Inyo County is located in east-central California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states and Badwater, in Death Valley National Park , the lowest point in the U S, are located in the county. Inyo County was formed in 1866 and derived its name from the Native American name for the mountains, the word inyo is "dwelling place of the great spirit." The county has a total area of 10,227 square miles, it is an extremely large county, the second-largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation.