Nevada County, California

County of Nevada
County
Images, from top down, left to right: Downtown Nevada City, Donner Lake, a scene in Rough and Ready, the Bridgeport Covered Bridge
Official seal of County of Nevada Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sierra Nevada
Metropolitan area	Greater Sacramento
Incorporated	April 25, 1851
Named for	Nevada City
County seat	Nevada City
Largest city	Truckee
Government
• Body	Board of Supervisors
Area
• Total	974 sq mi (2,520 km2)
• Land	958 sq mi (2,480 km2)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km2)
Highest elevation	9,152 ft (2,790 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)
• Total	98,764
• Estimate (2014)	98,893
• Density	100/sq mi (39/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Area code	530
FIPS code	06-057
GNIS feature ID	1682927
Website	www.mynevadacounty.com

Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 98,764. The county seat is Nevada City.

Nevada County comprises the Truckee-Grass Valley, CA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Sacramento-Roseville, CA Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the Mother Lode Country.

History

Martis Creek Lake and Dam at the southern end of Nevada County near Truckee. At full pool the lake extends into Placer County in the distance to the south.

Martis Creek Lake and Dam in Nevada County. This picture was actually taken over Placer County, looking north into Nevada County.

Created in 1851, from portions of Yuba County, Nevada County was named after the mining town of Nevada City, a name derived from the term "Sierra Nevada." The word nevada is Spanish for "snowy" or "snow-covered."

Nevada City was the first to use the word "Nevada" in its name. In 1851 the newly formed Nevada County used the same name as the county seat. The bordering state of Nevada used the same name in 1861. The region came to life in the Gold Rush of 1849. Many historical sites remain to mark the birth of this important region in California's formative years. Among them are the Nevada Theatre in Nevada City, the oldest theater built in California in 1865. It operates to this day and once hosted Mark Twain among other historical figures. The Old 5 Mile House stagecoach stop built in 1890, also operates to this day as a provider of hospitality spanning three centuries. This historical site still features "The stagecoach safe" that is on display outside the present day restaurant and is the source of many legends of stagecoach robbers and notorious highwaymen in the California gold rush era. The gold industry in Nevada County thrived into the post WWII days.

Gold nugget of about 6 troy ounces, from the Yuba River placers of Nevada County. Size: 8.3 x 2.8 x 2.3 cm.

The county had many firsts and historic technological moments. The first long-distance telephone in the world, built in 1877 by the Ridge Telephone Company, connected French Corral with French Lake, 58 miles (93 km) away. It was operated by the Milton Mining Company from a building on this site that had been erected about 1853. The Pelton wheel, designed to power gold mines, still drives hydro-electric generators today. Nevada City and Grass Valley were among the first California towns with electric lights. The Olympics, NASA, and virtually every television station around the country utilizes video/broadcasting equipment designed and manufactured by Grass Valley Group, founded in Grass Valley.

The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad was built in 1876, and was the only railroad in the West that was never robbed, even though its primary freight was gold. (Builder-owner John Flint Kidder's reputation made it clear that he would personally hunt down and kill anyone who tried.) The rail line closed in 1942 and was torn up for scrap.

In Grass Valley the historic Holbrooke Hotel opened in 1851 and housed Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and four U.S. presidents (Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and James A. Garfield).

The Community of Rough and Ready seceded from the Union for a time and became the Great Republic of Rough and Ready.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 974 square miles (2,520 km²), of which 958 square miles (2,480 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (1.6%) is water. The county is drained by Middle and South Yuba rivers.

The western part of the county is defined by the course of several rivers and the irregular boundaries of adjoining counties. When the county was created, the founders wanted to include access to the transcontinental railroad, so a rectangular section was added that includes the railroad town of Truckee. What is remarkable about this is that the final shape of the county closely resembles the Deringer pocket pistol, a favorite at the time of the more urbane residents of this gold rush county.

Nevada County is one of four counties in the United States to border a state with which it shares the same name (the other three counties are Texas County, Oklahoma, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Ohio County, West Virginia).

Ecology

The county has substantial areas of forest, grassland, savanna, riparian area and other ecosystems. Forests include both coniferous as well as oak dominated woodland types. There are also numerous understory forbs and wildflowers including the yellow mariposa lily (Calochortus luteus).

