Bishop, California

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bishop, California
settlement_type = City


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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location in Inyo County and the state of California


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = California
subdivision_name2 = Inyo
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_date =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 4.5
area_total_sq_mi = 1.8
area_land_km2 = 4.5
area_land_sq_mi = 1.8
area_water_km2 = 0
area_water_sq_mi = 0
elevation_ft = 4147
elevation_m = 1264
population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 3575
population_metro =
population_density_km2 = 794.4
population_density_sq_mi = 1986.1
timezone = Pacific (PST)
utc_offset = -8
latd = 37 |latm = 21 |lats = 54 |latNS = N
longd = 118 |longm = 23 |longs = 42 |longEW = W
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 93514-93515
area_code = 760
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 06-06798
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0277475
footnotes =
website =

Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, USA. The population was 3,575 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Bishop Creek, flowing out of the Sierra Nevada: the creek was named after Samuel Addison Bishop, a settler in the Owens Valley.

Bishop is known as the "Mule Capital of the World" and a week long festival called [http://www.muledays.org Mule Days] has been held since 1969 on the week of Memorial Day, celebrating the contributions of pack mules to the area. The festival attracts many tourists, primarily from the Southern California area.

Bishop is well known in the rock climbing community. Near the city are numerous climbing spots that attract visitors from around the world. There are over 2,000 bouldering problems in Bishop. There are two main types of rock: volcanic and quartz. Rock climbers come to Bishop for the scenery and inspiration.

Bishop was the home of Galen Rowell, and his wife Barbara, before their untimely death at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport. Stuntman and NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett also calls Bishop home. Matt Williams, former Major League Baseball 3rd baseman and slugger, was also born in Bishop.

The actor Robert Bray, who portrayed forest ranger Corey Stuart in CBS's "Lassie" from 1964-1968 and Simon Kane in ABC's "Stagecoach West" from 1960-1961, retired to Bishop, where he died in 1983 at the age of sixty-five. Former child actor Richard Eyer, who played Bray's son in "Stagecoach West", is a teacher in Bishop.

The town is the nearest town to Deep Springs College.

Geography and Climate

Bishop lies at the northern end of the Owens Valley.

It is on U.S. Route 395, the main north-south artery through the Owens Valley, connecting the Inland Empire to Reno, Nevada. US 395 also connects Bishop to Los Angeles via State Route 14 through Palmdale. Bishop is also the western terminus of U.S. Route 6. The Paiute tribe controls land just west of the town.

Bishop is immediately to the east of the Sierra Nevada. Numerous peaks are within a short distance of Bishop, including Mount Humphreys (13,986'), White Mountain Peak (14,242') is visible to the northeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,575 people, 1,684 households, and 831 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,042.5 people per square mile (788.8/km²). There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of 1,066.7/sq mi (411.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.62% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 2.04% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.49% from other races, and 5.37% from two or more races. 17.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,684 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 44.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,338, and the median income for a family was $34,423. Males had a median income of $23,433 versus $24,545 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,660. About 14.0% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Bishop is located in the 18th Senate District, represented by Republican Roy Ashburn, and in the 18th Assembly District, represented by Republican Bill Maze. Federally, Bishop is located in California's 25th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +7 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2007-10-20] and is represented by Republican Buck McKeon.

References

Image gallery

External links

* [http://www.bishopweb.com Bishop Community/Information Webpage]
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