Auburn, California | |
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| City of Auburn | |
 Auburn | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Auburn in Placer County, California | |
  Auburn Location in California Show map of California Auburn Auburn (the United States) Show map of the United States Auburn Auburn (North America) Show map of North America | |
| Coordinates:38°53′55″N121°4′28″W / 38.89861°N 121.07444°W /38.89861; -121.07444 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Placer |
| Incorporated | May 2, 1888[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager[2] |
| • Mayor | Alice Dowdin Calvillo[3] |
| • State Senate | Megan Dahle (R) and Roger Niello (R)[4] |
| • State Assembly | Joe Patterson (R)[5] |
| • House of Representatives | Kevin Kiley (R)[6] |
| Area | |
• City | 7.20 sq mi (18.66 km2) |
| • Land | 7.18 sq mi (18.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2) 0.38% |
| Elevation | 1,227 ft (374 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 13,776 |
| • Density | 1,919/sq mi (741.1/km2) |
| • Metro | est. ~19,500 (including Foresthill Applegate and Meadow Vista) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 95602-95604 |
| Area codes | 530, 837 |
| FIPS code | 06-03204 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1657964,2409754 |
| Website | auburn |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Auburn, California | |
Auburn is a city in and thecounty seat ofPlacer County, California, United States.[9] Its population was 13,776 during the2020 census. Auburn is known for itsCalifornia Gold Rush history and is registered as aCalifornia Historical Landmark.[10]
Auburn is part of theSacramento metropolitan area.
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Archaeological finds place the southwestern border for the prehistoricMartis people in the Auburn area.[11] The indigenousNisenan, an offshoot of theMaidu, were the first to establish a permanent settlement in the Auburn area.
In the spring of 1848, a group of French gold miners arrived and camped in what would later be known as the Auburn Ravine. This group was on its way to the gold fields inColoma, California, and it included Francois Gendron, Philibert Courteau, and Claude Chana. The young Chana discovered gold on May 16, 1848. After finding the gold deposits in the soil, the trio decided to stay for more prospecting and mining.
Placer mining in the Auburn area was very good, with the camp first becoming known as the North Fork Dry Diggings. This name was changed to the Woods Dry Diggings, after John S. Wood settled down, built a cabin, and started to mine in the ravine. The area soon developed into a mining camp, and it was officially named Auburn in August 1849, by miners fromAuburn, New York.[12] By 1850, the town's population had grown to about 1,500 people, and in 1851, Auburn was chosen as the seat ofPlacer County. Gold mining operations moved up the ravine to the site of present-day Auburn. In 1865, theCentral Pacific Railroad, the western leg of theFirst transcontinental railroad, reached Auburn, as it was being built east fromSacramento towardOgden, Utah.
The restored Old Town has houses and retail buildings from the middle of the 19th century. The oldest fire station and the Post Office date from the Gold Rush years. Casual gold-mining accessories, as well as American Indian and Chinese artifacts, can also be viewed by visitors at the Placer County Museum.Auburn was the home and birthplace of noted science fiction and fantasy poet and writerClark Ashton Smith. A memorial to him is located near Old Town.
Auburn is located at38°53′55″N121°04′28″W / 38.898671°N 121.074399°W /38.898671; -121.074399.[13]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (19 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.078 km2), or 0.38%, is water.
Auburn is situated in the Northern California foothills of theSierra Nevada range, approximately 800 vertical feet (240 m) above the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of theAmerican River. It is located betweenSacramento andReno, Nevada, alongInterstate 80. Mountainous wilderness canyons and the western slope of the Sierra Nevada lie adjacent eastward, while gentle rolling foothills well-suited for agriculture lie to the west. The crest of the Sierra Nevada lies approximately 45 miles (72 km) eastward, and the Central Valley lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) to the west.
