Lake Don Pedro, California

The area around Lake Don Pedro was part of the traditional territory of the Southern Sierra Miwok people prior to European contact.^{[citation needed]} The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought settlers to the surrounding region, with mining camps developing along the Tuolumne River and Merced River drainages.

The original Don Pedro Dam was completed in 1923, impounding the Tuolumne River to create Don Pedro Reservoir. The dam was named for Pierre "Don Pedro" Sainsevain, a French immigrant and early winemaker who operated a store and bar near the dam site during the Gold Rush era.^[4]

In 1971, the New Don Pedro Dam was completed approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream of the original, creating a much larger reservoir. The Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation District jointly operate the facility for irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, and flood control. The enlarged reservoir and its recreational opportunities attracted residential development in the surrounding foothills.

Lake Don Pedro first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2010 United States census.^[5]

Lake Don Pedro occupies the northwestern corner of Mariposa County, bordered to the north and west by Tuolumne County and to the southwest by Merced County. The terrain consists of rolling, oak-studded foothills typical of the western Sierra Nevada at elevations between roughly 800 and 1,500 feet (240 and 460 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 19.707 square miles (51.04 km²), of which 18.421 square miles (47.71 km²) are land and 1.286 square miles (3.33 km²) (6.53%) are water.^[1]

California State Route 132 passes through the northern part of the community, leading east 13 miles (21 km) to Coulterville and west 8 miles (13 km) to La Grange. Modesto is approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the west via State Route 132 and State Route 59.

Lake Don Pedro has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), characteristic of the lower Sierra Nevada foothills. Summers are hot and dry, with average high temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) in July and August. Winters are mild and wet, with most precipitation falling between November and March. Snow is rare at this elevation.^{[citation needed]}

As of the 2020 census, Lake Don Pedro had a population of 1,765. The population density was 95.8 inhabitants per square mile (37.0/km²). The median age was 54.7 years. The age distribution was 266 persons (15.1%) under 18, 93 (5.3%) aged 18 to 24, 345 (19.5%) aged 25 to 44, 569 (32.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 492 (27.9%) aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males age 18 and over.^[7][8][9]

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.^[10]

There were 719 households, of which 149 (20.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them. Married-couple households numbered 432 (60.1%), while 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present and 16.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. One-person households numbered 148 (20.6%), and 10.9% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45. There were 518 families (72.0% of all households).^[7][11]

There were 923 housing units, of which 719 (77.9%) were occupied and 204 (22.1%) were vacant. Of occupied units, 602 (83.7%) were owner-occupied and 117 (16.3%) were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.^[7]

In the California State Legislature, Lake Don Pedro is in the 4th senatorial district, represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil, and in the 8th Assembly district, represented by Republican David Tangipa.

In the United States House of Representatives, Lake Don Pedro is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom McClintock.