About the Auburn, California Area 

The City of Auburn is a small town famous for its Gold Rush history, gorgeous scenery, and grueling endurance races. Outdoor recreation activities abound, from mountain biking and hiking to boating, fishing camping and skiing. Auburn has many unique restaurants, shops and theatres, including a quaint historic Old Town. Plus, Sacramento’s sports and cultural activities are just a short drive away. The City of Auburn, population 12,500, is a wonderful place to call home!  

Location 

Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California. Placer County is bordered by Nevada on the East and Sacramento County on the West. Auburn is in the southwest portion of Placer County, close to Folsom Lake and the towns of Rocklin, Loomis, Colfax and Foresthill.
 

Geography/Terrain 

Placer County is a geographically diverse place. The County is divided into three geographically distinct areas: The Foothills - Roseville to Penryn; The Gold Country - Newcastle to Dutch Flat; and the High Country - Alta to Lake Tahoe. 

The Valley area of Placer County is part of California’s northern Central Valley. The Valley represents bountiful agricultural lands, recreational amenities, and cultural activities. 

Folsom Lake and Recreation area, one of the largest in California, offers boating, water skiing fishing, horseback riding, and camping. 

The Gold Rush Country region consists of the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Well-stocked lakes with gorgeous trees and meandering rivers characterize this region. The search for gold brought many young men and women to the hills of Placer County. 

Hiking along old wagon trails through the Tahoe National Forest is a hike through the area’s history. Off the beaten path, adventure seekers can experience gold panning, nature photography, or river rafting. 

Those seeking adventure or retreat and relaxation will relish the beauty of the High Country region of Placer County. The rugged mountains, capped with snow in the winter, characterize the High Country. Abundant opportunities for hiking, camping, mountain bicycling, and horseback riding are available during the summer and fall throughout the Tahoe National Forest. 

Auburn is nestled in the picturesque Gold Country foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range at a comfortable 1,300 feet elevation. Situated on the edge of the Auburn State Recreation Area, the City of Auburn overlooks the beautiful American River Canyon, which offers an abundance of outdoor recreational activities.  

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 19.1 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.41%) is water. 

Distance to Three Closest Major Cities  

Auburn is located about 35 miles east of Sacramento along Interstate 80 and about 68 miles southwest of Lake Tahoe. Downtown San Francisco is about 120 miles away, and Los Angeles is 381 miles South. 

Jobs 

From its Historic Old Town Auburn to the agricultural diversity and recreation industry surrounding Auburn, the City enjoys a thriving economy. The greater Auburn area includes about 44,000 people that live and work in the area.  

In addition, the city of Sacramento is the capital of California and also has a great deal to offer people living in its backyard. With nearly 450,000 residents, it's the 37th largest city in the nation, and a center of government, business and culture for a large metro region of nearly 2 million people. 

State and local government are major employers in Sacramento, along with transportation, military, aerospace, furniture, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Crops and livestock from the Central Valley come to Sacramento to be processed, packaged and shipped across the nation and around the world. 

In recent years, high-tech industries including computers, software and electronics have been relocating and starting-up in numbers, and are becoming significant employers for the region. Auburn has a new Auburn Station that provides travel access for the Amtrak Capitol Corridor and local bus transportation to Sacramento.
 

Housing  

Auburn has grown substantially over the last 10 years, yet it still holds on to its desirable small town feel. Auburn’s foothill location makes for undulating terrain and unique neighborhoods. A nice plus is that Auburn is situated above the fog line, making for sunny days even when it is foggy in the valley. Auburn is just an easy 30-minute freeway commute to Sacramento and is only about an hour from Tahoe and the Sierras. 

Auburn offers many types of housing. In Old Town Auburn there are stunning Victorian homes. Outside the city limits are custom homes that tend to have larger lot sizes, as well as subdivisions, homes on acreage, golf course homes, mountain retreats, a gated community, and homes with ponds or creeks. There are established horse properties that have complete setups with barns, stalls and fencing. Auburn has many different retirement communities for both assisted living and independent living. 

Home prices range from about $225,000 all the way up to over $2,000,000. The median price is about $442,000.
 

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf 

There is so much to do in Placer County, from extreme sports, to fine dining, antique shopping, hiking and biking, or simply enjoying the beautiful scenery. Because of the mild seasonal temperatures and the nearness of natural, forested open spaces surrounding the City of Auburn, the opportunities for outdoor recreation are outstanding. The confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the American River is practically at Auburn's doorstep. 

