Kyburz, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kyburz
Unincorporated community
The town as seen heading eastbound on US-50. The sign references a well-known joke about small towns.
Kyburz along US-50 in a map of El Dorado County
Kyburz Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	El Dorado
Elevation	1,237 m (4,058 ft)
Population  (2000)
• Total	167
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95720
Area code(s)	530

Kyburz is a small, quiet community in El Dorado County, California. It's known as an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city does. Instead, it's managed by the county.

You can find Kyburz along the South Fork of the American River. It's also right on U.S. Route 50, a major highway. This little place is surrounded by the beautiful Eldorado National Forest. It sits high up, about 4,058 feet (1,237 meters) above sea level.

A Look Back in Time

The story of Kyburz began a bit west of its current spot. In 1860, a place called Webster’s Sugar Loaf House opened. It was a special stop for the Pony Express. The Pony Express was a super-fast mail service that used riders on horses. They carried mail across the country. The route they used followed where U.S. Route 50 is today.

The first post office in the area opened in 1861. It was called Slippery Ford. Later, in 1896, the name changed slightly to Slipperyford.

Webster's Station and Sugar Loaf Mountain, wagon in foreground

In 1911, the name changed again to Kyburz. This was done by the postmaster, Albert Kyburz. He named it to honor his father, Samuel Kyburz. Samuel was an early pioneer in California, working with John Sutter. By 1916, Kyburz was also a stop along the Lincoln Highway. This was one of the first roads that stretched all the way across America!

A famous ski racer named Spider Sabich grew up in Kyburz. His father worked for the California Highway Patrol and was stationed there. Spider and his younger brother Steve learned to ski at a place called Edelweiss ski area. This ski area closed in the 1960s and is now known as Camp Sacramento.

People of Kyburz

According to a count done in 2000, Kyburz had 167 people living there. However, a road sign on Highway 50 in 2008 said the population was 139.

In 2000, there were 86 males and 81 females. Most people were adults, with 131 residents aged 18 or older. The average age of people in Kyburz was about 45.5 years old.

Weather in Kyburz

Kyburz experiences different seasons throughout the year. Here's a look at the typical weather: