El Portal, California

El Portal is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California. It is located 11.5mi west-southwest of Yosemite Village, at an elevation of 1939 feet (591 m). The population was 474 at the 2010 census.El Portal lies along State Route 140 by the Merced River located on the western boundary of Yosemite National Park. It is partly under the administrative jurisdiction of Yosemite National Park. Community buildings include a post office, community center, and a small school. Town businesses include two hotels, a small general store, and a gas station.El Portal plays host to a number of outdoor activities.El Portal was the terminus of the Yosemite Valley Railroad at the entrance to the National Park. El Portal is Spanish for "the gateway" derived from this fact.The first post office at El Portal opened in 1907.The National Park Service and several park partner organizations have offices in El Portal.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covered an area of 1.639mi2, of which 1.592mi2 was land and 2.89% was water.DemographicsThe 2010 United States Census reported that El Portal had a population of 474. The population density was 289.1 people per square mile (111.6/km²). The racial makeup of El Portal was 434 (91.6%) White, 1 (0.2%) African American, 9 (1.9%) Native American, 5 (1.1%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 5 (1.1%) from other races, and 20 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28 persons (5.9%).