Darwin, California
Unincorporated Community
Census Designated Place
StateCalifornia
CountyInyo
Unit prefImperial
Area total1.34 sq mi
Area land1.34 sq mi
Area water0.00 sq mi
Area total3.48 km²
Area land3.48 km²
Area water0.00 km²
Area water percent0
Elevation4846 ft
Population as of2020
Population total36
Population density10.33 km²
Population density26.77 sq mi
Time zonePacific (PST) (UTC-8)
Coordinates36°16′08″N 117°35′20″W
Time zone (DST)PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code93522
Area codes442/760
FIPS code06-18030
GNIS feature ID2408642[1]

Darwin is an unincorporated former mining community in Inyo County, California, United States. It is located 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Keeler.[2] For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Darwin as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 36 at the 2020 census, down from 43 at the 2010 census.

History

The town is named after Darwin French (1822–1902), a local rancher, miner, and explorer.

According to Erwin Gudde, French of Fort Tejon was with a party of prospectors in the area during the fall of 1850. French also led a party into Death Valley in 1860 to search for the mythical Gunsight Lode via the local wash, lending his first name to the wash, canyon, and future town.[3]

Silver and lead discovery at the place led to the founding of a settlement in 1874.[2][4] A post office opened in 1875, closed for a time in 1902, and remains open.[5] The town prospered when Eichbaum Toll Road opened in 1926, opening Death Valley from the west. When Death Valley became a National Monument in 1933, it was decided to buy the toll road to allow free access to the new park. In 1937, a new cutoff bypassed Darwin, isolating the town.[6]

The town was the subject of a 2011 documentary film Darwin. In April 2012, BBC News featured a video of local residents describing their wishes to replace dial-up Internet access with broadband.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all of it land. The census definition of the area was created by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes and may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name.

Demographics

Darwin first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.[8]

The 2020 United States census reported that Darwin had a population of 36. The population density was 26.8 inhabitants per square mile (10.3 /km2). The racial makeup of Darwin was 34 (94%) non-Hispanic white and 2 (6%) Native American.[9]

The whole population lived in households. There were 24 households, out of which 4 (17%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8 (33%) were married-couple households, 6 (25%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 10 (42%) had a male householder with no partner present. 11 households (45.8%) were one person, and 6 (25.0%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.5.[9] There were 10 families (41.7% of all households).[10]

The age distribution was 0 people (0%) under the age of 18, 1 person (3%) aged 18 to 24, 6 people (17%) aged 25 to 44, 18 people (50%) aged 45 to 64, and 11 people (31%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61.5 years. There were 25 males and 11 females.[9]

There were 46 housing units at an average density of 34.2 /mi2, of which 24 (52%) were occupied. Of these, 14 (58%) were owner-occupied, and 10 (42%) were occupied by renters.[9]

In 2026, Tessa McLean of SFGate stated that "Some who own property in town only reside there part-time, if at all, so it’s hard to get an accurate count."[11]

Government

In the state legislature, Darwin is in ,[12] and .[13]

Federally, Darwin is in .[14]

Education

It is in the Lone Pine Unified School District.[15] Lone Pine High School is the comprehensive high school of the district.

A school building opened in the 1800s; it had one room and was constructed of wooden materials. In 2026, McLean stated that the school was "weathered" and that it "hasn’t had enough kids to justify its existence — or any kids, for that matter — in decades."[11]

See also

References

  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^ Gudde, Erwin G. (1998). California place names : the origin and etymology of current geographical names. 4th ed., rev. and enl. ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 102. ISBN 0520213165.
  4. ^ Palazzo, Robert P. (1996). Darwin, California
  5. ^ Palazzo, Robert P. (2005). Inyo County Post Offices and Postmasters 1866-1966
  6. ^ Minnigerodee, Fitzhugh L. (October 24, 1937). "Road Joins 'Extremes'". The New York Times. p. 8.
  7. ^ "Darwin, the town trapped by dial-up internet". BBC News. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  8. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California". United States Census Bureau
  9. ^ "Darwin CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  10. ^ "Darwin CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  11. ^ McLean, Tessa (2026-04-15). "The California town with less than 30 residents begging for young people to move in". SFGate. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  12. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  13. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  14. ^ Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  15. ^ Geography Division (December 18, 2020). 2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Inyo County, CA. Suitland, Maryland: U.S. Census Bureau. p. 2 (PDF p. 3/4). Retrieved 2026-04-21. - Text list

Further reading

  • Gallegos, G. R., Ed., Up Home in the Mountains of Inyo County: Elizabeth L. Mecham's Memories of Early Twentieth Century Life in California, ISBN 979-8-9577437-0-6, 2023.
  • Palazzo, Robert P. Darwin, California, Lake Grove, OR: Western Places, 1996. The history of the boom and bust of this mining town from 1874 to 1878.
  • Palazzo, Robert P. "Post Offices and Postmasters of Inyo County, California 1866-1966", Fernley, NV: MacDonald, 2005.