Mono Mills, California period photo of mill activity, 1914
Mono City’s story
146 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
- 1880Mono City is settled
Mono CityCA
A town of 342, settled in 1880.
Photo: Daniel Mayer (mav) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
342
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$262K
Census ACS
Household income
$109K
median
Median age
38.9
years
Jobs based here
22
A commuter town
Is Mono City a good place to live?
81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Mono City, where California’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. No town among the 848 in California we compare has a higher share of workers working from home than Mono City. 76% of the land in Mono City is conserved, above both the California town median (4.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, at 470 acres. Mono City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
342 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby attractions
All 33 attractions →Yosemite National Park and 19 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mono City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi National ParkYosemite National Park4.3M visitors a year
8 mi LakeMono Lake
Big draw29 mi MountainHalf Dome
28 mi Ski areaMammoth Mountain153 runs · 2,962 ft vertical
35 mi LakeHetch Hetchy
28 mi National MonumentDevils Postpile National Monument100K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Yosemite National Park: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mono Lake: File:Mono lake sat.jpg: created by NASA Rotation and crop: Hike395, Public domain · Half Dome: Jon Sullivan, Public domain · Mammoth Mountain: Hike395 (talk · contribs), CC BY 3.0 · Hetch Hetchy: Vulpinus2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Devils Postpile National Monument: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Mono City: who provides what
Mono City is unincorporated, so Mono County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLundy Mutual Water CompanyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers68% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMono CountyMono County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMono County Clerk-ElectionsMono County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code9354193541 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Mono City.
Outdoors
In Mono City, nearly a third of the land is conserved
There are 29 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Mono City’s trail density is 3.7 miles per square mile.
75.7%conserved
75.7%
conserved · 3,780 of 4,993 acres
29 mi
of trails · 3.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve | 0.2 mi | 470 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Mono City has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Expected losses in Mono City break down as 38% from inland flooding and 24% from avalanches. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 97% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Mono City once, in 2023.
97risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingAvalanchesWildfire
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of Mono City’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
For half of commuters, work is under 61 miles away. The typical household income for Mono City comes to $109,000. The top destinations are Bridgeport (22%), Mammoth Lakes (8%) and Lee Vining (8%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Mono City0%
Bridgeport22%
Mammoth Lakes8%
Lee Vining8%
San Jose4%
61 mi
median commute distance
22
jobs based in Mono City
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mono City has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The typical July afternoon high in Mono City is 85°F.
70″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–45°
Spring29–60°
Summer45–82°
Fall31–66°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 23
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Mono City is
75% of Mono City adults had a checkup this year. Of 32 CDC measures, Mono City beats the California average on 7 and trails it on 6. In Mono City, a third of adults sleep under 7 hours, and 33% feel lonely.
| Mono City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
32 measures vs. California
7 better19 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Mono City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.7% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 6.4% |
Mammoth Hospital
28.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mono City
15pages on Mono City
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mono City; the nearest are
Columbia CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sonora67.5 mi$1,282 in-state tuitionUniversity of California-MercedUniversity or college · Public · Merced83.6 mi$15,623 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Mono City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Mono City for work
Where Mono City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
22jobs based in Mono City
0%of working residents work in town
61 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Mono City
Former settlement in California, United States
Mono Mills (also Mono) is a ghost town in Mono County, California, United States. It is located 9.5 miles (15 km) east-southeast of Lee Vining, at an elevation of 7356 feet (2242 m). Mono Mills has nearly vanished. Its site is along California State Route 120, 9.1 miles (15 km) east from the junction with U.S. Route 395.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1880
- Elevation
- 7,356 ft
Questions about Mono City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mono City, CA a good place to live?
Mono City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.