Placer County, California

Placer County (/ˈplæsər/ PLASS-ərr), officially the County of Placer, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 348,432.[3] The county seat is Auburn.[5]

Placer County, California
County
County of Placer
Images from top, left to right: The Auburn Courthouse, a panorama of a forested area, Lake Tahoe in Kings Beach
Flag
Seal
Location in the State of California
The location of California in the contiguous United States
Coordinates: 39.06°N 120.73°W / 39.06; -120.73
Country United States
State California
RegionsSacramento Valley, Sierra Nevada
Metro areaGreater Sacramento
IncorporatedApril 25, 1851[1]
Named forPlacer mining, a reference to the area being a center of the California Gold Rush
County seatAuburn
Largest cityRoseville
Area
 • Total1,502 sq mi (3,890 km2)
 • Land1,407 sq mi (3,640 km2)
 • Water95 sq mi (250 km2)
Highest elevation9,044 ft (2,757 m)
Population
 • Total348,432
 • Estimate 
(2019)[4]
398,329
 • Density230/sq mi (90/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes530, 916, 279
FIPS code06-061
GNIS feature ID277295
Websitewww.placer.ca.gov
Gold specimen from the Eagle's Nest Mine, a source of specimen gold in Placer County

Placer County is included in the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. It is in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions, in what is known as the Gold Country. The county stretches roughly 65 miles from Sacramento's suburbs at Roseville to the Nevada border and the shore of Lake Tahoe.

Etymology

The discovery of gold in 1848 brought tens of thousands of miners from around the world during the California Gold Rush. In addition, many more thousands came to provide goods and services to the miners. Only three years after the discovery of gold, the fast-growing county was formed from portions of Sutter and Yuba counties on April 25, 1851, with Auburn as the county seat. Placer County took its name from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits containing gold. Miners washed away the gravel, leaving the heavier gold, in a process known as "placer mining".

History

Gold mining was a major industry through the 1880s, but gradually the new residents turned to farming the fertile foothill soil, harvesting timber and working for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Auburn was settled when Claude Chana discovered gold in Auburn Ravine in May 1848 and later became a shipping and supply center for the surrounding gold camps. The cornerstone of Placer's beautiful and historic courthouse, which is clearly visible from Interstate 80 through Auburn, was laid on July 4, 1894. The building itself was renovated during the late 1980s and continues to serve the public today with courtrooms, a historic sheriff's office and the Placer County Museum. Roseville, once a small agricultural center, became a major railroad center and grew to the county's most populous city after Southern Pacific Railroad moved its railroad switching yards there in 1908.

Loomis and Newcastle began as mining towns, but soon became centers of a booming fruit-growing industry, supporting many local packing houses. Penryn was founded by a Welsh miner, Griffith Griffith, who turned from mining to establish a large granite quarry. Rocklin began as a railroad town and became home to a number of granite quarries. Lincoln and Sheridan continue to support ranching and farming. Lincoln also is the home of one of the county's oldest businesses, the Gladding, McBean terra cotta clay manufacturing plant established in 1875.

The 1960 Winter Olympics were hosted in Squaw Valley, which is located in Placer County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,502 square miles (3,890 km2), of which 1,407 square miles (3,640 km2) is land and 95 square miles (250 km2) (6.4%) is water.[6] Watercourses in Placer County include the American River and Bunch Creek. Lake Tahoe has 40.96% of its surface area in Placer County, more than in any of the four other counties in which it lies.[7]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
186013,270—
187011,357−14.4%
188014,23225.3%
189015,1016.1%
190015,7864.5%
191018,23715.5%
192018,5841.9%
193024,46831.7%
194028,10814.9%
195041,64948.2%
196056,99836.9%
197077,30635.6%
1980117,24751.7%
1990172,79647.4%
2000248,39943.8%
2010348,43240.3%
2019 (est.)398,329[4]14.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
1790–1960[17] 1900–1990[18]
1990–2000[19] 2010–2015[3]

