Foresta (formerly, McCauley and Opim) is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in Mariposa County, California, within Yosemite National Park.

History

The name comes from the Foresta Land Company, founded by A.B. Davis in 1913. Davis built a resort at Foresta but abandoned it. The Foresta area was subdivided and sold off to investors by the 1930s, but little construction at the site took place until electricity was extended to Foresta in 1951. Building of private residences mostly began at that time and continued until the early 1960s, with a campground built soon after. Foresta now consists of homes for National Park Service, concessionaire, and Yosemite Institute employees, plus several vacation rentals. The community is located on the slopes surrounding Big Meadow, three miles off the Big Oak Flat Road. Many of the homes in the area burned in a 1990 wildfire. The Opim post office operated there from 1882 to 1884.

Geography

It is located 2.25 mi northeast of El Portal, at an elevation of 4,420 feet (1,350 m).

Demographics

The community was first listed as a census designated place under the name Crane Creek in the 2020 U.S. Census. The CDP's name was changed to Foresta by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022.

2020 census