National protected areas

• Tahoe National Forest (part)
• Toiyabe National Forest (part)

Demographics

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population	98,392
White	90,896	92.4%
Black or African American	522	0.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native	1,184	1.2%
Asian	1,370	1.4%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	188	0.2%
Some other race	1,785	1.8%
Two or more races	2,447	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	8,185	8.3%
Per capita income	$31,607
Median household income	$58,077
Median family income	$69,807

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type	Population	White	Other	Asian	Black or African American	Native American	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Alta Sierra	CDP	6,888	93.6%	3.7%	1.5%	0.0%	1.2%	8.2%
Floriston	CDP	35	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Graniteville	CDP	0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Grass Valley	City	12,793	87.4%	4.3%	2.0%	0.9%	5.4%	14.7%
Kingvale ‡	CDP	158	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Lake of the Pines	CDP	3,684	92.3%	5.0%	1.8%	0.4%	0.4%	6.4%
Lake Wildwood	CDP	5,666	94.8%	3.3%	0.3%	0.0%	1.6%	8.7%
Nevada City	City	3,081	88.4%	3.2%	6.0%	0.8%	1.5%	10.5%
North San Juan	CDP	158	60.8%	39.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Penn Valley	CDP	1,328	99.1%	0.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	1.7%
Rough and Ready	CDP	891	98.0%	1.0%	1.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Soda Springs	CDP	126	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Truckee	Town	16,009	91.0%	6.0%	1.9%	0.4%	0.7%	18.0%
Washington	CDP	19	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
‡ Data for Nevada County area of this CDP

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Alta Sierra	CDP	6,888	$36,287	$69,539	$74,926
Floriston	CDP	35	$38,829	$97,639	$97,639
Graniteville	CDP	0
Grass Valley	City	12,793	$24,302	$35,843	$41,058
Kingvale ‡	CDP	158	$86,545	$250,001	$59,722
Lake of the Pines	CDP	3,684	$38,503	$76,816	$96,984
Lake Wildwood	CDP	5,666	$35,617	$76,056	$80,705
Nevada City	City	3,081	$29,833	$55,192	$68,032
North San Juan	CDP	158	$20,051	$47,692	$24,167
Penn Valley	CDP	1,328	$20,344	$39,583	$51,989
Rough and Ready	CDP	891	$23,579	$39,037	$46,875
Soda Springs	CDP	126	$25,465	$40,969
Truckee	Town	16,009	$32,526	$68,173	$76,031
Washington	CDP	19
‡ Data for Nevada County area of this CDP

2010

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	16,446		—
1870	19,134		16.3%
1880	20,823		8.8%
1890	17,369		−16.6%
1900	17,789		2.4%
1910	14,955		−15.9%
1920	10,850		−27.4%
1930	10,596		−2.3%
1940	19,283		82.0%
1950	19,888		3.1%
1960	20,911		5.1%
1970	26,346		26.0%
1980	51,645		96.0%
1990	78,510		52.0%
2000	92,033		17.2%
2010	98,764		7.3%
Est. 2014	98,893		0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada County had a population of 98,764. The racial makeup of Nevada County was 90,233 (91.4%) White, 389 (0.4%) African American, 1,044 (1.1%) Native American, 1,187 (1.2%) Asian, 110 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,678 (2.7%) from other races, and 3,123 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,439 persons (8.5%).

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Nevada County	98,764	90,233	389	1,044	1,187	110	2,678	3,123	8,439
Incorporated cities and towns	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Grass Valley	12,860	11,493	46	208	188	9	419	497	1,341
Nevada City	3,068	2,837	26	28	46	0	40	91	205
Truckee	16,180	13,992	60	95	241	15	1,431	346	3,016
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Alta Sierra	6,911	6,436	18	55	73	9	122	198	488
Floriston	73	67	0	4	0	0	0	2	0
Graniteville	11	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kingvale‡	141	133	1	1	0	1	2	3	6
Lake of the Pines	3,917	3,669	5	20	65	7	24	127	246
Lake Wildwood	4,991	4,726	17	46	56	10	32	104	272
North San Juan	269	224	1	12	11	0	0	21	9
Penn Valley	1,621	1,434	9	34	23	0	31	90	143
Rough and Ready	963	886	3	6	16	6	11	35	56
Soda Springs	81	79	0	2	0	0	0	0	7
Washington	185	166	1	4	0	0	4	10	11
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	47,493	44,080	202	529	468	53	562	1,599	2,639
‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of this CDP in Nevada County

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 92,033 people, 36,894 households, and 25,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 96 people per square mile (37/km²). There were 44,282 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. 5.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.4% were of German, 16.3% English, 11.1% Irish, 6.8% Italian and 6.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.0% spoke English and 4.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 36,894 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,864, and the median income for a family was $52,697. Males had a median income of $40,742 versus $27,173 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,007. About 5.5% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration

