La Grange, California
Unincorporated community and CDP in California, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Grange is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Stanislaus County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166.
La Grange
French Bar | |
|---|---|
Stage stop in La Grange Historic District. | |
  La Grange Location within California  La Grange Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 37°39′49″N 120°27′49″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Stanislaus County |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.093 sq mi (0.24 km2) |
| • Land | 0.093 sq mi (0.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 259 ft (79 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 166 |
| • Density | 1,800/sq mi (690/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 95329 |
| Area codes | 209/350 |
| GNIS feature ID | 226726[2] |
| Reference no. | 414 |
Geography
La Grange sits at an elevation of 259 feet (79 m) along the Tuolumne River, near the La Grange Dam and the New Don Pedro Dam.
History
The name is French and means "the barn" or "the farm". The community and a French settlement nearby were also called "French Bar". The community was founded in 1852 around the same time French miners struck gold on a bar in the Tuolumne River. By 1854, there were over 100 buildings in La Grange.[3][4]
La Grange became the county seat of Stanislaus County in 1856. Aside from its French population, the community included a significant Chinatown in its early years. At its height, the community had thousands of residents, but it was a largely lawless town. It was in decline by the time that Knights Ferry became the county seat, as the gold mines were in decline. By 1880, mining had ceased.[4] The La Grange area also included many gold dredgers that operated until the early 1950s.[5]
On June 3, 1869, John Muir departed La Grange with a shepherd and a flock of sheep, heading for the headwaters of the Merced and Tuolumne rivers. He recorded the journey in My First Summer in the Sierra (1911), describing the ranch near French Bar "on the south side of the Tuolumne River...where the foothills of metamorphic gold-bearing slates dip below the stratified deposits of the Central Valley."[6]
Historic district
La Grange is a registered California Historical Landmark historic district.[7] A post office, a supermarket, and Don Pedro High School still operate in La Grange. The former La Grange Elementary School closed in 2015. Also functioning is the oldest church in Stanislaus County, St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, with a cemetery containing tombstones dating to the mid-1800s.[8][9]
Demographics
La Grange first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2020 United States census.[27]
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2020[26] | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 90 | 54.22% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1 | 0.60% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 11 | 6.63% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 3 | 1.81% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 0.00% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 10 | 6.02% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 51 | 30.72% |
| Total | 166 | 100.00% |
