Nevada County, California

Nevada County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 102,241.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Nevada City.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> 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

File:Martis Creek Lake and Dam summer.jpg

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

File:Martis Creek Lake and Dam winter.jpg

Martis Creek Lake and Dam in Nevada County: This picture was 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 Sierra Nevada Mountains. The word nevada is Spanish for "snowy" or "snow-covered".<ref name="urlNevada County History">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>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.</ref>

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.

File:Gold-270445.jpg

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, Template:Convert away.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref>

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: Template:Quote 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 of Plumas County, sided with Sierra County, declaring that the disputed area had always belonged to Sierra, 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 was that of several springs in the Sierra Nevada, rather than the artificial English Lake, which ceased to exist after the failure of its dam in 1883, which is where the source of the South Fork was in the eyes of Nevada County. The California Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's decision on December 28, 1908.<ref>Template:Cite court</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of Template:Convert (1.6%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is drained by Middle and South Yuba Rivers.<ref>Template:Cite AmCyc</ref>

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).<ref>C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Yellow Mariposa Lily: Calochortus luteus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Template:Webarchive</ref>

Adjacent counties

• Sierra County - north
• Washoe County, Nevada - east
• Placer County - south
• Yuba County - west

National protected areas

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

Demographics

2020 census

Nevada County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	83,098	85,477	82,810	90.29%	86.55%	80.99%
Black or African American alone (NH)	234	341	416	0.25%	0.35%	0.41%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	663	793	695	0.72%	0.80%	0.68%
Asian alone (NH)	702	1,124	1,371	0.76%	1.14%	1.34%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	70	96	119	0.08%	0.10%	0.12%
Other race alone (NH)	175	122	617	0.19%	0.12%	0.60%
Mixed race or Multi-racial (NH)	1,890	2,372	5,797	2.05%	2.40%	5.67%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5,201	8,439	10,416	5.65%	8.54%	10.19%
Total	92,033	98,764	102,241	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>	98,392
White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	90,896	92.4%
Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	522	0.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	1,184	1.2%
Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	1,370	1.4%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	188	0.2%
Some other race<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	1,785	1.8%
Two or more races<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	2,447	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.</ref>	8,185	8.3%
Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$31,607
Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$58,077
Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	$69,807

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type<ref name="US-CB">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	White<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Other<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="other" group=note>Other = Some other race + Two or more races</ref>	Asian<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Black or African American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Native American<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/> <ref name="na" group=note>Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native</ref>	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)<ref name="US-CB-B03003"/>
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<ref name="US-CB"/>	Population<ref name="US-CB-B01003">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>	Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301"/>	Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013"/>	Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113"/>
Alta Sierra	CDP	6,888	$36,287	$69,539	$74,926
Floriston	CDP	35	$38,829	$97,639	$97,639
Graniteville	CDP	0	<ref name="ND">Data unavailable</ref>	<ref name="ND"/>	<ref name="ND"/>
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	<ref name="ND"/>
Truckee	Town	16,009	$32,526	$68,173	$76,031
Washington	CDP	19	<ref name="ND"/>	<ref name="ND"/>	<ref name="ND"/>
‡ Data for Nevada County area of this CDP

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%).<ref>Template:USCensus2010CA</ref>

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center
Nevada County	98,764	90,233	389	1,044	1,187	110	2,678	3,123	8,439
Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center
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
Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center
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
Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center	Template:Center
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<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 92,033 people, 36,894 households, and 25,936 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 44,282 housing units had an average density of Template:Convert. 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

Population and registered voters
Total population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	98,392
Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS">California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 – Report of Registration Template:Webarchive. Retrieved October 31, 2013.</ref><ref name="PCT-RV" group=note>Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.</ref>	61,557	62.6%
Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>	20,298	33.0%
Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>	23,315	37.9%
Democratic–Republican spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>	-3,017	-4.9%
American Independent<ref name="CA-SS"/>	2,208	3.6%
Green<ref name="CA-SS"/>	1,421	2.3%
Libertarian<ref name="CA-SS"/>	585	1.0%
Peace and Freedom<ref name="CA-SS"/>	140	0.2%
Americans Elect<ref name="CA-SS"/>	1	0.0%
Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>	140	0.2%
No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>	13,449	21.8%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	Registered voters<ref name="CA-SS"/> <ref name="PCT-RV" group=note/>	Democratic<ref name="CA-SS"/>	Republican<ref name="CA-SS"/>	D–R spread<ref name="CA-SS"/>	Other<ref name="CA-SS"/>	No party preference<ref name="CA-SS"/>
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%
Unincorporated Nevada County	66,509	67.0%	30.6%	41.8%	-11.2%	5.8%	20.3%

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.<ref>CA Secretary of State – Report of Registration – February 10, 2019</ref> 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. Kamala Harris won the county in 2024, though with a slightly smaller percentage of the vote compared to Biden.

