Placer County, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Placer County, California
County
Images from top, left to right: The Auburn Courthouse, a panorama of a forested area, Lake Tahoe in Tahoe Vista
Flag Seal
Location in the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
Regions	Sacramento Valley, Sierra Nevada
Metro area	Greater Sacramento
Incorporated	April 25, 1851
Named for	Placer mining, a reference to the area being a center of the California Gold Rush
County seat	Auburn
Largest city	Roseville
Government
• Type	Council–CEO
• Body	Board of Supervisors Bonnie Gore Shanti Landon Jim Holmes Suzanne Jones Cindy Gustafson
Area
• Total	1,502 sq mi (3,890 km2)
• Land	1,407 sq mi (3,640 km2)
• Water	95 sq mi (250 km2)
Highest elevation	9,044 ft (2,757 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	404,739
• Density	269.47/sq mi (104.04/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes	530, 916, 279
FIPS code	06-061
GNIS feature ID	277295
Congressional district	3rd

Gold specimen from the Eagle's Nest Mine, a source of specimen gold in Placer County

Placer County is a county in the state of California, USA. Its name (pronounced PLASS-ər) comes from a Spanish word meaning "sand deposit." As of 2020, about 404,739 people live here. The main city and county seat is Auburn.

Placer County is part of the larger Sacramento area. It sits in both the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains. This area is also known as the Gold Country. The county stretches about 65 miles (105 km) from the suburbs of Roseville all the way to the Nevada border and the beautiful Lake Tahoe.

What's in a Name? The Story of Placer

The name "Placer County" comes from the California Gold Rush. In 1848, gold was discovered, bringing thousands of miners to the area. These miners used a method called "placer mining." This is where they washed away sand and gravel to find the heavier gold left behind.

On April 25, 1851, Placer County was officially formed. It was created from parts of Sutter and Yuba Counties. Auburn became its county seat.

A Look Back: Placer County's History

Gold mining was very important in Placer County until the 1880s. After that, people started focusing on farming the rich soil. They also harvested timber and worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Auburn was settled in May 1848 when Claude Chana found gold in Auburn Ravine. It quickly became a place where gold camps could get supplies. The cornerstone of Placer's courthouse was laid on July 4, 1894. This building is still used today for courts and the sheriff's office. It also houses the Placer County Museum.

Roseville was once a small farming town. It grew into a major railroad hub after the Southern Pacific Railroad moved its switching yards there in 1908. Today, Roseville is the county's largest city.

Other towns like Loomis and Newcastle started as mining towns. But they soon became known for growing fruit. Penryn was founded by Griffith Griffith, who started a large granite quarry. Rocklin also began as a railroad town and had many granite quarries. Lincoln and Sheridan are still important for ranching and farming. Lincoln is also home to Gladding, McBean, a clay manufacturing plant that started in 1875.

In 1960, Squaw Valley in Placer County hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics. This was a big event for the area!

Exploring Placer County's Geography

Placer County covers about 1,502 square miles (3,890 km²). Most of this is land (1,407 sq mi or 3,644 km²), with some water (95 sq mi or 246 km²). Important rivers and creeks include the American River and Bunch Creek. A large part of Lake Tahoe (about 41%) is also within Placer County.

The county has three main areas:

• South Placer: This is in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada foothills south of Auburn. Most people live here. Roseville is the main center for jobs and shopping.
• Gold Country: This area includes the Sierra Foothills around Auburn, Colfax, and Foresthill.
• Sierra Nevada: This covers all areas east of Foresthill and northeast of Colfax, including the Lake Tahoe region.

Neighboring Counties

• Nevada County - north
• Washoe County, Nevada - northeast
• Carson City, Nevada - east
• Douglas County, Nevada - southeast
• El Dorado County - south
• Sacramento County - southwest
• Sutter County - west
• Yuba County - northwest

Protected Natural Areas

• Eldorado National Forest (part of it)
• Tahoe National Forest (part of it)

Placer County's People

In 2020, Placer County had a population of 404,739 people. Most residents (about 67.3%) were White. About 8.6% were Asian, and 6.3% were of two or more races. Around 15% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2000, there were 248,399 people living in the county. About 35.3% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.63 people. The median age was 38 years old. This means half the people were older than 38 and half were younger.

The median income for a household in 2000 was $57,535. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. Only about 5.8% of the population lived below the poverty line. Unemployment in the county is usually lower than the state average.

Placer County's Economy

Placer County has many different types of jobs. Here are some of the top employers:

mPOWER Placer: Helping the Environment

mPOWER Placer is a special program that helps property owners make their buildings more energy-efficient. It also helps them save water and use renewable energy. The program provides money to businesses, farms, and apartment buildings for these improvements. This helps the environment and saves money on energy bills!

Getting Around: Transportation

Major Roads

• Interstate 80
• State Route 28
• State Route 49
• State Route 65
• State Route 89
• State Route 174
• State Route 193
• State Route 267

Public Transport

• Placer County Transit offers bus service along the I-80 highway. It connects to the Sacramento light rail. It also has buses for people who commute to Downtown Sacramento.
• The cities of Auburn, Lincoln, and Roseville have their own local bus services. Roseville also has a bus for commuters to Sacramento.
• Gold Country Stage connects Auburn to Grass Valley.
• Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit runs buses in Truckee, Tahoe City, and along the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.
• For longer trips, you can use Greyhound buses or Amtrak trains.

Airports

Placer County has three airports for smaller planes:

• Lincoln Regional Airport
• Auburn Airport
• Truckee-Tahoe Airport

The closest airport for commercial flights (big passenger planes) is Sacramento International Airport.

Communities in Placer County

Cities

• Auburn (county seat)
• Colfax
• Lincoln
• Rocklin
• Roseville

Towns

• Loomis

Census-designated places (CDPs)

Other Communities

Ghost Town

• Iowa Hill

Community Populations (2020 Census)

† county seat

Schools in Placer County

Here are some of the school districts in Placer County:

Schools for all grades (K-12)

High Schools

• Twin Rivers Unified School District also covers a part of the county for grades 9-12.

Elementary Schools

Images for kids

• 

  The Auburn Courthouse

• 

  A panorama of a forested area

• 

  Lake Tahoe in Tahoe Vista

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Placer para niños