The 2010 United States Census reported that Placer County had a population of 348,432. The racial makeup of Placer County was 290,977 (83.5%) White, 4,751 (1.4%) African American, 3,011 (0.9%) Native American, 20,435 (5.9%) Asian, 778 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 13,375 (3.8%) from other races, and 15,105 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44,710 persons (12.8%).[20]

2000

As of the census[21] of 2000, there were 248,399 people, 93,382 households, and 67,701 families residing in the county. The population density was 177 people per square mile (68/km2). There were 107,302 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile (30/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.6% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. 9.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.5% were of German, 12.3% English, 10.6% Irish, 7.1% Italian and 7.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 89.7% spoke only English at home; 6.0% spoke Spanish.

There were 93,382 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,535, and the median income for a family was $65,858 (these figures had risen to $68,463 and $80,987 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[22]). Males had a median income of $50,410 versus $33,763 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,963. About 3.9% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over. Unemployment in the county is just under 7% which is considerably lower than the state's average.

Politics, government, and policing

Government

County government is by a five-person four-year term elected board of supervisors with a board-appointed county manager and his/her department administrators.

Law enforcement

The Placer County Sheriff's Office provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for all of Placer County. It provides patrol, detective, and other police services for the unincorporated areas of the county plus by contract to the city of Colfax and the town of Loomis.

Voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

In its early history Placer County was solidly Republican: it voted Republican in every election between 1860 and 1912, when Bull Moose nominee Theodore Roosevelt was California's official Republican nominee.[24] Between 1916 and 1976, however, the county voted Republican only in three landslide elections of 1920, 1952 and 1972 – in all of which its GOP margins were much smaller than for the state or nation. Since the “Reagan Revolution” Placer County has become and remained a stronghold of the Republican Party; it consistently elects Republican public officials and has voted for presidential candidates from the party in every election since 1980.

Presidential elections results
Placer County vote
by party in presidential elections[25]
Year GOP DEM Others
2020 52.1% 122,488 45.5% 106,869 2.4% 5,727
2016 52.0% 95,138 40.2% 73,509 9.3% 17,377
2012 58.2% 99,921 38.9% 66,818 2.9% 4,972
2008 54.5% 94,647 43.2% 75,112 2.3% 4,053
2004 62.6% 95,969 36.3% 55,573 1.1% 1,736
2000 59.3% 69,835 36.0% 42,449 4.7% 5,515
1996 52.8% 49,808 37.1% 34,981 10.2% 9,638
1992 41.9% 38,298 33.7% 30,783 24.4% 22,285
1988 59.6% 42,096 39.0% 27,516 1.5% 1,030
1984 62.9% 38,035 35.2% 21,294 1.8% 1,098
1980 54.8% 28,179 33.7% 17,311 11.6% 5,950
1976 45.0% 18,154 52.2% 21,026 2.8% 1,131
1972 50.3% 18,597 45.8% 16,911 3.9% 1,437
1968 42.6% 12,427 48.2% 14,050 9.2% 2,667
1964 33.9% 9,389 66.0% 18,256 0.1% 31
1960 43.8% 10,439 55.8% 13,304 0.5% 120
1956 45.9% 9,059 53.8% 10,611 0.4% 69
1952 50.6% 9,841 48.6% 9,444 0.9% 168
1948 36.9% 5,570 58.5% 8,837 4.7% 702
1944 36.8% 4,196 62.7% 7,149 0.6% 64
1940 31.3% 3,887 67.6% 8,402 1.2% 147
1936 22.3% 2,321 76.6% 7,959 1.0% 108
1932 25.8% 2,242 71.4% 6,200 2.8% 241
1928 49.3% 3,669 49.5% 3,685 1.3% 96
1924 36.6% 2,192 6.5% 390 56.9% 3,402
1920 59.4% 2,894 32.0% 1,559 8.5% 416
1916 33.7% 1,954 58.3% 3,375 8.0% 462
1912 0.3% 15 41.8% 1,823 57.8% 2,519
1908 51.5% 1,865 41.1% 1,491 7.4% 269
1904 62.6% 2,050 31.3% 1,023 6.1% 201
1900 54.6% 2,009 43.3% 1,592 2.1% 76
1896 51.4% 1,890 46.8% 1,721 1.8% 65
1892 49.3% 1,743 43.1% 1,524 7.7% 271
1888 52.4% 1,761 46.0% 1,547 1.6% 56
1884 52.9% 1,749 44.8% 1,483 2.3% 75
1880 52.7% 1,643 45.4% 1,416 1.9% 58

