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Sonora, Calif. Innovation Lab to Open Aug. 5

Organizers say it’s the first “hacker lab” and maker space of its kind in a rural California community.

California’s community tech workspaces continue to grow in number, with the latest trying to make a go of it in the heart of Gold Country.

 
An innovation lab that will provide entrepreneurs with low-cost access to office space, 3-D tools, software, an electronics laboratory, metalworking shop and other resources is opening at the old Tuolumne General Hospital building at 101 Hospital Road in Sonora.
 
The Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority and local companies and foundations are backing the venture, which the organizers say is the first “hacker lab” and maker space of its kind in a rural California community. Membership to the InnovationLab costs between $59 to $99 per month.
 
“The reason we’re doing all of this is we want businesses to start, build, grow and stay in Tuolumne County,” said Larry Cope, the development authority’s director. “We want to develop an economic base of startup businesses that flow out of the InnovationLab.”
 
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tuolumne County’s unemployment rate was 8.4 percent this spring, down from a peak of 15.5 percent in 2010. California’s statewide unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in April 2014.
 
Sonora, a city of about 5,000 people, is perhaps most well known to tourists as a Highway 49 side trip on the way to Yosemite National Park. The city also is home to two theater companies and an old town district.
 
This story was originally published by TechWire.