The wilderness of the Auburn State Recreation Area and especially the American River Canyon offers an abundance of outdoor experiences—rock climbing, horseback riding trails, challenging running trails, scenic trail hiking, nature trail hikes guided by the Canyon Keepers, Audubon Outings with Protect American River Canyons, white water rafting and kayaking, lake boating, river and lake fishing, mountain biking, and camping. 

Simply looking out the window as you drive down the road will reveal the beautiful landscapes of the Gold Country. For people wishing to explore the Tahoe National Forest firsthand there are several Nature Trails and Interpretive Trails with pamphlets to direct your adventures. During the spring and summer, guided activities such as Springtime Wildflower Walks and Stargazing parties take place. 

One of the self-guided tours is the Placer County Big Trees Grove – the northernmost grove of Giant Sequoia. In addition to the giants, this grove is home to other conifers, shrubs, and wildflowers. Some examples are the Sugar Pine, Bear Clover – a member of the Rose family, Greenleaf Manzanita, Western Azaleas, and Dogwoods.  

In the City itself, the new Auburn Skate Park is within walking distance from Downtown. The Auburn Recreation District sponsors numerous organized sports programs for all ages, which are offered at the recreation center and several recreational parks in the immediate area. Auburn has numerous neighborhood parks with playgrounds and ball fields. The Auburn Library Garden Theatre is a wonderful park with a large sloped lawn with an amphitheatre for concerts, plays, weddings and more. 

Golf enthusiasts will find much to smile about in Auburn. The City is home to six golf courses. Auburn Valley Country Club and Lake of the Pines Country Club are private clubs with challenging courses and abundant natural beauty. Dark Horse Golf Club, The Course at Raspberry Hill, Black Oak Golf Course, and The Ridge Golf Course are public courses that offer varying degrees of difficulty. Most of the courses overlook the many lakes in the area. Each one has something different to offer, from championship designs to family-friendly play.
 

Special Attractions/Events 

There are many one-of-a-kind shopping and dining venues in the commercial business districts of Downtown, Old Town, Auburn Town Center, and Highway 49. The combined business districts offer almost 50 diverse restaurants, specialty clothing and gift stores, antique stores, art galleries, bookstores, museums, and wineries and wine tasting.  

Auburn is the home of the Arts Council of Placer County (ACPC), the non-profit organization that sponsors arts activities throughout Placer County. ACPC's Auburn Art Walk is a very popular and successful event. The Auburn Art Walk has grown to over 35 venues exhibiting local artists' works. 

The City is also extremely proud of the Auburn Symphony. Auburn is very supportive of its arts community, including public art, theatrical arts, music, dance, and all the local artists that exhibit their art work in the many art galleries and businesses.
 

In 2003, the Auburn City Council passed an official measure proclaiming Auburn as the “Endurance Capital of the World”. Auburn hosts some of the most challenging endurance events on the planet. The vast network of roads and trails in the Auburn State Park and surrounding Sierra Nevada Mountains make Auburn a destination for endurance athletes of all levels and interests. 

The slogan "All Trails Lead to Auburn" is apropos for the signature events that finish within the City’s limits, including: Cool Mountain Bike Race, Coolest 24 Mountain Bike Race/Race Against Cancer, Auburn International Half-Ironman Triathlon and NEW AIT Sprint Triathlon, Western States 100-mile run, Tevis Cup 100-mile endurance ride, and Auburn Century.
 

Interesting Facts, Historic Buildings and Places 

Placer County was home to several villages of the Nisenan group of the Maidu tribe for hundreds of years before the discovery of gold in 1848 brought hordes of miners from around the world. An abundance of food sources were available year-round to the tribes in this territory, known for hunting, fishing, and other methods of staple food gathering, such as acorns and other nuts, roots, grasses and herbs, and native fruits, not being dependant on a single crop. 

Auburn was settled when Claude Chana discovered gold in Auburn Ravine in May 1848, and it later became a shipping and supply center for the surrounding gold camps. Only three years after the discovery of gold, the fast-growing county was formed from portions of Sutter and Yuba counties on April 25, 1851 with Auburn as the county seat. Placer County took its name 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." 

The cornerstone of Placer's beautiful and historic courthouse, which is visible from Interstate 80 as it passes through Auburn, was laid on July 4, 1894. The building was renovated during the late 1980s and continues to serve the public today with courtrooms, a historic sheriff's office and the Placer County Museum. 

Old Town Auburn and the early areas of commerce established around 1900 still exist today. The City has expanded to encompass both areas, everywhere in between, and beyond. Much of the historic Old Town Auburn area has been preserved. 

The Auburn City Hall business offices are housed in the building once known as Auburn Grammar School. The 1915 structure was designed by the noted San Francisco architect William H. Weeks and was designated a Point of Historic Interest by the Placer County Historical Society in 1991. 

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