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Cisco, California facts for kids

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Cisco
Cisco is located in California
Cisco
Cisco
Location in California
Cisco is located in the United States
Cisco
Cisco
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  California
County Placer County
Elevation
5,938 ft (1,810 m)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total 0

Cisco (which used to be called Heaton Station) is a small, quiet place in Placer County, California. It's known as an "unincorporated community." This means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own city government. Instead, it's managed by the county.

Cisco is located right next to the Union Pacific Railroad. It's about half a mile (0.5 mi) south-southwest of a place called Cisco Grove. This area is quite high up, sitting at an elevation of 5,938 feet (1,810 meters) above sea level.

The post office in Cisco was open for many years, from 1866 until 1941. The name "Cisco" was chosen to honor John J. Cisco. He was an important person who handled the money for the Central Pacific Railroad.

A famous folk singer and songwriter, Cisco Houston, got his nickname from this very place in California. He later became good friends with and toured a lot with another well-known singer, Woody Guthrie.

Cisco, California, was also used as a fictional setting in the beginning and end of the 1971 movie Vanishing Point. However, the movie wasn't actually filmed in Cisco, California. The real filming location was in Cisco, Utah.

Today, there isn't much left of the original Cisco. It doesn't have any people living there anymore. Most of the people who used to live in Cisco have moved to nearby places like Cisco Grove and Kingvale.

A picture of the CPRR's Cisco Depot in late spring around 1868.
A similar view of the Cisco Depot during winter around 1869.

What is the Climate Like in Cisco?

The Cisco area has a climate that is called a "warm-summer Mediterranean climate." This means it has warm, but not super hot, and dry summers. The average monthly temperatures during summer don't go above 71.6°F (22°C).

Winters in Cisco are cold and snowy. The area gets a lot of snow, especially in December and January.

Climate data for Cisco, California (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 39.9
(4.4)
41.2
(5.1)
44.9
(7.2)
52.5
(11.4)
58.9
(14.9)
67.4
(19.7)
77.8
(25.4)
77.4
(25.2)
71.3
(21.8)
60.9
(16.1)
49.5
(9.7)
43.7
(6.5)
57.1
(13.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 17.6
(−8.0)
18.6
(−7.4)
21.1
(−6.1)
27.9
(−2.3)
33.3
(0.7)
41.8
(5.4)
49.2
(9.6)
47.0
(8.3)
41.9
(5.5)
35.0
(1.7)
26.0
(−3.3)
19.3
(−7.1)
31.6
(−0.3)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 14.1
(360)
7.8
(200)
7.5
(190)
6.2
(160)
2.1
(53)
1.7
(43)
0.3
(7.6)
0.8
(20)
0.9
(23)
5.2
(130)
10.7
(270)
14.2
(360)
71.5
(1,816.6)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 59.7
(152)
39.0
(99)
47.2
(120)
40.9
(104)
6.1
(15)
0.6
(1.5)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.9
(2.3)
3.0
(7.6)
25.9
(66)
65.5
(166)
288.8
(733.4)
Source: https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0747s</ref>
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