Nevada County, California
Nevada County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California, in the Mother Lode country. As of 2000 its population was 92,033. The county seat is Nevada City.
History
Nevada County was created in 1851 from parts of Yuba County.The county was named after the mining town of Nevada City, a name derived from the term 'Sierra Nevada.' The word nevada in Spanish means 'snowy' or 'snowcovered.'Nevada City was the first to use the word 'Nevada' as its name. In 1851 the newly formed Nevada County mimicked the name. The State of Nevada used the name 10 years later 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 the year of 1865. It operates to this day and once hosted Mark Twain among other historical figures. The old 5-mile (8.0 km) 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, 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. Electronic medical dosing equipment was first developed and manufactured in Nevada County.[citation needed] The first commercially viable picture-phone was developed in Nevada City.[citation needed] More than fifty high tech and applied tech companies, and more than one thousand hardware and software design and development professionals call Nevada County home. The county is sometimes referred to as the 'Silicon Valley of the Sierras.' The arcade video game was born in Nevada County, with Pong.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 (U.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 and ecology
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 974 square miles (2,524 km²), of which 958 square miles (2,480 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (1.73%) is water.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.
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)
Cities over 10,000 population
Grass Valley
Cities under 10,000 population
Nevada City(County Seat)
Towns over 10,000 population
Truckee
Towns under 10,000 population
Alta Sierra - a subdivision
Birchville
Boreal
Cedar Ridge
Chicago Park
French Corral
Floriston
Graniteville
Kingvale
Lake Wildwood - a gated subdivision
Lake of the Pines - a gated subdivision
Norden
North Bloomfield
North Columbia
North San Juan
Ophir Hill
Peardale
Penn Valley
Pleasant Valley
Rough abd Ready
Spenceville
Soda Springs
Sweetland
Washington
Adjacent counties
Placer County, California- south
Yuba County, California- west
Sierra County, California- north
Washoe County, Nevada- east
Nevada County is one of four US counties to border the state with whom it shares its name (the others are Texas County, Oklahoma, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Ohio County, West Virginia).
Major highways
Interstate 80
State Route 20
State Route 49
State Route 89
State Route 174
Public Transportation
Gold Country Stageruns bus service in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Cedar Ridge and Colfax. 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.
GreyhoundandAmtrakstop in Truckee and Colfax.
Airports
Nevada County Air Park is a general aviation airport located just east of Grass Valley.
Demographics
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 93.39% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races. 5.65% 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
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.Nevada County is part of California's 4th congressional district, which is held by Republican Tom McClintock. In the state legislature, Nevada County is represented by Sam Aanestad (Rep) of the 4th Senate District and Dave Cox (Rep) of the 1st Senate District. Dan Logue (Rep) holds the seat for the 3rd Assembly District.On November 4, 2008 Nevada County voted for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages, by 3 votes.
Famous 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.Charles Litton Sr., a resident and entrepreneur of Nevada County, assisted Raytheon in the development of the magnetron tube.Controversial National Football League star Ricky Williams lives in the county.The former actor and television announcer Edwin W. Reimers resided in Nevada City at the time of his death in 1986.Former Troubled Assets Relief Program head Neel Kashkari lives in the county as part of his 'Washington detox.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wyckoff, R. M. (1962).Hydraulicking: a brief history of hydraulic mining in Nevada County, California. Nevada City, Calif: Osborn/Woods.
True, G. H. (1973).The ferns and seed plants of Nevada County, California. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences.
Foley, D., Kelly, L., & Book, S. (1975).The Maidu Indians of Nevada County, California.
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.
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., & 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.
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.