Placer County is part of the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. It is known as Gold Country. The entire county spans about 65 miles from the suburbs of Sacramento at the border of Roseville to the Nevada border and the shore of North Lake Tahoe.
From Roseville, Lincoln, and Rocklin to the foothills of Auburn, historic Gold County are well known for having a unique and rich heritage. Placer County is often identified as one of the healthiest counties in California and has the best quality of life.
In 1848 Gold was discovered. This new and exciting discovery brought tens of thousands of men seeking to find their fortune. This is known as the California Gold Rush. Then in 1851, thousands more came bringing in goods and services.
Placer County came from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits containing gold. Miners washed away the gravel, leaving the heavier gold, in a process known as “placer mining.”
Mining for gold was a significant industry throughout the 1880s, as time when on, there was a shift towards farming and harvesting timber.
Information about Placer County
- 1,506 square miles in size
- 6 incorporated cities and towns
- Auburn is the county seat
- Established as a county in April 1851
- Population in 2019: 390,628
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