About Swall Meadows

Swall Meadows is a census-designated place in southern Mono County, California. The community is residential, including second homes and a volunteer fire department, but no commercial development. Geographically, it sits on the Sherwin Grade, at an elevation range of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 feet (1,800 to 2,100 m) in a pinon-juniper/subalpine zone habitat, with views along the Sierra Crest, of Mt. Tom, and across Owens Valley to the White Mountains (image, below). It is accessed from "old 395", or Lower Rock Creek Rd. Swall Meadows is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Bishop and 25 miles (40 km) south of Mammoth Lakes (by highway distance). It is also well known in the area as an important deer migration route for the Round Valley Mule Deer population, which cherish the grazing in the meadow and apple falls from the old orchard trees. The ZIP Code is 93514. The community is inside area code 760. The population was 220 as of the 2010 census.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²), all of it land. In addition to the predominant pinyon-juniper-sagebrush habitat, there is a stream and the eponymous meadow with wetter-habitat vegetation such as Jeffrey pines, willows, stream and bog orchids, and the remnant trees of the old commercial apple orchard. In 2011 the Eastern Sierra Land Trust secured a conservation easement to protect 104 acres of the Swall Meadows meadow area (location of the historic homesite), for the continued benefit of the migrating mule deer. A number of other conservation easements have been completed in Swall Meadows since the organization was founded in 2001. Between Paradise and Swall Meadows the old wagon road can be seen (image, left) that climbed about 3000 ft up the Sherwin Grade from Owens Valley toward Crowley Lake.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Swall Meadows had a population of 220. The population density was 49.3 people per square mile (19.0/km²). The racial makeup of Swall Meadows was 201 (91.4%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 3 (1.4%) Native American, 5 (2.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 2 (0.9%) from other races, and 9 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6 persons (2.7%).

In the state legislature Swall Meadows is located in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Ted Gaines, and in the 25th Assembly District, represented by Republican Kristin Olsen. Federally, Swall Meadows is located in California's 25th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +7 and is represented by Republican Buck McKeon.