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

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

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 (2009)
Population<ref name="US-CB-B02001"/>	98,392
Violent crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11">Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>	289	2.94
Homicide<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	1	0.01
Forcible rape<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	36	0.37
Robbery<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	17	0.17
Aggravated assault<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	235	2.39
Property crime<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	838	8.52
Burglary<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	366	3.72
Larceny-theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/><ref name="LT-note group=note">Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.</ref>	993	10.09
Motor vehicle theft<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	100	1.02
Arson<ref name="CA-DOJ-T11"/>	11	0.11

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013.</ref>	Violent crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>	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

• File:I-80 (CA).svg Interstate 80
• File:California 20.svg State Route 20
• File:California 49.svg State Route 49
• File:California 89.svg State Route 89
• File:California 174.svg State Route 174
• File:California 267.svg State Route 267

Public transportation

• Nevada County Connects, operated by Nevada County, runs fixed route 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 buses and Amtrak's California Zephyr stop in Truckee.
• YubaBus offers Charter and Shuttle Bus service in and around Western Nevada County.

Nevada County Now 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

• Grass Valley
• Nevada City (county seat)

Town

• Truckee

Census-designated places

• Alta Sierra
• Floriston
• Graniteville
• Kingvale
• Lake of the Pines
• Lake Wildwood
• North San Juan
• Penn Valley
• Rough and Ready
• Soda Springs
• Washington

Other unincorporated communities

• Anthony House – Nisenan Indian territory
• Birchville
• Blue Tent
• Boca
• Boreal
• Cedar Ridge
• Cherokee Township
• Chicago Park
• French Corral
• Lake City
• Malakoff Diggings
• Moores Flat
• Nevada City Rancheria – Nisenan Indian government settlement area
• Norden
• North Bloomfield
• North Columbia
• Ophir Hill
• Peardale
• Ready Springs
• Sunset District
• Sweetland
• You Bet
• Wolf

Ghost town

• Meadow Lake (previously: Excelsior; Summit City)

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Nevada County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Truckee	Town	16,180
2	Grass Valley	City	12,860
3	Alta Sierra	CDP	6,911
4	Lake Wildwood	CDP	4,991
5	Lake of the Pines	CDP	3,917
6	† Nevada City	City	3,068
7	Penn Valley	CDP	1,621
8	Rough and Ready	CDP	963
9	North San Juan	CDP	269
10	Washington	CDP	185
11	Kingvale (partially in Placer County)	CDP	143
12	Soda Springs	CDP	81
13	Floriston	CDP	73
14	Graniteville	CDP	11

Notable residents

• Jennie Carter, 19th Century writer and journalist
• Molly Fisk, inaugural Nevada County Poet Laureate
• Lyman Gilmore, a contemporary of the Wright Brothers who 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, though this claim is doubted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Alice Maud Hartley, killed Nevada State Senator Murray D. Foley by gunshot in 1894<ref name=OnlineNevada>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Charles Litton Sr., a resident and entrepreneur of Nevada County who 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
• Gertrude Penhall (1846–1929), civic leader, clubwoman, early settler
• 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 and first man to break the sound barrier
• John Christopher Stevens, American career diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from May 22, 2012, to September 11, 2012. Stevens was killed when the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked in 2012 by radical Islamic terrorists. He was born in Grass Valley and is buried in the local cemetery. A memorial to him was created in Grass Valley's downtown area.
• Joanna Newsom, an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth, and began her musical career as a keyboardist in the San Francisco-based indie band The Pleased.

See also

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

References

• Template:Cite journal

Further reading

• 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.

External links

• Template:Official website
• visitor guide