Calaveritas, California

Calaveritas ("little skulls" in Spanish) is an unincorporated community in Calaveras County, California. It sits an elevation of 1,120 feet (339 m) above sea level and is located at coord|38.15806|N|120.60889|W|. The community is in ZIP code 95222 and area code 209.

Founded by Mexicans in 1849, the mining camp was relatively successful and by 1853, Calaveritas was well-established with one livery stable, two butcher shops, several general stores, restaurants, saloons, gambling halls, and fandango houses. Notorious bandit Joaquin Murietta was supposedly a frequent visitor to the latter two.

The town reached its peak in 1857, with an estimated population of around 800, the majority being Mexican or Chinese, but on August 3, 1858, a fire destroyed most of the buildings. By this time, the gold production had greatly declined and most of its inhabitants moved to other locales.

The town today is registered as California Historical Landmark #255.

Politics

In the state legislature Calaveritas is located in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Dave Cox, and in the 25th Assembly District, represented by Republican Tom Berryhill. Federally, Calaveritas is located in California's 3rd 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 Dan Lungren.

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