Population and registered voters
Total population	98,392
Registered voters	61,557	62.6%
Democratic	20,298	33.0%
Republican	23,315	37.9%
Democratic–Republican spread	-3,017	-4.9%
Independent	2,208	3.6%
Green	1,421	2.3%
Libertarian	585	1.0%
Peace and Freedom	140	0.2%
Americans Elect	1	0.0%
Other	140	0.2%
No party preference	13,449	21.8%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population	Registered voters	Democratic	Republican	D–R spread	Other	No party preference
Grass Valley	12,793	50.4%	36.9%	33.4%	+3.5%	10.7%	22.7%
Nevada City	3,081	67.2%	44.5%	22.1%	+22.4%	13.3%	23.7%
Truckee	16,009	52.8%	39.4%	24.4%	+15.0%	11.4%	28.8%

Overview

Nevada County vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2012	48.4% 24,986	47.7% 24,663	3.9% 1,280
2008	46.2% 25,663	51.5% 28,617	2.1% 1,138
2004	53.4% 28,790	44.9% 24,220	1.7% 910
2000	54.8% 25,998	37.2% 17,670	8.0% 3,811
1996	50.4% 21,784	35.6% 15,369	14.0% 6,066
1992	39.2% 17,343	34.9% 15,433	25.9% 11,425
1988	57.8% 21,383	40.5% 14,980	1.8% 660
1984	62.4% 19,809	35.3% 11,198	2.4% 761
1980	57.9% 15,207	29.0% 7,605	13.1% 3,449
1976	48.4% 8,170	47.0% 7,926	4.7% 785
1972	54.7% 8,004	38.9% 5,693	6.4% 941
1968	51.4% 6,061	39.1% 4,607	9.6% 1,126
1964	43.3% 4,899	56.5% 6,397	0.2% 22
1960	53.4% 5,419	45.7% 4,633	0.9% 89
1956	59.7% 5,475	40.0% 3,667	0.3% 31
1952	64.0% 6,819	35.1% 3,735	0.9% 94
1948	47.1% 3,917	47.0% 3,914	5.9% 495
1944	44.4% 2,648	54.8% 3,266	0.8% 47
1940	32.7% 2,863	66.0% 5,782	1.3% 114
1936	26.8% 1,913	71.9% 5,128	1.3% 90
1932	32.9% 1,842	63.3% 3,544	3.8% 210
1928	52.0% 2,173	46.9% 1,959	1.1% 47
1924	42.2% 1,513	8.6% 307	49.2% 1,763
1920	65.0% 2,055	23.6% 747	11.4% 361

As of April 21, 2009, there are 25,601 registered Republicans, 21,548 registered Democrats, and 12,184 Declined to State voters in Nevada County. The American Independent and Green Parties have under 2,000 registered voters each. In both 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush won a majority of the votes in the county. In 2008, Barack Obama carried the county with a 51.5%–46.2% margin. 2008 marked the first time Nevada County went for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. In 2012, Obama lost by a narrow margin to Mitt Romney, turning the county red once again.

Nevada County is split between California's 1st and 4th congressional districts, which are represented by Doug LaMalfa (R–Richvale) and Tom McClintock (R–Elk Grove), respectively.

In the state legislature, Nevada County is in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican Brian Dahle and in the State Senate, the county is in the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Jim Nielsen.

On November 4, 2008 Nevada County voted for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, by 3 votes, the narrowest margin of any county in the state.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population	98,392
Violent crime	289	2.94
Homicide	1	0.01
Forcible rape	36	0.37
Robbery	17	0.17
Aggravated assault	235	2.39
Property crime	838	8.52
Burglary	366	3.72
Larceny-theft	993	10.09
Motor vehicle theft	100	1.02
Arson	11	0.11

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population	Violent crimes	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Grass Valley	12,959	65	5.02	639	49.31
Nevada City	3,092	12	3.88	172	55.63
Truckee	16,304	22	1.35	232	14.23

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• State Route 20
• State Route 49
• State Route 89
• State Route 174

Public transportation

• Gold Country Stage runs bus service in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley, Alta Sierra and Lake of the Pines. A connection is available between Grass Valley and Auburn (Placer County).
• Tahoe Area Rapid Transit, operated by Placer County, has a route connecting Truckee with Lake Tahoe and the state of Nevada. Truckee also has its own local bus service.
• Greyhound and Amtrak stop in Truckee and Colfax.

Gold Country Telecare is the paratransit bus company providing door to door service for seniors and persons with disabilities in Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Penn Valley.

