Amador City, CA

[HAnnA MArin County]

Okay, do any of our California avatars have any insight into this place? It's a tiny (the smallest in the state, to be exact) town located in a reliably red/Atlas blue namesake county, overwhelmingly (83.11% Non-Hispanic) white, yet voted for Obama twice and then had an eight-point swing towards (!) Hillary in 2016. It also voted against Prop 8 (54-46) in 2008. It seems to mirror neighboring Alpine and Mono counties in that regard (although Alpine did swing slightly to Trump), but this little place is smack dab between two other solidly Republican cities, so there has to be something else.

I can't find anything special about this place, but this place has intrigued me for awhile since most majority white rural areas are now Republican strongholds (or headed that way). I realize whites in California aren't as Republican as they are throughout the rest of the country, but the results in this little hamlet are pretty astounding.

Tourism is about the only thing I can think of that could give it its Democratic tilt, but it looks to be mostly just small-town historical buildings and attractions like you could find in any other place in Small Town USA. Democrats also maintain a plurality (44.19%) among registered voters in the city, according to the latest (February 10, 2019) numbers released by the California Secretary of State.

I'd appreciate any theories, speculation, and feedback about this place. 

Here are the city's presidential election results from 1992 to 2016:
1992: Clinton 43.90% - Bush 27.64% - Perot 26.83% = D+ 16.26
1996: Dole 44.19% - Clinton 37.21% - Perot 13.95% = R+ 06.98
2000: Bush 45.19% - Gore 43.27% - Nader 9.62% = R+ 01.92
2004: Bush 55.04% - Kerry 44.19% = R+ 10.85
2008: Obama 56.30% - McCain 42.86% = D+ 13.44
2012: Obama 52.25% - Romney 45.05% = D+ 07.20
2016: Clinton 53.23% - Trump 37.90% = D+ 15.33

[DrScholl]

There supplements of the statement of the vote on the Secretary of State's website that detail results down to the city level going back to 1990.

It's a Gold Rush town and is heavily tourism based. There are other Democratic precincts the Gold Rush counties that are in Yosemite National Park, so there is a more Democratic lean in tourist areas.

[NOVA Green]

Amador City has a population of something like 170 people....

Looks to me something like a handful of folks that went 'Pub in '08/'12 went LBT/GRN or other in '16.

We have similar places in Oregon, such as Jacksonville, but at least a larger population base to work off of so that a few new folks arrive in town and a few townies swing, a few oldies pass away, and a few new local voters 18+ vote doesn't create potentially extremely large swings like a tiny community such as this....