Amador County, California

Amador County is a located in the  of the  of. As of 2005, the population was 38,471. The is.

Amador County bills itself as "The Heart of the Mother Lode" and lies within the. There is a substantial wine-growing industry in the county.

History
Amador County was created in from parts of  and  Counties. In, part of the county's territory was given to.

The county is named for Jose Maria Amador, soldier, rancher and miner, who was born in in, the son of Sergeant Pedro Amador, a  soldier who settled in California in. In, Jose Maria Amador, with several s, established a successful camp near the present town of Amador City. In, the word amador means "one who loves."

Geography
Amador County is located approximately 45 miles southeast of in a part of California known as the  of the.

According to the, the county has a total area of 1,566 (605 ). 1,536 km² (593 sq mi) of it is land and 30 km² (12 sq mi) of it (1.94%) is water. Water bodies in the county include, , , , , , , , and.

Amador County ranges in elevation from approximately 250 feet in the western portion of the county to over 9,000 feet in the eastern portion of the county. The county is bordered on the north by the Consumnes River and on the south by the Mokelumne River.

Adjacent counties

 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west
 * - north
 * - east

Shenandoah Valley
Though not as well known as the or  wine growing regions of California, the Shenandoah Valley was once the wine growing region of California. With the discovery of gold, the area quickly became a mecca for those trying to make their fortune. In the process numerous wineries sprouted up many of whose vineyards are still in use by wineries today. The decline of the coupled with the onset of  devastated the wine making region of Amador County. Today this area has been resurrected and is now home to over 40 different wineries. Amador County is renowned for its Zinfandel, but many other varietals are produced as well. Amador County has a high percentage of old Zinfandel vines. Some of the Zinfandel vineyards in this county are more than 125 years old. These old vines produce intense flavors allowing winemakers to make the outstanding Zinfandels for which this area is famous.

Gold mining
There are numerous gold mines in Amador County including the, the , and the.

Attractions


Amador County is home of the era in California. Many century-old gold-mining places in the county are now popular tourist destinations. Amador County offers several tourists destinations and things to do:


 * Main Street - antique shops
 * Main Street - antique shops, Sutter Creek Theater
 * Jackson Rancheria - casino and hotel
 * Volcano Theater Company and the Cobblestone Theater and the St. George Hotel in
 * Mace Meadows Golf Course in
 * Old Mill Shopping Center in
 * Underground caves with tours
 * Campgrounds areas with gold-panning activities
 * Wineries with activities
 * Lakes for boating and fishing
 * Winter Ski Resorts - for, , etc
 * Outdoor Activities - camping, picnic, riding, horseback riding, whitewater kayaking, birding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, etc
 * Historic sites: Kennedy Mine in Jackson, Chew Kee Store in Fiddletown, Knight Foundry in Sutter Creek

Major highways

 * [[Image:California 16.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 26.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 49.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 88.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 104.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 124.svg|20px]]

Public transportation
(ARTS) provides service in Jackson and the nearby communities. Connections are available to Sacramento and to Calaveras County.

Airports
is a general aviation airport located near Jackson.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 35,100 people, 12,759 households, and 9,071 families residing in the county. The was 23/km² (59/sq mi). There were 15,035 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (25/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 85.79%, 3.87% or , 1.78% , 1.00% , 0.10% , 5.04% from , and 2.41% from two or more races. 8.91% of the population were or  of any race. 93.1% spoke and 5.1%  as their first language.

There were 12,759 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 122.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,280, and the median income for a family was $51,226. Males had a median income of $39,697 versus $28,850 for females. The for the county was $22,412. About 6.10% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Amador is a -leaning county in and  elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was in.

Amador is part of, which is held by Republican. In the, Amador is part of the 10th district, which is held by Republican. In the, Amador is part of the 1st district, which is held by Republican.