Airports

Nevada County Air Park is a general aviation airport located just east of Grass Valley.

Truckee Tahoe Airport is a general aviation airport in Truckee, partially in Nevada County and partially in Placer County.

Communities

Cities

• Grass Valley
• Nevada City (county seat)

Town

• Truckee

Unincorporated communities

• Alta Sierra – a subdivision
• Anthony House – Nisenan Indian territory
• Birchville
• Blue Tent
• Boca
• Boreal
• Cedar Ridge
• Cherokee Township
• Chicago Park
• French Corral
• Floriston
• Graniteville
• Kingvale
• Lake City
• Lake of the Pines – a gated subdivision
• Lake Wildwood – a gated subdivision
• Malakoff Diggings
• Moore's Flat
• Nevada City Rancheria – Nisenan Indian government settlement area
• Norden
• North Bloomfield
• North Columbia
• North San Juan
• Ophir Hill
• Peardale
• Penn Valley
• Ready Springs
• Rough and Ready
• Soda Springs
• Sunset District
• Sweetland
• Washington
• You Bet

Ghost town

• Meadow Lake (previously: Excelsior; Summit City)

Notable residents

• Lyman Gilmore, a contemporary of the Wright Brothers, developed early powered aircraft and operated the world's first commercial air field in Grass Valley. There is also evidence he may have flown before the Wright brothers.
• Founding member of the British rock band Supertramp, Roger Hodgson lives in Nevada County.
• Herbert Hoover, President of the United States. Hoover lived in Nevada City as a young mining engineer after graduating from Stanford University.
• Former Troubled Assets Relief Program head Neel Kashkari lives in the county as part of his "Washington detox."
• Charles Litton Sr., a resident and entrepreneur of Nevada County, assisted Raytheon in the development of the magnetron tube.
• Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots and founder of Citizens for Self-Governance.
• Folk singer Utah Phillips lived in Nevada County until his death in 2008.
• Former actor and television announcer Edwin W. Reimers resided in Nevada City at the time of his death in 1986.
• Beat Poet Gary Snyder currently resides in San Juan Ridge in Nevada County.
• Clint Walker, actor.
• National Football League star Ricky Williams lives in the county.
• Chuck Yeager, pilot, first man to break the sound barrier.

Books

• Bean, E. F. (1867). Bean's History and directory of Nevada county, California ... With sketches of the various towns and mining camps ... Also full statistics of mining and all other industrial resources. Nevada, Cal.: Printed at the Daily Gazette Book and Job Office.
• Comstock, D. A. (1998). Catalog of historical landmarks and dedicated sites in Nevada County, California. NCHS books. Nevada City, Calif: Nevada County Historical Society.
• Comstock, D. A. (2004). News and advertising in the early gold camps of Nevada County, California: Volume one – 1850 through 1852. Grass Valley, Calif: Comstock Bonanza Press.
• Comstock, D. A., & Comstock, A. H. (1999). Nevada County vital statistics, 1850–1869 (and up to 1876 for divorces): births, marriages, separations, divorces, naturalizations, and deaths in Nevada County, California, as compiled from county records, cemeteries, newspapers, letters, diaries, and family records, plus a list of clergymen who served in Nevada County during those same years. Nevada County pioneers series, v. 1. Grass Valley, Calif: Comstock Bonanza Press.
• Foley, D., Kelly, L., & Book, S. (1975). The Maidu Indians of Nevada County, California.
• Nevada County (Calif.). (1915). Nevada County, state of California: the home of deep producing gold mines and prolific fruit orchards. Grass Valley, Calif: Union Pub. Co.
• Nevada County Promotion Committee. (1904). Nevada County, California: the most prosperous mining county of the United States, where good mines are found in a country with a pereect [sic] climate and all the comforts of civilization. [Nevada City, Calif.]: Nevada County Promotion Committee.
• Pastron, A. G., Walsh, M. R., & Clewlow, C. W. (1990). Archaeological and ethnohistoric investigations at CA-NEV-194, near Rough and Ready, Nevada County, California. Archives of California prehistory, no. 31. Salinas, CA: Coyote Press.
• True, G. H. (1973). The ferns and seed plants of Nevada County, California. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences.
• Wells, H. L. (1880). History of Nevada County, California with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories. Oakland, CA: Thompson & West.
• Wyckoff, R. M. (1962). Hydraulicking: a brief history of hydraulic mining in Nevada County, California. Nevada City, Calif: Osborn/Woods.

See also

• List of school districts in Nevada County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Nevada County, California

External links

• visitor guide