27.9
Average household size.	2.06	(X)
Average family size	2.75	(X)
HOUSING OCCUPANCY
Total housing units	2,197	100.0
Occupied housing units	2,051	93.4
Vacant housing units	146	6.6
For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use	28	1.3
Homeowner vacancy rate (percent)	2.2	(X)
Rental vacancy rate (percent)	3.6	(X)
HOUSING TENURE
Occupied housing units	2,051	100.0
Owner-occupied housing units	816	39.8
Renter-occupied housing units	1,235	60.2
Average household size of owner-occupied units	2.17	(X)
Average household size of renter-occupied units	1.99	(X)

Traffic--from pickups and buses to logging trucks rumbles constantly on Sonora's main street.

The many antique stores in downtown Sonora entice visitors with their wares from yesteryear.

The landmark St. James Episcopal Church is found in downtown Sonora.

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