City in California, United States
City in California, United States
Auburn
is a city in and the
county seat
of
Placer County, California
, United States.
[10]
Its population was 13,776 during the
2020 census
. Auburn is known for its
California Gold Rush
history and is registered as a
California Historical Landmark
.
[11]
Auburn is part of the
Sacramento metropolitan area
.
History
[
edit
]
Placer County Courthouse was constructed between 1894 and 1898.
Archaeological finds place the southwestern border for the prehistoric
Martis people
in the Auburn area.
[12]
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 miners from
Auburn, New York
.
[13]
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.
Geography
[
edit
]
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
.
[14]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (19 km
2
), of which 0.03 square miles (0.078 km
2
), 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
[
edit
]
Auburn has a
hot-summer Mediterranean climate
(
Koppen
Csa
) 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.
[15]
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.
[16]
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,
[16]
during the
Columbus 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.
[17]
Auburn's Koppen 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
.
[18]
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)
|
Average
precipitation
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 snowfall inches (cm)
|
0.4
(1.0)
|
0.2
(0.51)
|
0.2
(0.51)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.1
(0.25)
|
0.2
(0.51)
|
1.1
(2.78)
|
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
[16]
[15]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
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%
|
---|
The
2010 United States Census
[20]
reported that Auburn had a population of 13,330. The population density was 1,860.2 inhabitants per square mile (718.2/km
2
). 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 units per square mile (330.8 units/km
2
), 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.
Arts and culture
[
edit
]
Landmarks
[
edit
]
Auburn is home to
Placer 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 of multi-use trails.
[22]
Infrastructure
[
edit
]
Transportation
[
edit
]
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 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 km
2
) including an 80-acre (320,000 m
2
) industrial site. This airport has a single 3,700 ft (1,128 m)-long
runway
.
[23]
[24]
General aviation services are available.
[25]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell
(1933?) Olympian, United States Senator
- Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau
, (1805?1866), explorer, Orleans Hotel proprietor in Auburn 1860?1866
[26]
- Joseph James DeAngelo
(1945?) who was convicted as the
East Area Rapist
in 2020. He was a police officer in Auburn between 1976 and 1979, the same time as when the serial rapes occurred in Sacramento area.
[27]
- Stacy Dragila
(born 1971) Olympic gold medalist, pole vaulter
- Jeff Hamilton
(1966?2023) Olympic bronze medalist, professional skier
- Jo Hamilton
(1827?1904) former
Attorney General of California
, Trustee of the California State Library, and pioneer lawyer of
Placer County, California
[28]
- Meghan Hays
, communications executive and
special assistant to the president
[29]
- Clarence Hinkle
(1880?1960) painter
[30]
- George Lynch
(born 1954)
hard rock
guitarist and songwriter, worked with heavy metal band
Dokken
[31]
- Isaiah Pineiro
(born 1995) professional basketball player
[32]
- Mary Eulalie Fee Shannon
(1824?1855), poet
- Clark Ashton Smith
(1893?1961) writer and artist, one of the West Coast Romantics
[33]
- Paul Takagi
(1923?2015) sociologist, criminologist, and professor at the
University of California, Berkeley
; he was a Japanese-American prisoner at the
Manzanar War Relocation Center
[34]
In popular culture
[
edit
]
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.
[35]
Literature
[
edit
]
Film and television
[
edit
]
The following
films
were, at least in part, shot in Auburn:
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"California Cities by Incorporation Date"
. California Association of
Local Agency Formation Commissions
. Archived from
the original
(Word)
on November 3, 2014
. Retrieved
August 25,
2014
.
- ^
"City Council - Auburn, CA"
. City of Auburn, CA
. Retrieved
December 18,
2019
.
- ^
[1]
"City Council Auburn, CA"
. Retrieved
May 8,
2019
.
- ^
"Statewide Database"
. UC Regents. Archived from
the original
on February 1, 2015
. Retrieved
November 29,
2014
.
- ^
"California's 4th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map"
. Civic Impulse, LLC
. Retrieved
March 2,
2013
.
- ^
"Communities of Interest - City"
. California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from
the original
on October 23, 2015
. Retrieved
November 4,
2014
.
- ^
"Communities of Interest - City"
. California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Archived from
the original
on September 30, 2013
. Retrieved
September 24,
2014
.
- ^
"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
October 30,
2021
.
- ^
"Auburn"
.
Geographic Names Information System
.
