Hornitos (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "Little ovens") is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

Mariposa County Mariposa County () is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,131. The county seat is Mariposa. It is located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, north of Fresno, east of ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. It is located on Burns Creek by road south of Coulterville, at an elevation of . The population was 38 at the 2020 census, down from 75 at the 2010 census. The town is featured in the 1962 film ''

Ride the High Country ''Ride the High Country'' (released internationally as ''Guns in the Afternoon'') is a 1962 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Mariette Hartley. The supporting cast includ ...

'' as the nearest town for active mining in the nearby mountains.

History

The Hornitas post office opened in 1856 and changed its name to Hornitos in 1877. The name, meaning "little ovens" in

, was derived from the community's old Mexican tombstones that were built in the shape of little square bake ovens. Hornitos is registered as

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#333. Domingo Ghirardelli had a general store here between 1856 and 1859, where he perfected his chocolate recipes. The remains of the store can still be seen in town. Hornitos was disincorporated by state statute in 1973.

Geography

Hornitos is in western Mariposa County, west of Mariposa, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

, and northeast of

Merced Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on Apri ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the CDP covers an area of , all of it land. Burns Creek flows through the center of town, running southwest to join Bear Creek, a tributary of the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...

, in Merced County.

Demographics

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

reported that Hornitos had a population of 75. The population density was . The racial makeup of Hornitos was 66 (88.0%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0 (0.0%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2 (2.7%) Native American, 1 (1.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0 (0.0%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 6 (8.0%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 5 persons (6.7%). The Census reported that 75 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 34 households, out of which 7 (20.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15 (44.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1 (2.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1 (2.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12 households (35.3%) were made up of individuals, and 8 (23.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21. There were 19 families (55.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.00. The population was spread out, with 14 people (18.7%) under the age of 18, 2 people (2.7%) aged 18 to 24, 17 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 20 people (26.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 22 people (29.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.3 males. There were 43 housing units at an average density of , of which 17 (50.0%) were owner-occupied, and 17 (50.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%. 40 people (53.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 35 people (46.7%) lived in rental housing units.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Mariposa County, California Census-designated places in California Former municipalities in California Populated places disestablished in 1973