Downieville, California
Encyclopedia
Downieville is a census-designated place
in and the county seat
of Sierra County
, California
, United States
. Downieville sits at an elevation of 3888 feet (1,185.1 m). The 2010 United States census reported Downieville 's population was 282.
and was first known as "The Forks" for its geographical location and shortly thereafter was renamed after Major William Downie
(1820-1893), a Scotsman who led the expedition up the North Fork of the Yuba River and who was the town's first mayor. Major Downie's travels are documented in his 1893 autobiography, "Hunting for Gold." Downieville reached a peak population of over 5,000 people in 1851 but declined sharply by 1865. Downieville is situated at the confluence of the Downie River and North Fork of the Yuba River
. Downieville was vying to become the state capital of California along with fifteen other California communities in 1853 before the capital was moved to Benicia, and then shortly thereafter its current location in Sacramento
. In July 1851 Downieville gained a distinction it may not have wanted when a mob lynched a Mexican woman, known as Juanita, for the murder of a white miner. It remains the only lynching of a female in California history.
The northern mines area was populated by a number of gold rush camps with colorful names, places like Brandy City, Whiskey Diggins, Poverty Hill, and Poker Flat. While many of these camps entirely disappeared after the gold rush, Downieville survived due both to its geographical location and status as the seat of Sierra County government.
destination, hosting the world famous race, the Downieville Classic, a two day event consisting an Enduro style or Super-D downhill race as well as an extremely challenging cross country
race. The Single Speed World Championship
was also held in Downieville in 2003.
Other popular outdoor activities include off-road motorcycling
, kayaking
, hiking
, and gold panning
. Fishing for planted rainbow trout and for German browns also is an attraction.
The Downieville Museum is housed in a building converted from a store originally built by Chinese immigrants circa 1852. Today, the museum contains objects that depict life from the Gold Rush era to the present.
There are a variety of lodging options in the area, ranging from campgrounds to motels to on-the-river cabins such as those at Sierra Shangri-la and The Lure.
Downieville is home to the state's oldest weekly newspaper, the Mountain Messenger. Default wired telephone numbers for the town follow the format (530
) 289-xxxx. In a typical year, the high school graduates about a half-dozen students. Downieville has its own post office (on Main Street) and its ZIP code
is 95936. The elevation is around 2900 feet (883.9 m).
, the CDP covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), 99.83% of it land and 0.17% of it water.
was 88.5 people per square mile (34.2/km²). The racial makeup of Downieville was 269 (95.4%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 4 (1.4%) Native American, 2 (0.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 0 (0.0%) from other races
, and 7 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12 persons (4.3%).
The Census reported that 282 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 147 households, out of which 25 (17.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 59 (40.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 13 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4 (2.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 6 (4.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 3 (2.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 61 households (41.5%) were made up of individuals and 32 (21.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92. There were 76 families
(51.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.59.
The population was spread out with 40 people (14.2%) under the age of 18, 20 people (7.1%) aged 18 to 24, 42 people (14.9%) aged 25 to 44, 104 people (36.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 76 people (27.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.5 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.8 males.
There were 225 housing units at an average density of 70.6 per square mile (27.3/km²), of which 102 (69.4%) were owner-occupied, and 45 (30.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 14.8%. 198 people (70.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 84 people (29.8%) lived in rental housing units.
is Sierra County's most populous municipality
and its only incorporated city, generally half of the meetings of the county's board of supervisors are held in Downieville and the other half are held in Loyalton.
Loyalton is located in the 1st Senate
District, represented by Republican
Ted Gaines
, and in the 3rd Assembly
District, represented by Republican Dan Logue. Federally, Loyalton is located in California's 4th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +11 and is represented by Republican Tom McClintock
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Sierra County
Sierra County, California
Sierra County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California, northeast of Sacramento on the border with Nevada. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,240, down from 3,555 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Downieville....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Downieville sits at an elevation of 3888 feet (1,185.1 m). The 2010 United States census reported Downieville 's population was 282.
History
Downieville was settled in late 1849 during the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
and was first known as "The Forks" for its geographical location and shortly thereafter was renamed after Major William Downie
William Downie
William Downie was a Scottish prospector and explorer involved in the gold rushes in California and British Columbia of the mid-19th Century. Downie was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in Ayrshire....
(1820-1893), a Scotsman who led the expedition up the North Fork of the Yuba River and who was the town's first mayor. Major Downie's travels are documented in his 1893 autobiography, "Hunting for Gold." Downieville reached a peak population of over 5,000 people in 1851 but declined sharply by 1865. Downieville is situated at the confluence of the Downie River and North Fork of the Yuba River
Yuba River
The Yuba River is a tributary of the Feather River in the Sacramento Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the Feather's most important branches, providing about a third of its flow. The main stem of the river is about long, and its headwaters are split into North, Middle and South...
