Grass Valley (originally Centreville)[1] is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 14,922 at the 2006 census.
Geography
Grass Valley is located at 39°13′9″N 121°3′30″W / 39.21917°N 121.05833°W / 39.21917; -121.05833 (39.219215, -121.058414)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), all of it land.
Climate
Grass Valley has warm to hot, dry summers, and wet, rainy winters. Summer is very dry but a thunderstorm may occur. The dry season is from May to September. November to mid-April is the true rainy season. Grass Valley has somewhat of an Oceanic climate, except that summers are warmer and dry enough to give Grass Valley characteristics of the Mediterranean Climate like much of Northern California. Snow does occur at times and can be heavy. The winter rains contribute to a heavy fuel-loading of brush and grass, which dry out during the summer, posing a wildfire hazard.
| Weather data for Grass Valley, California |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Average high °F (°C) |
50
(10) |
55
(13) |
57
(14) |
61
(16) |
68
(20) |
77
(25) |
86
(30) |
84
(29) |
79
(26) |
66
(19) |
55
(13) |
48
(9) |
| Average low °F (°C) |
30
(-1) |
34
(1) |
36
(2) |
41
(5) |
46
(8) |
50
(10) |
55
(13) |
54
(12) |
48
(9) |
41
(5) |
34
(1) |
28
(-2) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) |
9.89
(251.2) |
9.2
(233.7) |
8.54
(216.9) |
3.73
(94.7) |
1.98
(50.3) |
0.64
(16.2) |
0.18
(4.6) |
0.22
(5.5) |
1.11
(28.3) |
2.72
(69.2) |
7.08
(179.9) |
7.89
(200.4) |
| Source: weather.com[1] 2009-02-23 |
Demographics
The iconic spire of the Del Oro Theatre.
Note: Current estimates on population are ~11,100. (May 2007)
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 10,922 people, 5,016 households, and 2,678 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,660.2 people per square mile (1,026.0/km²). There were 5,266 housing units at an average density of 1,282.6/sq mi (494.7/km²).
The racial makeup of the city was 91.91% White, 6.56% Hispanic, or Latino, 3.71% from two or more races, 0.27% Black or African American, 1.34% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 1.66% from other races
Grass Valley has a strong connection to Cornish culture and ancestry, since many people from Cornwall in the United Kingdom emigrated here in the 19th and 20th centuries (see Cornish emigration).
Out of the 5,016 households, 46.6% were non-families, 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 32.4% were married couples living together, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.80 people.
The population was spread out with 23.3% under age 18, 9.3% ages 18 to 24, 25.1% ages 25 to 44, 20.3% ages 45 to 64, and 22.0% age 65 and older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males.
The median household income was $28,182, while the median family income was $33,220. The median income for males was $32,568 compared to $21,915 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,877. About 12.9% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In the state legislature Grass Valley is located in the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Sam Aanestad, and in the 4th Assembly District, represented by Republican Ted Gaines. Federally, Grass Valley is located in California's 4th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +11[4] and is represented by Republican Tom McClintock.
Transportation
Grass Valley is at the intersection of State Route 49 and State Route 20. Public transportation is served by the Gold Country Stage[2] and is limited to the urban areas.
The inscription to Royce at the library.
History
Grass Valley dates from the California Gold Rush, as does nearby Nevada City. It was originally named Centreville when a post office was established in 1851, but renamed Grass Valley the following year for unknown reasons. The town incorporated in 1860.[1]
Grass Valley is the location of the Empire Mine, one of the richest mines in California. Many of those who came to settle in Grass Valley were tin miners from Cornwall. They were attracted to the California gold fields because the same skills needed for deep tin mining were needed for hardrock (deep) gold mining. Many of them specialized in pumping the water out of very deep mining shafts. This coincided with a glut in Cornish tin mining.
Grass Valley still holds on to its Cornish heritage, with events such as its annual Cornish Christmas and St Piran's Day celebrations.[5] Pasties are a local favorite dish with a few restaurants in town specializing in recipes handed down from the original immigrant generation. Grass Valley is also twinned with the Cornish town of Bodmin, UK.
There was formerly a Roman Catholic diocese of Grass Valley.[6]
Economy
The Grass Valley Group is a research and development company founded in the city in 1958, specializing in video amplifiers and television switchers. Some of its technology appeared on-screen in the 1977 film Star Wars. The company is now a subsidiary of Thomson SA.[7]
Designated historical landmarks
Town twinning/Sister City
Notable residents
- Gallant Bess, a horse rescued by a U.S. Navy sailor during World War II, whose account was turned into a movie of the same name
- Hunter Burgan, bassist of the band AFI
- Lotta Crabtree, 19th century actress
- Jonathan Dayton director Little Miss Sunshine
- Lyman Gilmore, the first person to fly a powered airplane (a steam-powered glider). Lyman Gilmore Middle School is located in Grass Valley and listed as a Historical site
- Fred Hargesheimer, former World War II pilot, philanthropist
- Bill Hotchkiss, college professor, poet, and novelist, author of Medicine Calf, based on the life of Jim Beckwourth
- John Flint Kidder, builder and later owner of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad; built the first concrete sidewalk in Grass Valley
- Sarah Kidder, first female railroad president in the world, succeeding husband John Flint Kidder
- Lola Montez, 19th century dancer
- Hans Ostrom, writer and professor
- Jim Pagliaroni, former professional baseball player, catcher of a perfect game pitched by Jim "Catfish" Hunter
- Mike Pinder, keyboard player, song writer, singer and founder of the Moody Blues
- Dennis Richmond, retired Oakland television news anchor
- John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867), Native American writer, is buried in Grass Valley
- Richard Roundtree, the actor who played John Shaft
- Josiah Royce, philosopher
- Chris Senn, professional skateboarder
- Jeremy Sisto, actor
- Meadow Sisto, actress
- Wallace Stegner (1903-1993), set his Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel Angle of Repose (1971) in Grass Valley
- Clint Walker, Western movie actor The Cheyenne Series, The Night of the Grizzly, Dirty Dozen, Fort Dobbs and many more
- Chuck Yeager, an ace fighter pilot and the first man to break the speed of sound in the Bell X-1
References
- ^ a b Durham, David L. (2000). California's Gold Country: Includes Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sierra & Nevada Counties. Clovis, Calif.: Quill Driver Books. pp. 133. ISBN 188499525X. http://books.google.com/books?id=3UzX2WzeX0IC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=%22grass+valley%22+centreville&source=web&ots=Smwgd1X6x7&sig=--41DYEszwJYi-ZGu0Xx-uIt0aA&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ Moberly, Greg (2008-03-10). "Flight of the pasty". The Union. http://theunion.com/article/20080310/NEWS/940777161. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles George (1913). The Catholic Encyclopedia. Universal Knowledge Foundation. pp. 294. http://books.google.com/books?id=D2oQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA294&lpg=PA294&dq=orphanage+%22grass+valley%22&source=web&ots=rX1zdoOilH&sig=kdJ_pNfskBAxscilUGvsXFayWjg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ Thomson Grass Valley official site
External links
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