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Auburn, California
City of Auburn
Auburn
Auburn
Location of Auburn in Placer County, California
Location of Auburn in Placer County, California
Auburn, California is located in California
Auburn, California
Auburn, California
Location in California
Auburn, California is located in the United States
Auburn, California
Auburn, California
Location in the United States
Auburn, California is located in North America
Auburn, California
Auburn, California
Location in North America
Country United States
State California
County Placer
Incorporated May 2, 1888
Government
 • Type Council–manager
Area
 • City 7.20 sq mi (18.66 km2)
 • Land 7.18 sq mi (18.59 km2)
 • Water 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)  0.38%
Elevation
1,227 ft (374 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 13,776
 • Density 1,919.46/sq mi (741.10/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 code(s) 530
FIPS code 06-03204
GNIS feature IDs 1657964, 2409754
Reference #: 404

Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Placer County, California, United States. Its population was 13,330 during the 2010 census. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history, and is registered as a California Historical Landmark.

Auburn is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area.

History

Auburn California courthouse
The Placer County Courthouse was constructed between 1894 and 1898.

Archaeological finds place the southwestern border for the prehistoric Martis people in the Auburn area. The indigenous Nisenan, an offshoot of the Maidu, 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 in Coloma, 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 1850, the town's population had grown to about 1,500 people, and in 1851, Auburn was chosen as the seat of Placer County. Gold mining operations moved up the ravine to the site of present-day Auburn. In 1865, the Central Pacific Railroad, the western leg of the First Transcontinental Railroad, reached Auburn, as it was being built east from Sacramento toward Ogden, 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 writer Clark Ashton Smith. A memorial to him is located near Old Town.

In popular culture

2009-0724-CA-OldFirehouseAuburn
The Queen Anne style Old Town Firehouse is a landmark. It originally adjoined a row of commercial buildings (now demolished). It was home to the Auburn Volunteer Fire Department.

The following films were, at least in part, shot in Auburn:

  • The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
  • Protocol
  • Breakdown
  • My Family
  • The Phantom
  • Phenomenon
  • Wisdom
  • xXx
  • The Ugly Truth
  • Auburn is the town where George and Lennie were raised in John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men.

Landmarks

Auburn is home to Placer High School, which is one of the oldest high schools in California.

Local dentist Kenneth H. Fox's colossal sculptures are located throughout the town. The statues chronicle Auburn's history, such as a middle-aged Claud Chana gold panning in the nearby American River, and a Chinese "coolie" worker building the Transcontinental Railroad.

Geography

Auburn-ca-geography
Rolling hills of Auburn, taken near Indian Hill Road.

Auburn is located at 38°53′55″N 121°04′28″W / 38.898671°N 121.074399°W / 38.898671; -121.074399.

According to the United 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 the Sierra Nevada range, approximately 800 vertical feet above the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the American River. It is located between Sacramento and Reno, Nevada along Interstate 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 ten miles to the west.

Climate

Auburn has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) that is characterized by cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. Average December temperatures are a maximum of 54.4 °F (12.4 °C) and a minimum of 39 °F (4 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 94.0 °F (34.4 °C) and a minimum of 61.0 °F (16.1 °C). Annually, there are an average of 59.4 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, an average of 7.0 days with 100 °F (38 °C) or higher, and an average of 17.1 days with 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature was 113 °F (45 °C) on July 15, 1972. The record low temperature was 16 °F (−9 °C) on December 9, 1972 and December 7, 2009.

Average annual precipitation is 20.45 inches (519 mm). There are an average of 70 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, during the Columbus Day Storm. Snow rarely falls in Auburn; average annual snowfall is only 0.0–1.0 inch (0–25 mm). The most snowfall in one year was 10.7 inches (270 mm) in 1972, including 6.5 inches (170 mm) in January 1972.

Auburn's Köppen classification and climate similarities to locations such as Napa, California and parts of Italy make it a suitable region for growing wine grapes. Auburn and the surrounding areas of Placer County are home to over 20 wineries.

Climate data for Auburn, California
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24)
78
(26)
86
(30)
98
(37)
107
(42)
110
(43)
115
(46)
110
(43)
111
(44)
102
(39)
87
(31)
76
(24)
115
(46)
Average high °F (°C) 53
(12)
60
(16)
64
(18)
71
(22)
80
(27)
88
(31)
94
(34)
92
(33)
87
(31)
77
(25)
63
(17)
54
(12)
74
(23)
Daily mean °F (°C) 46
(8)
51
(11)
54
(12)
60
(16)
66
(19)
73
(23)
78
(26)
76
(24)
73
(23)
65
(18)
54
(12)
47
(8)
62
(17)
Average low °F (°C) 39
(4)
42
(6)
44
(7)
48
(9)
53
(12)
58
(14)
61
(16)
61
(16)
58
(14)
52
(11)
44
(7)
39
(4)
50
(10)
Record low °F (°C) 21
(−6)
23
(−5)
27
(−3)
33
(1)
36
(2)
43
(6)
48
(9)
46
(8)
41
(5)
31
(−1)
27
(−3)
16
(−9)
16
(−9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.98
(101)
3.46
(88)
3.07
(78)
1.58
(40)
0.58
(15)
0.12
(3.0)
0.04
(1.0)
0.06
(1.5)
0.35
(8.9)
1.08
(27)
2.80
(71)
3.33
(85)
17.0
(430)
Source: http://www.myforecast.com/bin/climate.m?city=11508&metric=false

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
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

The 2010 United States Census reported that Auburn had a population of 13,330. The population density was 1,860.2 people per square mile (718.2/km2). The racial makeup of Auburn was 11,863 (89.0%) White, 100 (0.8%) African American, 129 (1.0%) Native American, 240 (1.8%) Asian, 9 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 405 (3.0%) from other races, and 584 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,331 persons (10.0%).

The Census reported that 13,052 people (97.9% of the population) lived in households, 145 (1.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 133 (1.0%) were institutionalized.

There were 5,759 households, out of which 1,502 (26.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,613 (45.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 604 (10.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 257 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 352 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 33 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,845 households (32.0%) were made up of individuals, and 801 (13.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27. There were 3,474 families (60.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.85.

The population was spread out, with 2,645 people (19.8%) under the age of 18, 1,031 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 2,898 people (21.7%) aged 25 to 44, 4,224 people (31.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,532 people (19.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

There were 6,139 housing units at an average density of 856.7 per square mile (330.8/km2), of which 3,388 (58.8%) were owner-occupied, and 2,371 (41.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 8,017 people (60.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,035 people (37.8%) lived in rental housing units.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Auburn is served by Amtrak passenger rail service a few times a day, and its railroad station is the eastern terminus of AMTRAK's Californian Capitol Corridor train. Interstate Highway 80 is the main east–west highway through this area, connecting Sacramento to the west and the Lake 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 of Grass Valley and Nevada City to its north, and Placerville to the south.

The Auburn Municipal Airport is located three miles (5 km) north of town, and it is solely a general 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)-long runway. General aviation services are available.

Notable people

See also

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