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38-460: Colfax (formerly Alden Grove , Alder Grove , Illinoistown , and Upper Corral ) is a city in Placer County , California , at the crossroads of Interstate 80 and State Route 174 . The population was 1,963 at the 2010 census . The town is named in honor of U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax (1869–73), a bronze statue of whom stands at Railroad Street and Grass Valley Street. (This

76-732: A booming fruit-growing industry, supporting many local packing houses. Penryn was founded by a Welsh miner, Griffith Griffith, who established a large granite quarry. Rocklin began as a railroad town and became home to a number of granite quarries. Lincoln and Sheridan continue to support ranching and farming. Lincoln also is the home of one of the county's oldest businesses, the Gladding, McBean terra cotta clay manufacturing plant, established in 1875. The 1960 Winter Olympics were hosted in Squaw Valley , in Placer County. According to

114-456: A household in the county was $ 57,535, and the median income for a family was $ 65,858 (these figures had risen to $ 68,463 and $ 80,987 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $ 50,410 versus $ 33,763 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,963. About 3.9% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over. Unemployment in

152-635: A process known as " placer mining ". Gold mining was a major industry through the 1880s, but gradually the new residents turned to farming the fertile foothill soil, harvesting timber and working for the Southern Pacific Railroad . Auburn was settled when Claude Chana discovered gold in Auburn Ravine in May 1848, and it later became a shipping and supply center for the surrounding gold camps. The cornerstone of Placer's courthouse, which

190-492: Is a branch of the Melones Fault , running in north to south direction. The fault runs through the old grammar school baseball field so they closed the school. (Earth Metrics, 1989) Another branch of the same fault is located about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the east, also aligned in a north–south orientation. No movement has been recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey , and the faults are considered inactive. Bunch Creek

228-712: Is an active water source flowing south to eventually reach a confluence with the North Fork of the American River . Colfax sits a few miles outside the Tahoe National Forest as I-80 begins its climb into the Sierras. Because of its location it is considered at high risk of wildfire. Colfax has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ) that is characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Summers can be quite hot, especially in

266-578: Is clearly visible from Interstate 80 through Auburn, was laid on July 4, 1894. The building was renovated during the late 1980s and continues to serve the public with courtrooms, a sheriff's office and the Placer County Museum . Roseville , once a small agricultural center, became a major railroad center and grew to the county's most populous city after Southern Pacific Railroad moved its railroad switching yards there in 1908. Loomis and Newcastle began as mining towns, but soon became centers of

304-515: Is located at 39°5′50″N 120°57′14″W  /  39.09722°N 120.95389°W  / 39.09722; -120.95389 (39.097260, −120.954017). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km), all of it land. The principal geologic structures present are granitic and metamorphic rock formations. Located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Colfax

342-668: Is one of two known statues of Schuyler Colfax in the United States, the other located in Indianapolis, Indiana.) Some of the town's notable features include the newly restored Southern Pacific Railroad colonnade-style depot (which houses the Colfax Museum and Chamber of Commerce) built in 1905, the downtown shops on Main Street, and Colfax High School , which serves a large surrounding area. Originally inhabited by

380-538: Is scheduled to depart Colfax at 12:21 p.m. daily with service to Truckee, Reno, Sparks, Winnemucca, Elko, Salt Lake City, Provo, Helper, Green River, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Denver, Omaha, Galesburg, and Chicago . A bronze statue of the town's namesake, Schuyler Colfax, stands near the depot at the Grass Valley Street railroad grade crossing. Amtrak Thruway 20 provides a daily connection from Colfax Depot to Sacramento Valley Station to

418-733: Is typically divided into three regions; “South Placer” in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada foothills south of Auburn, “Gold Country” which consists of the Sierra Foothills around Auburn, Colfax, and Foresthill, and the Sierra Nevada which consists of all areas east of Foresthill and northeast of Colfax (including the Lake Tahoe region). Roughly 3/4ths of the population lives in South Placer, Roseville being

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456-546: The 2020 census of Placer County. † county seat School districts include: Unified K-12: Secondary school districts: Additionally, Twin Rivers Unified School District includes a section of the county for grades 9-12 only. Elementary school districts: Bunch Creek The history of the town of Colfax, California is intertwined with Bunch Creek. During the Gold Rush of

