Rocklin, California | |
|---|---|
 Amtrak station and Chamber of Commerce, Rocklin | |
| Motto: "A Family Community"[1] | |
 Location inPlacer County and the state ofCalifornia | |
  Rocklin, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:38°48′0″N121°14′48″W / 38.80000°N 121.24667°W /38.80000; -121.24667 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Placer |
| Incorporated | February 24, 1893[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager system |
| • Mayor | Jill Gayaldo |
| • State Senate | Roger Niello (R)[3] |
| • State Assembly | Joe Patterson (R)[3] |
| • U. S. Congress | Kevin Kiley (R)[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.83 sq mi (51.36 km2) |
| • Land | 19.81 sq mi (51.31 km2) |
| • Water | 0.023 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 249 ft (76 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 71,601 |
| • Density | 3,614/sq mi (1,395/km2) |
| Demonym | Rocklinite |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 95677, 95765 |
| Area codes | 916, 279 |
| FIPS code | 06-62364 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0277586 |
| Website | www |
Rocklin is a city inPlacer County, California, United States, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast ofSacramento and about 6.1 miles (9.8 km) northeast ofRoseville in theSacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it bordersGranite Bay,Loomis, andLincoln. As of the2020 census, Rocklin's population was 71,601.[6]
Before theCalifornia Gold Rush, theNisenanMaidu occupied both permanent villages and temporary summer shelters along the rivers and streams that miners sifted, sluiced, dredged, and dammed to remove thegold.[7] ExplorerJedediah Smith and a large party of American fur trappers crossed the Sacramento Valley in April 1827. The group saw many Maidu villages along the river banks.[7] Deprived of traditional foodstuffs, homesites, and hunting grounds by the emigrants, the Nisenan were among the earliest California Indian tribes to disappear.[7]
During the 1850s, miners sluiced streams and rivers, includingSecret Ravine, which runs through Rocklin. The piles of dredger tailings are still obvious today, between Roseville and Loomis southeast ofInterstate 80.[8] Secret Ravine, at the area now at the intersection of Ruhkala Road and Pacific Street, was later mined for granite, some of which was used as the base course of the California Capitol Building; the earliest recorded use of the rock was for Fort Mason atSan Francisco in 1855.[9] The granite was hauled out by oxcarts before the arrival of the railroad many years later.[9]
In 1860, the U.S. Census counted 440 residents in the area of Secret Ravine, of whom about 16% had been born inIreland and the majority of whom worked as miners.[10] The area was called Secret Ravine or the "granite quarries at the end of the tracks" as late as 1864.[10]
Rocklin's history is closely tied to thetranscontinental railroad. In 1862, thePacific Railroad Act granted theCentral Pacific Railroad land near Secret Ravine.[10] In 1864, theCentral Pacific Railroad completed an extension of its track southwest fromNewcastle to Secret Ravine. It named the area Rocklin after its granite quarry and used the site as a refueling andwater stop. The Central Pacific built aroundhouse in 1867.[11] The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, significantly increasing railroad traffic through the town. According to the 1870 census, Rocklin had 542 residents,[12] and the majority of Irish immigrants had forgone mining and were working for the railroad.[10] In 1908, the Central Pacific moved its facility from Rocklin toRoseville, where more land was available for expansion.[11] The Roseville site has remained in continuous use since. As of 2014, it was the largest rail facility near the U.S. West Coast.[13]
In 1869, a group of laid-offChinese railroad workers moved to Secret Ravine to mine and raise vegetables, which they sold locally. The Chinese were violently driven out in 1876 after a group of them were accused of murdering three people near Rocklin.[14] The area was still known as China Gardens as of 1974.[9]
The Rocklin post office opened in 1868.[15] Finnish immigrants settled in Rocklin starting in the 1870s, and Spanish settlers arriving by way ofHawaii settled in Rocklin in the early 20th century.[10] The townincorporated in 1893.[15]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 19.8 square miles (51 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.052 km2), or 0.11%, is water.[5]
Rocklin has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsa), characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Summers are hot, with an average July high of 94 °F (34 °C), and mostly rainless. Winters are cool, with a December average of 47 °F (8 °C), and see plenty of rain. Rocklin very rarely sees snow accumulation. The degree ofdiurnal temperature variation varies greatly depending on time of year. It ranges from only 14 °F in January to 33 °F in July.
