Nevada County, California Explained

Nevada County
Official Name:County of Nevada
Settlement Type:County
Motto:"We're Better Together"[1]
Image Map1:Map of California highlighting Nevada County.svg
Mapsize1:200px
Map Caption1:Location in the state of California
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:California
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Sierra Nevada
Subdivision Type3:Metropolitan area
Subdivision Name3:Greater Sacramento
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:April 25, 1851[2]
Named For:Nevada City, which is named after the Spanish word for "snow-covered"
Government Type:Council–CEO
Leader Title:Chair[3]
Leader Name:Susan Hoek
Leader Title1:Vice Chair[4]
Leader Name1:Ed Scofield
Leader Title2:Board of Supervisors[5]
Leader Title4:County executive officer
Leader Name4:Alison Lehman
Seat Type:County seat
Seat:Nevada City
Seat1 Type:Largest town
Seat1:Truckee
Unit Pref:US
Area Total Sq Mi:974
Area Land Sq Mi:958
Area Water Sq Mi:16
Elevation Max Footnotes:[6]
Elevation Max Ft:9152
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:102241
Population Density Sq Mi:auto
Timezone:Pacific Time Zone
Utc Offset:-8
Timezone Dst:Pacific Daylight Time
Utc Offset Dst:-7
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:530
Blank Name Sec1:FIPS code
Blank Info Sec1:06-057
Blank1 Name Sec1:GNIS feature ID

Nevada County is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, its population was 102,241.[7] The county seat is Nevada City.[8] Nevada County comprises the Truckee-Grass Valley micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Sacramento-Roseville combined statistical area, part of the Mother Lode Country.

History

Created in 1851, from portions of Yuba County, Nevada County was named after the mining town of Nevada City, a name derived from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The word nevada is Spanish for "snowy" or "snow-covered."[9] Charles Marsh was one of the first settlers in what became Nevada City, and is perhaps the one who named the town. He went on to build extensive water flumes/ditches/canals in the area, and was influential in the building of the first transcontinental railroad and the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad.[10]

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 1864. 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.

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, 58miles away.[11] 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 hydroelectric 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 uses video/broadcasting equipment designed and manufactured by Grass Valley Group, founded in Grass Valley.

The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, built in 1876, was the only railroad in the West that was never robbed, 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.

Nevada County is home to the Empire Mine State Historic Park, which is the site of one of the oldest, deepest, and richest gold mines in California. The park is in Grass Valley at 10791 East Empire Street. In operation for more than 100 years, the mine extracted 5.8 million ounces of gold before it closed in 1956.

In 1988, the 49er Fire was accidentally started near Highway 49 by a homeless local man who was suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia. The fire went on to burn well over 100 homes and more than 33,000 acres in Nevada County.[12]

The 2001 Nevada County shootings occurred on January 10, 2001, in which Scott Harlan Thorpe murdered three people in a shooting spree. Two of the victims were murdered in Nevada City and a third victim was killed in Grass Valley. Thorpe was arrested and declared not guilty by reason of insanity. He currently resides in Napa State Hospital.

Boundary dispute with Sierra County

Since the enactment of the statute in which the California State Legislature defined the common boundary between Nevada and Sierra Counties in 1874, no survey was conducted to determine where the straight line segment of the common boundary between the two counties ran. In particular, the statute, at the time codified as Section 3921 of the California Political Code, at the time stated:Since the line had never been surveyed and the legislature never defined where the "point east of the source of the South Fork of the Middle Yuba River" was, the location of the straight air line between the state line and this point was unknown. As such, both counties claimed that the point east of the source, which itself was also unknown, was located in different places. This created a situation where a strip of land averaging 1.22 miles in width and around 31.29 square miles were under dispute, with Sierra County claiming that Nevada County was encroaching on their jurisdiction when attempting to levy property taxes. The trial court, that of Plumas County, sided with Sierra County, declaring that the disputed area had always belonged to Sierra County since the legislature defined the boundary in dispute by referencing Public Land Survey System lines. It also determined that the source of South Fork of the Middle Yuba River was that of several springs in the Sierra Nevada, contrary to the artificial English Lake, which ceased to exist after the failure of its dam in 1883, which is where the source of said waterway was in the eyes of Nevada County. The California Supreme Court affirmed the trial courts decision on December 28, 1908.[13]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of (1.6%) are covered by water.[14] The county is drained by Middle and South Yuba Rivers.[15]

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.

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- and oak-dominated woodland types. Also, numerous understory forbs and wildflowers occur, including the yellow mariposa lily (Calochortus luteus).[16]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

Nevada County, California - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)!Race / Ethnicity!Pop 2010[17] !Pop 2020[18] !% 2010!% 2020
White alone (NH)85,47782,81086.55%80.99%
Black or African American alone (NH)3414160.35%0.41%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7936950.80%0.68%
Asian alone (NH)1,1241,3711.14%1.34%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)961190.10%0.12%
Some other race alone (NH)1226170.12%0.60%
Mixed/multiracial (NH)2,3725,7972.40%5.67%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)8,43910,4168.54%10.19%
Total98,764102,241100.00%100.00%
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010 Census

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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8,439 persons (8.5%).