494-735: The 2020 census , the population was 404,739. The county seat is Auburn . Placer County is included in the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area . It is in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions, in what is known as the Gold Country . The county stretches roughly 65 miles (105 km) from Sacramento's suburbs at Roseville to the Nevada border and the shore of Lake Tahoe . The discovery of gold in 1848 brought tens of thousands of miners from around

532-560: The California State Senate , Placer County is split between the 1st , 4th , and 6th districts, represented by Brian Dahle , Marie Alvarado-Gil , and Roger Niello , respectively. In the California State Assembly , the county is split between the 1st , 3rd , and 5th districts, represented by Megan Dahle , James Gallagher , and Joe Patterson respectively. The following table includes

570-538: The Maidu and Miwok Native Americans, by the mid-19th century the city site was known as Alder Grove ; however, as development increased, the city became known as Illinoistown , a supply hub for gold mining camps. In April 1852, the Reelfoot Williams Gang robbed a Nevada City stagecoach of $ 7,000 in gold bullion near Illinoistown. This was the first stagecoach robbery in the gold country. Later it

608-678: The Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office , was approved by the Board of Supervisors on February 9, 2010, and launched on March 22, 2010, and is open to eligible Placer County property owners. There are three general aviation airports in Placer County: The closest commercial airport is Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento. The population ranking of the following table is based on

646-405: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 1,502 square miles (3,890 km ), of which 1,407 square miles (3,640 km ) is land and 95 square miles (250 km ) (6.4%) is water. Watercourses in Placer County include the American River and Bunch Creek . 40.96% of Lake Tahoe's surface area is in Placer County, more than in any of the four other counties in which it lies. The county

684-484: The census of 2000, there were 248,399 people, 93,382 households, and 67,701 families residing in the county. The population density was 177 inhabitants per square mile (68/km ). There were 107,302 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile (29/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 88.6% White , 0.8% Black or African American , 0.9% Native American , 3.0% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 3.4% from other races , and 3.2% from two or more races. 9.7% of

722-431: The age of 18 living in them, 334 (40.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 131 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 40 (4.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 67 (8.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 3 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships , while 259 households (31.5%) were made up of individuals, and 90 (10.9%) had someone living alone who

760-770: The city as well as the more modern Interstate 80 . The city is mentioned in Jules Verne ’s book, Around the World in Eighty Days . In July 2015 the Lowell Fire burned thousands of acres nearby, forcing evacuation in Nevada County. In March 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic caused a state wide shelter in place order to be issued. This resulted in the long term closure of many local businesses despite

798-544: The city was placed under a state of emergency due to severe snow storms. More than 575,000 metered electric customers in Northern California were without power at some point during the storm, with about 141,000 still without power one month after the first major outage. The City was again reliant on the leadership of the Mayor to get supplies and critical support to residents left without a safe heat source. Colfax

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836-469: The county is just under 7% which is considerably lower than the state's average. County government is by a five-person four-year term elected board of supervisors from five single member districts with a board-appointed county manager and his/her department administrators. The Placer County Sheriff's Office provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for all of Placer County. It provides patrol, detective, and other police services for

874-601: The direct opposition from local officials. On August 4, 2021, the River Fire started in the Bear River Campground, forcing thousands of residents on both the Placer and Nevada county sides of the river to evacuate. The fire was contained nine days later after burning over 2,600 acres (11 km) and dozens of homes. Acting Mayor Trinity Burruss led the city during the emergency response. In December 2021,

912-602: The mid-19th century, miners and trappers of this part of Placer County found a place along Bunch Creek that was generally below the snow line; this place became known as Illinoistown. With the passage of time, and the increase in gold mining activities, the camp grew. It became a village with a general store, saloons , freight company and even a brothel .(Colfax, 2005) This settlement later became known as Colfax. 39°02′11″N 120°54′31″W  /  39.036287°N 120.908550°W  / 39.036287; -120.908550 This Placer County, California -related article