. Downieville was vying to become the state capital of California along with fifteen other California communities in 1853 before the capital was moved to Benicia, and then shortly thereafter its current location in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. In July 1851 Downieville gained a distinction it may not have wanted when a mob lynched a Mexican woman, known as Juanita, for the murder of a white miner. It remains the only lynching of a female in California history.
The northern mines area was populated by a number of gold rush camps with colorful names, places like Brandy City, Whiskey Diggins, Poverty Hill, and Poker Flat. While many of these camps entirely disappeared after the gold rush, Downieville survived due both to its geographical location and status as the seat of Sierra County government.
Activities
Downieville is a popular mountain bikingMountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
destination, hosting the world famous race, the Downieville Classic, a two day event consisting an Enduro style or Super-D downhill race as well as an extremely challenging cross country
Cross-country cycling
Cross-country cycling is the most common discipline of mountain biking. While less publicized than downhill cycling as it is more difficult to televise, it garners the highest levels of participation both recreationally and competitively....
race. The Single Speed World Championship
Single Speed World Championship
The Single Speed World Championship, or SSWC, is an annual event. It is only open to bicycles with a single gear ratio. Those bicycles can be either singlespeeds or fixed-gears...
was also held in Downieville in 2003.
Other popular outdoor activities include off-road motorcycling
Motorcycling
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. A variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up around motorcycling.-Benefits:Robert M. Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a paean celebrating motorcycling...
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, and gold panning
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
. Fishing for planted rainbow trout and for German browns also is an attraction.
The Downieville Museum is housed in a building converted from a store originally built by Chinese immigrants circa 1852. Today, the museum contains objects that depict life from the Gold Rush era to the present.
There are a variety of lodging options in the area, ranging from campgrounds to motels to on-the-river cabins such as those at Sierra Shangri-la and The Lure.
Downieville is home to the state's oldest weekly newspaper, the Mountain Messenger. Default wired telephone numbers for the town follow the format (530
Area code 530
North American area code 530 is a California telephone area code that covers Auburn, Chico, Colfax, Davis, Grass Valley, Marysville, Oroville, Placerville, Redding, Red Bluff, Susanville, Truckee, Woodland, Yuba City and South Lake Tahoe....
) 289-xxxx. In a typical year, the high school graduates about a half-dozen students. Downieville has its own post office (on Main Street) and its ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 95936. The elevation is around 2900 feet (883.9 m).
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), 99.83% of it land and 0.17% of it water.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Downieville had a population of 282. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 88.5 people per square mile (34.2/km²). The racial makeup of Downieville was 269 (95.4%) White, 0 (0.0%) African American, 4 (1.4%) Native American, 2 (0.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 0 (0.0%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 7 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12 persons (4.3%).
The Census reported that 282 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 147 households, out of which 25 (17.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 59 (40.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4 (2.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 6 (4.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 3 (2.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 61 households (41.5%) were made up of individuals and 32 (21.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92. There were 76 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(51.7% of all households); the average family size was 2.59.
The population was spread out with 40 people (14.2%) under the age of 18, 20 people (7.1%) aged 18 to 24, 42 people (14.9%) aged 25 to 44, 104 people (36.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 76 people (27.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56.5 years. For every 100 females there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.8 males.
There were 225 housing units at an average density of 70.6 per square mile (27.3/km²), of which 102 (69.4%) were owner-occupied, and 45 (30.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 14.8%. 198 people (70.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 84 people (29.8%) lived in rental housing units.
Local
Because LoyaltonLoyalton, California
Loyalton is a city in Sierra County, California, United States. The population was 769 at the 2010 census, down from 862 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code for the community is 96118. Wired telephone numbers in the community follow the format 993-xxxx. The town is near the north extent of State...
is Sierra County's most populous municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and its only incorporated city, generally half of the meetings of the county's board of supervisors are held in Downieville and the other half are held in Loyalton.
State and Federal
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Loyalton is located in the 1st Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Ted Gaines
Ted Gaines
Edward M. Gaines is a California State Senator, representing the 1st Senate district. He won a January 4, 2011, special election to replace the late Dave Cox and took office two days later...
, and in the 3rd Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Republican Dan Logue. Federally, Loyalton is located in California's 4th congressional district
California's 4th congressional district
California's 4th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. It covers the northeastern corner of California along Route 395, encompassing El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Sierra, Plumas, Lassen, and Modoc counties, as well as parts of Butte County...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +11 and is represented by Republican Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock
Thomas Miller McClintock II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Assemblyman and state Senator...
.