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Introduction To Placer County | 
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Placer County encompasses 1,506 square miles (including 82 square miles of water) or 964,140 acres (including 52,780 acres of water) and is located 80 miles northeast of San Francisco, California. Placer County is part of the six-county Sacramento Region, which also includes the Counties of El Dorado, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba. The City of Auburn, the government center of Placer County, is located 120 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada. Placer County is bordered by Nevada County to the north, the State of Nevada to the east, El Dorado and Sacramento Counties to the south, and Sutter and Yuba Counties to the west. |
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Figure 1 is a map of the entire County and its three regions: the Valley, the Gold Country, and the High Country. The three regions have varying degrees of development and geographical/topographical characteristics. The Valley is the most urbanized of the three regions in terms of population and overall commercial development. The Gold Country and High Country have varying geographies from the Valley with the foothills and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the recreational opportunities they provide.
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Placer County's 150-year history began with the discovery of gold in 1848. In fact, the County took its name from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits that contain gold. Gold was discovered on the American River in 1848 by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma. One of the first parties to capitalize on Marshall's success was organized by Claude Chana, who panned three large gold nuggets from a stream at the Auburn Ravine on May 16, 1848. This discovery warranted the establishment of a new mining settlement which was to be given the name of Auburn in 1849. By April 25, 1851, the County of Placer was formed, and Auburn was designated as the County seat. |
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The railroad has also been a major part of Placer County’s history. Between 1864 and 1865, Central Pacific Railroad laid track from Sacramento to reach various parts of Placer County, including Roseville, Rocklin, Newcastle, Auburn, and Colfax. The track in Roseville crossed with an existing rail line that connected Folsom with Lincoln – this spot became known as Junction and the site where Roseville was established. In 1906, the Southern Pacific Railroad, wishing to expand, moved its facilities to Roseville, establishing the City as a major railroad center and just three years later (1909), Roseville was incorporated. In 1913, Pacific Fruit Express (PFE, a joint venture between Union Pacific and Southern Pacific) completed construction of its ice manufacturing plant in Roseville, which, by 1920, would become the world’s largest plant of its kind. PFE’s operations supplied ice to railcars to refrigerate fruits and vegetables being shipped to other parts of the country. |
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Another major city in Placer County, Rocklin, was incorporated in 1893. The City’s history is rooted in the granite mining industry – by 1910, 22 granite quarries were operating in Rocklin. Much of this granite was delivered by train out of town for use in the California state capitol and San Francisco buildings.
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Lincoln, incorporated in 1890, was named after a San Francisco businessman, Charles Lincoln Wilson, who was a major player in the financing of the rail line to carry Pony Express mail between Sacramento and Folsom. Nearby Loomis, founded in 1850, was the second-largest station for fruit shipping in the County in the early 1900s. James Loomis, the main figurehead of the town’s early days, is the namesake of the City which was officially incorporated in December 1984. |
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Colfax, originally known as Alder Grove, had its beginnings as a camp for trappers and gold miners in the mid 19th century and eventually its activities were centered on the railroad. The town was named after Schulyer Colfax, U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives at the time, and was incorporated in 1910. |
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All of the towns and communities (including, but not limited to, Newcastle, Penryn, Sheridan, and Foresthill) within Placer County have contributed to the County’s rich history. Many towns had their beginnings in mining, but have evolved over the years into ranching, farming, and timber communities and recreation destinations. |
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In 1956, construction on Interstate 80 was completed, linking Placer County towns and cities to points East and West. The Interstate was built in preparation for the 1960
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Olympic Games at Squaw Valley. Although the completion of the highway was an important part of the future development of Placer County, it led to further decline in the popularity of passenger railroad services in the County’s cities and communities.
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Placer County’s strong growth and development in more recent times can, in large part, be attributed to the relocation of Hewlett-Packard from the Bay Area to Roseville in the beginning of the 1980s. The interest shown by new, expanding, and relocating companies to Placer County developed into a demand for substantial expansion of the available commercial and residential space. Today’s Placer County represents a rapidly growing and prospering community characterized by a healthy and mature economy, attractive business environment, and residents who benefit from a developed educational, safety, and healthcare infrastructure, in addition to abundant recreational opportunities. | |
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