| Town of Auburn | |
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| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: 38°53′55″N 121°4′28″W / 38.89861°N 121.07444°WCoordinates: 38°53′55″N 121°4′28″W / 38.89861°N 121.07444°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Placer |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Vanessa Marin (Republican) [1] |
| - State Senate | Dave Cox (R) |
| - State Assembly | Ted Gaines (R) |
| - U. S. Congress | Tom McClintock (R) |
| Area | |
| - Town | 7.4 sq mi (19.2 km2) |
| - Land | 7.4 sq mi (19.1 km2) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,227 ft (374 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 13,106 (as of March 14, 2,009 according to city street signs) |
| - Density | 1,684.1/sq mi (649.1/km2) |
| - Metro | est. ~19,500 (including Foresthill, Applegate and Meadow Vista) |
| Time zone | Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 95602-95604 |
| Area code(s) | 530 |
| FIPS code | 06-03204 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1657964 |
Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California.[2] Its current population is about 13,106. (March 2009) Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history. One of its most famous citizens was the poet and short-story writer Clark Ashton Smith, who was born in Auburn in 1893 and who lived there most of his life. Born and raised in Auburn, Stacy Dragila was the first to win an Olympic gold medal in women's pole vaulting. Tomas Arana, an actor most notable for his role in Gladiator, was born in Auburn. Also, the town is featured toward the end of British author Anthony Horowitz's book, Nightrise. [3]
Auburn is part of the Sacramento–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Archaeological finds place the southwestern border for the prehistoric Martis people in the Auburn area.[4] 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 1849, 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, this trio decided to stay.
Placer mining in the Auburn area was very good, with the camp first becoming known as the North Fork Dry Diggings. This name was then changed to the Woods Dry Diggings, after John S. Wood settled down, built a cabin, and started to mine in the ravine.
The Auburn area soon developed into a well-established mining camp, and it was officially named Auburn in August 1849. By 1850, the town's population had grown to about 1500 people, and Auburn was chosen as the seat of Placer County in 1851. Future 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 towards Ogden, Utah.
The restored Old Town still offers houses and shops from the middle of the 19th century as a special eye-catcher. The oldest fire station and the Post Office are further relics from the gold fever time. Casual gold-mining accessories as well as Indian and Chinese artifacts can also be viewed by visitors at the Placer County Museum.
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 Endurance Run, The Western States Trail Ride also known as Tevis Cup Equestrian Ride, American River 50 Mile Endurance Run, American River 50 Mile Equestrian Ride, Way Too Cool 50 Kilometer Endurance Run, Auburn International Half-Ironman Triathlon, Auburn Century 100 Mile Bike Ride, Coolest 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race, Rio Del Lago 100 Mile Endurance Run, Sierra Nevada 50 Mile Endurance Run, and the Coolest Run: Ride & Tie.
The following films were, at least in part, shot in Auburn:[6]
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 perhaps the most famous in town. The statues chronicle Auburn's history with a middle-aged Claud Chana gold panning in the nearby American River, and a Chinese "Celestial" worker building the Transcontinental Railroad. Dr. Fox also took creative risk in sculpting statues of nude Native Americans. In response, the statues were mutilated and the phalluses removed. The statues are still standing in this condition. Dr. Fox is still a practicing dentist.
Auburn is located at 38°53′55″N 121°04′28″W / 38.898671°N 121.074399°W.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), of which, 7.4 square miles (19.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) 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 (72 km) eastward, and the Central Valley lies approximately ten miles to the west.
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 12,462 people, 5,302 households, and 3,281 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,690.2 people per square mile (652.9/km²). There were 5,457 housing units at an average density of 740.1/sq mi (285.9/km²). 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 $98,999, and the median income for a family was $102,250. Males had a median income of $83,632 versus $60,066 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,258.
Auburn is served by AMTRAK passenger rail service a few times a day, and its railroad station is the eastern terminus of AMTRAK's California-based Capitol Corridor train. Interstate Highway 80 is the main east-west highway through this area, and it passes slightly through Auburn. 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.
The Auburn Municipal Airport is located three miles north of town, and it is a General Aviation airport, only. Auburn owns and operates this airport and an industrial site. The airport site covers 285 acres including an 80 acre industrial site. This airport has a single 3,700 ft (1,128 m)-long runway. [9] [10] Services available there include the usual General Aviation ones.[11]
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Sheridan | North Auburn | Foresthill | |
| Lincoln |  |
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 Auburn
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| Penryn | Folsom Lake | Coloma |
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   | Placer County Courthouse - Auburn California - Placer County Courthouse |
| | Auburn, CA - Information & Resources - Your Auburn.com - Auburn, California online community and information |
| | Auburn City Official Homepage - Welcome to the City of Auburn |
| | Placer High School - Placer High School - Home of the Hillmen |
| | Auburn Online Community - Auburn, California - News, Reviews, Events, Community - The Auburn Buzz - It's the local Buzz! |
| | Paleosols overlying the Foothills fault system near Auburn, California - Paleosols overlying the Foothills fault system near Auburn, California [WorldCat.org] |
| | Chronology of Auburn, California - Chronology of Auburn, California [WorldCat.org] |
| | A self-guided walking tour to historic Auburn buildings: a guide to significant historical and architectural buildings of Auburn, California - A self-guided walking tour to historic Auburn buildings : a guide to significant historical and architectural buildings of Auburn, California [WorldCat.org] |
| | Auburn, California: crossroads of historic gold country - Auburn, California : crossroads of historic gold country. [WorldCat.org] |
| | Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? - Campaign Legal Center blog: Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? |
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