United States Geological Survey
,
United States Department of the Interior
. Retrieved
October 20,
2014
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties. Archived from
the original
on May 31, 2011
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
"Auburn"
. Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks
. Retrieved
October 11,
2012
.
- ^
Brauman, Sharon K. (October 6, 2004).
"NORTH FORK PETROGLYPHS"
. ucnrs.org. Archived from
the original
on July 24, 2008
. Retrieved
August 15,
2008
.
- ^
Bright, William
(1998).
1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning
.
Berkeley, CA
:
University of California Press
.
- ^
"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990"
.
United States Census Bureau
. February 12, 2011
. Retrieved
April 8,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
August 26,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
"NOWData ? NOAA Online Weather Data"
.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
August 26,
2022
.
- ^
"AUBURN, CALIFORNIA - Climate Summary"
. Wrcc.dri.edu
. Retrieved
April 8,
2018
.
- ^
"Wineries and Tours in Gold Country"
.
www.visitplacer.com
. Retrieved
April 8,
2018
.
- ^
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2015
.
- ^
"2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Auburn city"
. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
on July 15, 2014
. Retrieved
July 12,
2014
.
- ^
"Our History - Placer High: Home of the Hillmen"
.
placer.puhsd.k12.ca.us
. Retrieved
April 12,
2020
.
- ^
"Hidden Falls Regional Park | Placer County, CA"
.
www.placer.ca.gov
. Retrieved
November 23,
2020
.
- ^
City of Auburn.
"City of Auburn: Airport and Industrial Park"
. Archived from
the original
on September 9, 2009.
- ^
City of Auburn.
"City of Auburn: About the Airport"
. Archived from
the original
on September 9, 2009.
- ^
City of Auburn.
"City of Auburn: Airport Services"
. Archived from
the original
on September 9, 2009.
- ^
"Death of a California Pioneer"
.
The Placer herald
. Auburn, California. July 7, 1866
. Retrieved
July 3,
2022
.
- ^
"Auburn Police Officer alleged serial killer"
. May 3, 2018.
- ^
History of Placer County, California
, page 320, 1887,
Thompson & West
, Placer County, California
- ^
Miller, Hope (September 13, 2021).
"Meet the Sacramento native joining President Biden on his California trip"
.
KCRA
. Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
Blake, Janet (2012).
"
"In Love with Painting": The Life and Art of Clarence Hinkle"
.
www.tfaoi.com
. Retrieved
July 21,
2020
.
- ^
"Brothers"
.
Auburn Journal
. December 27, 1987. pp. 19, C1
. Retrieved
July 24,
2020
.
George, a native of Los Angeles, lived with his family in Auburn intermittently between 1971 and 1975.
- ^
"Kings Sign Isaiah Pineiro"
.
NBA
. July 30, 2019
. Retrieved
November 4,
2020
.
- ^
Thomson, Gus (February 1, 2019).
"New film for Auburn's "Poet Smith'
"
.
Gold Country Media
. Retrieved
July 24,
2020
.
- ^
Ikeda, Tom (March 16, 2011).
"Paul Takagi Interview"
.
Densho Digital Archive, Densho Visual History Collection
. Retrieved
July 24,
2020
.
- ^
Old Town Firehouse
, Auburn Chamber of Commerce, Accessed August 1, 2009.
Archived
August 22, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Heavilin, Barbara A. (2005).
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men: A Reference Guide
. Praeger Publishers. p. 15.
ISBN
978-0-313-33056-8
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Placer Tahoe Film Office - Shot in Placer County"
. Archived from
the original
on February 25, 2011
. Retrieved
February 14,
2009
.
- ^
Staff (January 6, 2019).
"Movies Filmed in Placer County"
.
Rocklin and Roseville Today
. Retrieved
May 10,
2019
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Auburn, California: crossroads of historic gold country
. (1973). [S.l: s.n.].
- Borchardt, G. A., Rice, S. J., & Taylor, G. C. (1980).
Paleosols overlying the Foothills fault system near Auburn, California
. Sacramento: California Division of Mines and Geology.
- Barieau, C. (1988).
A self-guided walking tour to historic Auburn buildings: a guide to significant historical and architectural buildings of Auburn, California
. Auburn, Calif: Auburn Letter House.
- Sanborn, D. (2001).
Chronology of Auburn, California
. Auburn, CA: Auburn Sesquicentennial Committee.
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Auburn, California
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areas
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