Rail Road Flat, California
Rail Road Flat is a census-designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 316 at the 2020 census.
History
This historic mining town, elevation 2,600 feet, was named after primitive mule-drawn ore cars used here. There was never actually a railroad here. The town was established in 1849. It was the site of an Indian council as well as the center of rich placer and quartz mining. Its largest producer was the Petticoat Mine. The post office was established in 1857, closed in 1858, and re-established in 1869 and the Edwin Taylor store built in 1867. The town's population was decimated in 1880 by black fever.The Clark Reservoir was created when an engineer named W.V. Clark constructed a ditch from the Mokelumne River, as there was not much water to work the placers. The reservoir, located on his property, supplied water to the mines and to the town.
The town is registered as California Historical Landmark #286.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water.In 2010, the area of the CDP was, of which, of it is land and of it is water.
Demographics
Rail Road Flat first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.2020 census
The 2020 United States census reported that Rail Road Flat had a population of 316. The population density was. The racial makeup of Rail Road Flat was 267 White, 1 African American, 4 Native American, 1 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 7 from other races, and 36 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28 persons.The whole population lived in households. There were 146 households, out of which 27 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 71 were married-couple households, 11 were cohabiting couple households, 41 had a female householder with no partner present, and 23 had a male householder with no partner present. 33 households were one person, and 21 were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 96 families.
The age distribution was 41 people under the age of 18, 16 people aged 18 to 24, 54 people aged 25 to 44, 97 people aged 45 to 64, and 108 people who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 58.3years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males.
There were 227 housing units at an average density of, of which 146 were occupied. Of these, 105 were owner-occupied, and 41 were occupied by renters.
2010
The 2010 United States census reported that Rail Road Flat had a population of 475. The population density was 14.3 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Rail Road Flat was 411 White, 0 African American, 15 Native American, 4 Asian, 2 Pacific Islander, 9 from other races, and 34 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41 persons.The Census reported that 475 people lived in households, 0 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized.
There were 220 households, out of which 41 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 101 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 15 had a female householder with no spouse present, 7 had a male householder with no spouse present. There were 18 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 72 households were made up of individuals, and 38 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 123 families ; the average family size was 2.79.
The population was spread out, with 77 people under the age of 18, 20 people aged 18 to 24, 70 people aged 25 to 44, 186 people aged 45 to 64, and 122 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.
There were 340 housing units at an average density of 10.3 per square mile, of which 220 were occupied, of which 169 were owner-occupied, and 51 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%. 363 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 112 people lived in rental housing units.