Auburn has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsa) that is characterized by cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. Average December temperatures are a maximum of 55.8 °F (13.2 °C) and a minimum of 37.2 °F (2.9 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 92.7 °F (33.7 °C) and a minimum of 63.4 °F (17.4 °C). Annually, there are an average of 62.9 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, an average of 7.3 days with 100 °F (38 °C) or higher, and an average of 19.6 days with 32 °F (0 °C) or lower.[14] The record high temperature was 113 °F (45 °C) on July 15, 1972. The record low temperature was 5 °F (−15 °C) on December 9, 2013.[15]
Average annual precipitation is 36.12 inches (917 mm). There are an average of 67 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1983 with 64.87 inches (1,648 mm) and the driest year was 1976 with 11.76 inches (299 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 23.08 inches (586 mm) in January 1909. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.41 inches (137 mm) on October 13, 1962,[15] during theColumbus Day Storm. Snow rarely falls in Auburn; the most snowfall in one year was 10.7 inches (27 cm) in 1972, including 6.5 inches (17 cm) in January of that year.[16]
Auburn's Köppen classification and climate similarities to locations such asNapa and parts ofItaly make it a suitable region for growing winegrapes. Auburn and the surrounding areas of Placer County are home to over 20wineries.[17]
| Climate data for Auburn, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1905–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 78 (26) | 93 (34) | 92 (33) | 102 (39) | 110 (43) | 113 (45) | 111 (44) | 109 (43) | 104 (40) | 89 (32) | 80 (27) | 113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 65.3 (18.5) | 69.5 (20.8) | 75.3 (24.1) | 82.0 (27.8) | 89.8 (32.1) | 97.8 (36.6) | 100.9 (38.3) | 100.7 (38.2) | 96.4 (35.8) | 88.2 (31.2) | 75.8 (24.3) | 65.0 (18.3) | 102.8 (39.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.3 (13.5) | 59.4 (15.2) | 63.1 (17.3) | 68.1 (20.1) | 76.9 (24.9) | 85.7 (29.8) | 92.7 (33.7) | 92.0 (33.3) | 86.8 (30.4) | 76.9 (24.9) | 63.8 (17.7) | 55.8 (13.2) | 73.1 (22.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 47.1 (8.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 52.7 (11.5) | 56.4 (13.6) | 64.2 (17.9) | 71.6 (22.0) | 78.1 (25.6) | 77.4 (25.2) | 73.2 (22.9) | 64.3 (17.9) | 53.4 (11.9) | 46.5 (8.1) | 61.2 (16.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 37.8 (3.2) | 40.0 (4.4) | 42.3 (5.7) | 44.8 (7.1) | 51.5 (10.8) | 57.5 (14.2) | 63.4 (17.4) | 62.8 (17.1) | 59.5 (15.3) | 51.6 (10.9) | 43.1 (6.2) | 37.2 (2.9) | 49.3 (9.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 33.9 (1.1) | 35.8 (2.1) | 42.1 (5.6) | 47.4 (8.6) | 53.8 (12.1) | 53.7 (12.1) | 49.0 (9.4) | 41.4 (5.2) | 33.9 (1.1) | 27.4 (−2.6) | 25.6 (−3.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 17 (−8) | 20 (−7) | 20 (−7) | 24 (−4) | 25 (−4) | 30 (−1) | 36 (2) | 41 (5) | 34 (1) | 26 (−3) | 25 (−4) | 5 (−15) | 5 (−15) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 7.01 (178) | 6.50 (165) | 6.12 (155) | 2.84 (72) | 1.65 (42) | 0.41 (10) | 0.01 (0.25) | 0.07 (1.8) | 0.24 (6.1) | 1.42 (36) | 3.05 (77) | 6.80 (173) | 36.12 (917) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 10.7 | 10.3 | 9.2 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 67.0 |
| Source: NOAA[15][14] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 814 | — | |
| 1870 | 800 | −1.7% | |
| 1880 | 1,229 | 53.6% | |
| 1890 | 1,595 | 29.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,050 | 28.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,376 | 15.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,289 | −3.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,661 | 16.3% | |
| 1940 | 5,013 | 88.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,653 | −7.2% | |
| 1960 | 5,586 | 20.1% | |
| 1970 | 6,570 | 17.6% | |
| 1980 | 7,540 | 14.8% | |
| 1990 | 10,592 | 40.5% | |
| 2000 | 12,462 | 17.7% | |
| 2010 | 13,330 | 7.0% | |
| 2020 | 13,776 | 3.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Auburn had a population of 13,776. The population density was 1,919.5 inhabitants per square mile (741.1/km2). The racial makeup of Auburn was 80.3%White, 0.9%African American, 1.1%Native American, 2.3%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 4.3% fromother races, and 10.9% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.3% of the population.
The census reported that 97.8% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.7% were institutionalized.
There were 6,075 households, out of which 23.5% included children under the age of 18, 43.9% were married-couple households, 7.1% werecohabiting couple households, 30.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 32.5% of households were one person, and 17.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.22. There were 3,650families (60.1% of all households).
The age distribution was 17.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% aged 18 to 24, 21.6% aged 25 to 44, 27.6% aged 45 to 64, and 26.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males.
There were 6,370 housing units at an average density of 887.6 units per square mile (342.7 units/km2), of which 6,075 (95.4%) were occupied. Of these, 59.5% were owner-occupied, and 40.5% were occupied by renters.[19][20]
Auburn is home toPlacer High School, which is one of the oldest high schools in California.[21]
Colossal sculptures are located throughout the town; the statues chronicle Auburn's history, such as a middle-aged Claude Chana gold panning in the nearby American River, and a Chinese laborer building the Transcontinental Railroad.
Hidden Falls Regional Park is located in nearby woodlands and contains 30 miles (48 km) of multi-use trails.[22]
Auburn is served byAmtrak passenger rail service a few times a day, andits railroad station is the eastern terminus ofAmtrak California'sCapitol Corridor train.Interstate 80 is the main east–west highway through this area, connectingSacramento to the west and theLake Tahoe/Reno areas to the east. This town can be reached through several interchanges on Interstate 80, three of which (exits 118, 119 A through C, and 120) are somewhat within the town limits.California Highway 49 is the main north–south highway through this area. Highway 49 connects Auburn with the towns ofGrass Valley andNevada City to its north, andPlacerville to the south.
TheAuburn Municipal Airport is located three miles (5 km) north of town, and it is solely ageneral aviation airport. Auburn owns and operates this airport and an industrial site. The airport site covers 285 acres (1.15 km2) including an 80-acre (320,000 m2) industrial site. This airport has a single 3,700 ft (1,128 m)-longrunway.[23][24] General aviation services are available.[25]
The followingfilms were, at least in part, shot in Auburn:
George, a native of Los Angeles, lived with his family in Auburn intermittently between 1971 and 1975.
Places adjacent to Auburn, California | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPlacer County, California,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This CDP also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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