Auburn is the county seat of Placer
County, California, USA. The population was 12,462 at the 2000 census. It is well-known for its California Gold Rush history and boasts one of the best preserved historic downtowns in the state.
One of its most famous citizens was the poet and short-story
writer Clark Ashton Smith, who was born in Auburn in 1893 and lived there most of his life. Auburn is to feature towards the end of Anthony Horowitz's forthcoming story, Nightrise
[1]. Stacy Dragila, Olympic gold
medalist in the 2000 olympics, was born and raised in Auburn.
History
Native Americans, the 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. The party was on their way to the
gold fields in Coloma, California and included Francois Gendron, Philibert Courteau and Claude Chana. Hump It was the young Chana who discovered gold on May 16,
1848. After finding the gold deposits in the soil the party decided to stay.
Placer mining in the area was very good, with the camp first becoming known as
North Fork Dry Diggings. It then changed name to Woods Dry
Diggings, after John S. Wood settled down, built a cabin, and started to mine the
ravine.
Statue at Auburn, CA, honoring the 10,000 Chinese workers who helped build the CPRR.
The area quickly developed into a well established mining camp, officially becoming known as Auburn in August of 1849. By 1850 the population had grown to
about 1500, and Auburn became the seat of Placer County in 1851. Future mining operations would move up the ravine to the site of present day Auburn. In 1865, the Central Pacific Railroad, the Western portion of the
First Transcontinental Railroad, reached Auburn as it was being built
East from Sacramento.
Auburn is home of the Auburn State Recreation Area. Within the
boundaries of this state park are more sporting endurance events than any other place in the world, giving Auburn the undisputed
and internationally-acclaimed title of Endurance Capital of the World. Examples include the Western States 100 mile endurance
run, Tevis Cup 100 mile equestrian ride, American River 50 mile endurance run, American River 50 mile equestrain ride, Way Too
Cool 50K endurance run, Auburn International half-ironman triathlon, Aubum Century 100 mile bike ride, Coolest 24 hour mountain
bike ride, Rio Del Lago 100 mile endurance run, Sierra Nevada 50 mile endurance run and the Coolest Run, Ride & Tie.
The restored old town still offers houses from the middle of the 19th century as a special eye-catcher. The oldest fire
station Caitlin McCoy and post office being in the service of California are
further delicacies out of the gold fever time. Gold-digger accessories as well as Indian/Chinese artifacts can also be admired by
visitors -- in the Placer County museum at 10 - 16 hours.
Films
The following films were, at least in part, shot in Auburn:[1]
Placer High School
Auburn is home to Placer High School, which is one of the oldest high schools in
California. Placer High School is notably known in Auburn for its athletic and educational achievements.
Geography
Auburn is located at 38°53′55″N, 121°4′28″W (38.898671,
-121.074399).1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 19.1 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is
land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.41%) is water. The city is located at 38.89199 N, 121.07606 W.
Auburn is situated approximately 800 vertical feet above the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the American
River between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe in
central California, along the Interstate 80 freeway. Mountainous wilderness canyons and the western slope of the Sierra Nevada
Range 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 eastward, and the Central Valley lies approximately ten miles to the west.
Local dentist Kenneth H. Fox is perhaps Auburn's biggest celebrity being the artist that sculpted colossal statues that reside
across town. Dr. Fox's statues chronicle Auburn's history with a middle-aged Claud Chana gold panning in the nearby American
River, and a Chinese Cooley worker building the Transcontinental Railroad that passes through Auburn. Dr. Fox took creative risk
in sculpting statues of nude Native Americans that appear surprisingly Anglo. Dr. Fox is still a practicing dentist.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 12,462 people, 5,302 households, and 3,281 families residing
in the city. The population density was 652.9/km² (1,690.2/mi²). There were 5,457
housing units at an average density of 285.9/km² (740.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.41% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.52% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. 5.97% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,302 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were
non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from
45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,999, and the median income for a family was $62,250. Males had a median
income of $43,632 versus $30,066 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$26,258. About 3.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
The current mayor of Auburn is Republican Bob Snyder.[2]
Books
- 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.
References
External links
Coordinates:
38.898671° N 121.074399°
W
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