Arnold, California

Arnold is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 3,288 at the 2020 census. Arnold is located on State Route 4.

History

Arnold is named after Bob and Bernice Arnold, who, in 1927 opened the Ebbetts Pass Inn. Prior to that, the community consisted of two large ranches where logging was the main industry. The inn served as a stop for people traveling along the Ebbetts Pass route as well as lodging for those visiting nearby Calaveras Big Trees State Park. In 1928, Camp Wolfeboro was established nearby as a Boy Scout camp and continues to be in operation today. The first post office was opened in 1934. Bernice was its postmistress at one time.

In 2015 power lines sparked the Butte Fire, which destroyed 549 homes in nearby communities. Arnold was saved when the weather changed, but the fire caused an increased focus on fire safety, although the community was still, in 2019, considered a "very high fire hazard severity zone" due to its location on a ridge outside Calaveras Big Trees State Park, surrounded by dense forest of trees killed by drought and beetles.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.71%) is water.

Arnold is considered at high risk of wildfire by CalFire due to its forested ridgetop location with powerful wind gusts up brushy canyons.

Climate

Area has a Köppen Climate Classification of '' Csb'', which is a dry-summer subtropical climate often referred to as "Mediterranean".

Demographics

As many as 45% of the dwellings are vacation homes, a factor in fire safety efforts, as absent owners do not always clear the brush from their properties.

The 2020 United States census reported that Arnold had a population of 3,288. The population density was . The racial makeup of Arnold was 86.6% White, 0.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 9.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.9% of the population.

The whole population lived in households.

There were 1,526 households, out of which 21.1% included children under the age of 18, 51.5% were married-couple households, 6.6% were cohabiting couple households, 21.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 27.8% of households were one person, and 16.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15. There were 1,012 families (66.3% of all households).

The age distribution was 15.5% under the age of 18, 4.6% aged 18 to 24, 17.1% aged 25 to 44, 27.5% aged 45 to 64, and 35.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 57.3years. For every 100 females, there were 103.0 males.

There were 4,680 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,526 (32.6%) were occupied. Of these, 80.3% were owner-occupied, and 19.7% were occupied by renters.

Economy

Arnold has a chamber of commerce, the Greater Arnold Business Association.

Parks and recreation

Arnold is located in Stanislaus National Forest. Parks located in the area include White Pines Park and Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The Arnold Rim Trail, which was created in 2007, is a 17.5 mile multi-use trail that traverses protected land from Arnold to Avery.

Government

In the state legislature, Arnold is in , and . Federally, Arnold is in .

State and federal grants following the Butte Fire have helped to thin overgrown brush in the area, and expand a bulldozed fire break created in the Butte Fire.

References

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Census-designated places in Calaveras County, California
Census-designated places in California