In the United States House of Representatives, Placer County is split between California's 1st and 4th congressional districts,[26] represented by Doug LaMalfa (R–Richvale) and Tom McClintock (R–Elk Grove), respectively.[27]

In the California State Senate, Placer County is split between the 1st and 4th districts,[28] represented by Brian Dahle and Jim Nielsen, respectively.

In the California State Assembly, the county is split between the 1st, 5th, and 6th districts,[29] represented by Megan Dahle, Frank Bigelow, and Kevin Kiley, respectively.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Economy

Top employers

According to the county's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[33] the top employers in the county are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Kaiser Permanente 3,064
2 Hewlett-Packard 2,500
3 Placer County 2,400
4 Union Pacific Railroad 2,000
5 Sutter Health 1,983
6 Northstar at Tahoe 1,500
7 Thunder Valley Casino Resort 1,412
8 City of Roseville 1,282
9 PRIDE Industries 1,135
10 Raley's Supermarkets 1,006

mPOWER Placer

mPOWER Placer is Placer County's Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. It provides financing to commercial, industrial, agricultural and multifamily property owners to install energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy retrofits. The program, administered by the Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office, was approved by the Board of Supervisors on February 9, 2010, and launched on March 22, 2010, and is open to eligible Placer County property owners.

Transportation
See also: Transportation in the Sacramento metropolitan area

Major highways

Public transportation

Airports

There are three general aviation airports in Placer County:

The closest commercial airport is Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other communities

Ghost town

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Placer County.[34]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Roseville City 118,788
2 Rocklin City 56,974
3 Lincoln City 42,819
4 Granite Bay CDP 20,402
5 † Auburn City 13,330
6 North Auburn CDP 13,022
7 Loomis Town 6,430
8 Kings Beach CDP 3,796
9 Meadow Vista CDP 3,217
10 Colfax City 1,963
11 Sunnyside-Tahoe City CDP 1,557
12 Foresthill CDP 1,483
13 Tahoe Vista CDP 1,433
14 Sheridan CDP 1,238
15 Newcastle CDP 1,224
16 Dollar Point CDP 1,215
17 Tahoma (partially in El Dorado County) CDP 1,191
18 Penryn CDP 831
19 Alta CDP 610
20 Carnelian Bay CDP 524
21 Dutch Flat CDP 160
22 Kingvale (mostly in Nevada County) CDP 143
23 Auburn Rancheria[35] AIAN 0

See also

Notes
  1. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  2. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
  3. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.

References
  1. "Placer County". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  2. "Mount Baldy-West Ridge". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  3. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  4. "American FactFinder". Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  7. Bureau, U.S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  8. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  9. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  10. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  12. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  13. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  14. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  15. Data unavailable
  16. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  17. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  18. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  19. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  20. "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
  21. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  22. "Placer County, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  23. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  24. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 153-156 ISBN 0786422173
  25. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  26. "Counties by County and by District". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  27. "California's 4th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  28. "Communities of Interest — County". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  29. "Communities of Interest — County". California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  30. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  31. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  32. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  33. County of Placer CAFR
  34. CNMP, US Census Bureau. "This site has been redesigned and relocated. - U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov.
  35. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "2010 Census Interactive Population Map (Text Version) - U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov.
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