2000

As of the census[29] of 2000, 92,033 people, 36,894 households, and 25,936 families resided in the county. The population density was 96sp=usNaNsp=us. The 44,282 housing units had an average density of 46/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 0.3% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. About 5.7% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Regarding ancestry,16.4% were German, 16.3% English, 11.1% Irish, 6.8% Italian, and 6.6% American, according to Census 2000; 94.0% spoke English and 4.2% Spanish as their first language.

Of the 36,894 households, 28.7% had children under 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 not families. About 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the age distribution was 23.1% under 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 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,864, and 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

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Nevada County has 78,736 registered voters. Of those, 24,677 (36%) are registered Democrats, 22,252 (32.3%) are registered Republicans, 9,426 (13.76%) are registered to another party, and 7,845 (11.5%) have declined to state a political party.[32] 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, only for Hillary Clinton to win it back in 2016 over Donald Trump. Joe Biden won the county in 2020 with the largest share of votes for a presidential candidate in recent elections, continuing its Democratic shift.

Nevada County is located in California's 3rd congressional district represented by

In the state legislature, Nevada County is in and in the State Senate, the county is in .

On November 4, 2008, Nevada County voted for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages by three votes, the narrowest margin of any county in the state.[33]

Crime

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

Cities by population and crime rates

Transportation

Major highways

Public transportation

Gold Country Lift 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.

Alta Sierra Airport is a private-aviation airport located south of Grass Valley.

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Nevada County.[37]

county seat

RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation (2010 Census)
1Truckee Town16,180
2Grass Valley City12,860
3Alta Sierra CDP6,911
4Lake Wildwood CDP4,991
5Lake of the Pines CDP3,917
6 Nevada City City3,068
7Penn Valley CDP1,621
8Rough and Ready CDP963
9North San Juan CDP269
10Washington CDP185
11Kingvale (partially in Placer County) CDP143
12Soda Springs CDP81
13Floriston CDP73
14Graniteville CDP11

Notable residents

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: District IV News; Nevada County, CA. www.nevadacountyca.gov.
  2. February 4, 2015.
  3. Web site: Supervisor District 4 | Nevada County, CA .
  4. Web site: Supervisor District 2 | Nevada County, CA .
  5. Web site: Board of Supervisors | Nevada County, CA. www.nevadacountyca.gov.
  6. Web site: Mount Lola . Peakbagger.com . February 4, 2015.
  7. Web site: Nevada County, California. United States Census Bureau. January 30, 2022.
  8. Web site: Find a County. June 7, 2011. National Association of Counties.
  9. Web site: Nevada County History . US Gen Web Project in California. October 1, 2008.
  10. Comstock, David Allan. "Charles Marsh: Our Neglected Pioneer-Genius," Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin, pp. 9, 10, 14-16, Volume 50, No. 2, April 1996.
  11. Web site: Nevada. California State Parks, State of. California. CA State Parks.
  12. News: Kellar . Liz . September 11, 2018 . Nevada County's 49er Fire proved a harbinger of fire seasons to come . The Union . November 27, 2022.
  13. County of Sierra v. County of Nevada . 155 . Cal. . 1, 12 . . December 28, 1908 . https://casetext.com/case/county-of-sierra-v-county-of-nevada.
  14. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. September 28, 2015. August 22, 2012.
  15. Nevada (county). Nevada. II. A N. E. county of California.
  16. C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Yellow Mariposa Lily: Calochortus luteus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
  17. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Nevada County, California. United States Census Bureau.
  18. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Nevada County, California. United States Census Bureau.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  21. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  23. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  24. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  25. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  26. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  27. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  28. Data unavailable
  29. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. May 14, 2011.
  30. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 – Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  31. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  32. https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/ror-odd-year-2019/county.pdf CA Secretary of State – Report of Registration – February 10, 2019
  33. https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2008-general/ssov/10-ballot-measures-statewide-summary-by-county.pdf
  34. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  35. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  36. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  37. Web site: This site has been redesigned and relocated. - U.S. Census Bureau. US Census Bureau. CNMP. www.census.gov.
  38. Web site: Lyman Gilmore: an aviation pioneer that history almost forgot. The Union. January 19, 2016. Grass Valley, CA. Renda. Matthew. April 25, 2014.
  39. Web site: "Alice Maud Hartley," Online Nevada, undated.
  40. Web site: The $700 billion man. Laura. Blumenfeld. December 6, 2009. www.washingtonpost.com.