| Climate data for Rocklin, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) | 82 (28) | 90 (32) | 97 (36) | 107 (42) | 115 (46) | 115 (46) | 118 (48) | 114 (46) | 105 (41) | 88 (31) | 80 (27) | 118 (48) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 53.7 (12.1) | 59.3 (15.2) | 64.5 (18.1) | 71.2 (21.8) | 79.8 (26.6) | 89.0 (31.7) | 96.5 (35.8) | 95.0 (35.0) | 89.2 (31.8) | 78.5 (25.8) | 65.4 (18.6) | 54.7 (12.6) | 74.7 (23.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 44.3 (6.8) | 48.4 (9.1) | 52.2 (11.2) | 57.3 (14.1) | 64.1 (17.8) | 71.3 (21.8) | 77.2 (25.1) | 75.6 (24.2) | 70.9 (21.6) | 62.4 (16.9) | 52.0 (11.1) | 44.9 (7.2) | 60.1 (15.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.9 (1.6) | 37.6 (3.1) | 39.9 (4.4) | 43.4 (6.3) | 48.3 (9.1) | 53.7 (12.1) | 57.9 (14.4) | 56.2 (13.4) | 52.6 (11.4) | 46.2 (7.9) | 38.7 (3.7) | 34.9 (1.6) | 45.4 (7.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 14 (−10) | 20 (−7) | 23 (−5) | 27 (−3) | 19 (−7) | 34 (1) | 34 (1) | 33 (1) | 29 (−2) | 25 (−4) | 20 (−7) | 14 (−10) | 14 (−10) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.89 (124) | 3.86 (98) | 3.27 (83) | 1.79 (45) | 0.76 (19) | 0.28 (7.1) | 0.03 (0.76) | 0.03 (0.76) | 0.32 (8.1) | 1.25 (32) | 2.57 (65) | 3.75 (95) | 22.80 (579) |
| Average precipitation days | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 53 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center[16] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 542 | — | |
| 1880 | 624 | 15.1% | |
| 1890 | 1,056 | 69.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,050 | −0.6% | |
| 1910 | 1,026 | −2.3% | |
| 1920 | 643 | −37.3% | |
| 1930 | 724 | 12.6% | |
| 1940 | 795 | 9.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,155 | 45.3% | |
| 1960 | 1,495 | 29.4% | |
| 1970 | 3,039 | 103.3% | |
| 1980 | 7,344 | 141.7% | |
| 1990 | 19,033 | 159.2% | |
| 2000 | 36,330 | 90.9% | |
| 2010 | 56,974 | 56.8% | |
| 2020 | 71,601 | 25.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 75,129 | [17] | 4.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Rocklin had a population of 71,601. The population density was 3,614.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,395.5/km2). The racial makeup of Rocklin was 68.7%White, 1.8%African American, 0.7%Native American, 11.9%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 3.8% fromother races, and 12.8% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.9% of the population.[19]
The census reported that 98.6% of the population lived in households, 1.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[19]
There were 25,322 households, out of which 40.0% included children under the age of 18, 58.6% were married-couple households, 5.2% werecohabiting couple households, 23.2% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 20.4% of households were one person, and 9.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79.[19] There were 18,767families (74.1% of all households).[20]
The age distribution was 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% aged 18 to 24, 24.7% aged 25 to 44, 25.9% aged 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males.[19]
There were 26,124 housing units at an average density of 1,318.7 units per square mile (509.2 units/km2), of which 25,322 (96.9%) were occupied. Of these, 67.6% were owner-occupied, and 32.4% were occupied by renters.[19]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 13.2% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 83.0% spoke only English at home, 4.9% spokeSpanish, 5.7% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 5.6% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.8% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 96.3% were high school graduates and 48.5% had a bachelor's degree.[21]
The median household income in 2023 was $120,916, and theper capita income was $54,517. About 3.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line.[22]
At the2010 census, Rocklin had a population of 56,974. The population density was 2,907.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,122.7/km2). The racial makeup of Rocklin was 47,047 (82.6%) White, 858 (1.5%) African American, 410 (0.7%) Native American, 4,105 (7.2%) Asian, 150 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 1,538 (2.7%) from other races, and 2,866 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,555 persons (11.5%).[23]
The census reported that 56,337 people (98.9% of the population) lived in households, 456 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 181 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 20,800 households, 8,424 (40.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 11,974 (57.6%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 2,191 (10.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 895 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,035 (5.0%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 124 (0.6%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,403 households (21.2%) were one person and 1,652 (7.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.71. There were 15,060 families (72.4% of households); the average family size was 3.18.
The age distribution was 15,613 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 5,306 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 15,159 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 14,668 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,228 people (10.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
There were 22,010 housing units at an average density of 1,123.3 per square mile, of the occupied units 13,797 (66.3%) were owner-occupied and 7,003 (33.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%. 39,295 people (69.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,042 people (29.9%) lived in rental housing units.
Granite mining ended in 2004 in Rocklin.[10] Top Rocklin employers include large multinational corporations, retail outlets, education, and government. As of 2016, Rocklin had an estimated civilian work force of 30,100 with an unemployment rate of 4.4%. About 40% of Rocklin citizens over age 25 hold a bachelor's degree or higher.[24]
Shopping, entertainment, and dining can be found in the Blue Oaks Town Center, a regional shopping center anchored by national tenants on theHighway 65 corridor,[25] and in Rocklin Commons and Rocklin Crossings, with tenants including Target, Walmart, and Bass Pro Shop, alongInterstate 80. A section of Granite Drive along Interstate 80 known as Toy Row has high-end auto dealerships, RV and boat retailers, and a local antique mall.
The city has four districts with distinct architectural guidelines: the University District, Granite District, College District, and Quarry District.[26]
The Rocklin area has 13 elementary schools,[27] two middle schools, two high schools, and two alternative education institutions, encompassed in theRocklin Unified School District, as well as campuses ofSierra College[28] andWilliam Jessup University.
Interstate 80 andState Route 65 intersect in Rocklin, and historic U.S.Route 40 runs through town. TheRocklin Amtrak station is served by Amtrak California'sCapitol Corridor route.
Places adjacent to Rocklin, California | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPlacer County, California,United States | ||
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| Cities and towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
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| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This CDP also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
