The town of Graeagle was founded in 1916, as a lumber town, and established a post office in 1919 with the moniker of Davies Mill. When the mill was sold, a naming contest was held. The winning entry contracted the name of the nearby Gray Eagle Creek to Graeagle. This name may have some connection with Edward D Baker, the "Gray Eagle of Republicanism," who was in the mining region in 1856 while stumping the state for Frémont. Graeagle Lumber Company was owned by the California Fruit Exchange and employed hundreds in logging, lumber production and to manufacture box shook from the 1920s to the 1950s. Modernization closed the mill in 1956, the box factory in 1957 and the town was acquired by the West family in 1959.
Geography
Graeagle is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Economy
Much of the economy is seasonal, catering to summer tourism, primarily second homes. Several golf courses are in the area. The brewery "The Brewing Lair of the Lost Sierra", is located in nearby Blairsden, as is the Plumas National ForestBeckwourth Ranger District headquarters. About west of Graeagle is the Plumas-Eureka State Park which includes the local ghost towns where mining in the area began in 1851. As was common throughout this area of California, mining was initially done by individuals, then companies and finally by corporations whose owners often lived far away from the mines themselves. For the mines in the Graeagle area, investors were from as far away as London.
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Graeagle had a population of 737. The population density was 66.3 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Graeagle was 718 White, 1 African American, 5 Native American, 0 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 3 from other races, and 10 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27 persons. The Census reported that 737 people lived in households. There were 392 households, out of which 41 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 217 were opposite-sex married couplesliving together, 20 had a female householder with no husband present, 10 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 17 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 128 households were made up of individuals, and 85 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.88. There were 247 families ; the average family size was 2.30. The population was spread out, with 70 people under the age of 18, 20 people aged 18 to 24, 61 people aged 25 to 44, 269 people aged 45 to 64, and 317 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. There were 904 housing units at an average density of 81.3 per square mile, of which 330 were owner-occupied, and 62 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 28.1%. 603 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 134 people lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the 2000 census, there were 831 people, 412 households and 280 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 74.8 per square mile. There were 693 housing units at an average density of 62.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.95% White, 0.48% Native American], 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. 2.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 412 households, of which 13.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.40. Age distribution was 11.6% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 35.1% from 45 to 64, and 34.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males. The median household income was $55,385, and the median family income was $59,327. Males had a median income of $39,219 versus $24,028 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,199. About 4.7% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The primary local news source is the Portola Reporter, a newspaper published every Wednesday.
