Placer County, California

Placer County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Placer is probably a contraction of the words plaza de oro (the place of gold) and in Spanish means "a place near a river where gold is found." The county derived its name from the numerous places where the method of extracting gold from the earth, called placer mining, was practiced.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Placer County was created from parts of Sutter and Yuba Counties in 1851. The county seat is Auburn

"Placer" Origin: 1835–45, Americanism; < AmerSp; Sp: sandbank < Catalan placel, deriv. of plaza open place])Pronounced "plasser"The county derived its name from the numerous places where the placer mining method of extracting gold was practiced.

Placer County was home to the peaceful Nisenan Native Americans for hundreds of years before the discovery of gold in 1848 brought hordes of miners from around the world.

Only three years after the discovery of gold, the fast-growing county was formed from portions of Sutter and Yuba counties on April 25, 1851 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 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 later became a shipping and supply center for the surrounding gold camps.

The cornerstone of Placer's beautiful and historic courthouse, which is clearly visible from Interstate 80 through Auburn, was laid on July 4, 1894. The building itself was renovated during the late 1980s and continues to serve the public today with courtrooms, a historic 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 a booming fruit-growing industry, supporting many local packing houses.

Penryn was founded by a Welsh miner, Griffith Griffith, who turned from mining to establish a large granite quarry.

Rocklin began as a railroad town and became home to a number of granite quarries. Rapidly growing Rocklin now vies with Roseville for the honor of being Placer's largest city.

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.

Foresthill was a lively gold mining town for many years, but gradually the timber industry grew, and was until recently the major employer. Recreation is now the major industry in this area of sparkling reservoirs, pristine trails, and ample camping facilities.

Colfax began life as railroad construction camp in 1865. The following year gold was discovered. The Rising Sun, Montana and Meda mines were rich gold producers.

Weimar was established as the timbering center of New England Mills and later became the home of the Weimar Institute, a regional tuberculosis sanitarium. When a cure for TB was discovered, the medical center closed, and is now a health and nutrition center.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1503 square miles (3892 km²), of which, 1404 square miles (3637 km²) of it is land and 98 square miles (255 km²) of it (6.55%) is water. Watercourses in Placer County include the American River and Bunch Creek.

Neighboring Counties:

• North: Nevada County
• Northeast: Washoe County, Nev.
• Southeast: El Dorado County
• Southwest: Sacramento County
• West: Sutter County
• Northwest: Yuba County

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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