950-470: The months of July and August where temperatures easily reach 90 °F (32 °C), with plenty of sunshine. Winters, on the other hand, are quite cool with temperatures in December hovering around 46 °F (8 °C), and owing to its altitude above sea level, Colfax some years sees snow accumulation. The 2010 United States Census reported that Colfax had a population of 1,963. The population density

988-426: The national passenger rail system, provides service to Colfax. The city's passenger rail station is located at 99 Railroad Street in the heart of town. Amtrak Train 5, the westbound California Zephyr , is scheduled to depart Colfax at 11:48 a.m. daily with service to Roseville, Sacramento , Davis, Martinez, and Emeryville across the bay from San Francisco . Amtrak Train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr ,

1026-489: The number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. According to the county's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are: mPOWER Placer is Placer County's Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. It provides financing to commercial, industrial, agricultural and multifamily property owners to install energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy retrofits. The program, administered by

1064-564: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.5% were of German , 12.3% English , 10.6% Irish , 7.1% Italian and 7.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000 . 89.7% spoke only English at home; 6.0% spoke Spanish . There were 93,382 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who

1102-533: The primary job and retail center of the county. Auburn and Lincoln are the main secondary commercial centers. The 2010 United States Census reported that Placer County had a population of 348,432. The racial makeup of Placer County was 290,977 (83.5%) White , 4,751 (1.4%) African American , 3,011 (0.9%) Native American , 20,435 (5.9%) Asian , 778 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 13,375 (3.8%) from other races , and 15,105 (4.3%) from two or more races. There were 4,710 Hispanics or Latinos of any race (12.8%). As of

1140-685: The state or nation. Since the “ Reagan Revolution ” Placer County has become and remained a stronghold of the Republican Party ; it consistently elects Republican public officials and has voted for presidential candidates from the party in every election since 1980. In the United States House of Representatives , Placer County is within California's 3rd congressional district, represented by Kevin Kiley ( R – Rocklin ). In

1178-499: The unincorporated areas of the county plus by contract to the city of Colfax and the town of Loomis. In its early history Placer County was solidly Republican: it voted Republican in every election between 1860 and 1912, when Bull Moose nominee Theodore Roosevelt was California's official Republican nominee. Between 1916 and 1976, however, the county voted Republican only in three landslide elections of 1920 , 1952 and 1972 – in all of which its GOP margins were much smaller than for

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1216-479: The west, and South Lake Tahoe to the east, with a few stops in between. Placer County Transit provides weekday commuter service to/from Colfax Depot to/from Downtown Sacramento. Placer County, California Placer County ( / ˈ p l æ s ər / PLASS -ər ; Placer , Spanish for "sand deposit"), officially the County of Placer , is a county located in the U.S. state of California . As of

1254-534: The world during the California Gold Rush . In addition, many more thousands came to provide goods and services to the miners. On April 25, 1851, the fast-growing county was formed from parts of Sutter and Yuba Counties with Auburn as the county seat. Placer County took its name from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits containing gold. Miners washed away the gravel, leaving the heavier gold, in

1292-591: Was 1,394.7 inhabitants per square mile (538.5/km). The racial makeup of Colfax was 1,759 (89.6%) White , 4 (0.2%) African American , 26 (1.3%) Native American , 29 (1.5%) Asian , 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 54 (2.8%) from other races , and 89 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 178 persons (9.1%). The Census reported that 1,958 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 5 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 823 households, out of which 286 (34.8%) had children under

1330-513: Was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. There were 929 housing units at an average density of 660.1 per square mile (254.9/km), of which 386 (46.9%) were owner-occupied, and 437 (53.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%; 895 people (45.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,063 people (54.2%) lived in rental housing units. Amtrak ,

1368-407: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38. There were 505 families (61.4% of all households); the average family size was 2.98. The population was spread out, with 499 people (25.4%) under the age of 18, 159 people (8.1%) aged 18 to 24, 501 people (25.5%) aged 25 to 44, 580 people (29.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 224 people (11.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

1406-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. The median income for

1444-657: Was renamed Colfax after then Speaker of the House (and later Vice President ) Schuyler Colfax who visited the town in 1865 while inspecting progress of construction of the Central Pacific Railroad , the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad . The city was the southern terminus of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad from 1876 until the railroad's removal in 1942. Historic U.S. Route 40 also runs through

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