GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

'Grass Valley' is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 10,922 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Transportation

History

Notable Persons

Economy

Gallery

Town Twinning

References

External links

Geography

Grass Valley is located at (39.219215, -121.058414).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 km² (4.1 mi²), all land.

Demographics

''Note: Current estimates on population are ~11,100. (May 2007)''
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,922 people, 5,016 households, and 2,678 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,026.0/km² (2,660.2/mi²). There were 5,266 housing units at an average density of 494.7/km² (1,282.6/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city was 91.91% White, 6.56% Hispanic, or Latino, 3.71% from two or more races, 0.27% Black or African American, 1.34% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 1.66% from other races
Grass Valley also has a strong connection to Cornish culture and ancestry, since many people from Cornwall in South-West England emigrated here in the 18th and 19th centuries (see Cornish emigration).
Out of the 5,016 households, 46.6% were non-families, 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 32.4% were married couples living together, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.80 people.
The ages of the population were:
:under age 18: 23.3%
:ages 18 to 24: 9.3%
:ages 25 to 44: 25.1%
:ages 45 to 64: 20.3%
:age 65 and older: 22.0%
The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males.
The median income were:
: $28,182 for a household in the city
: $33,220 for a family
: $32,568 for males
: $21,915 for females
The per capita income for the city was $16,877. About 12.9% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Grass Valley is at the intersection of California State Route 49 and State Route 20 (California). Public transportation is limited to the urban areas.

History

Grass Valley dates from the California Gold Rush, as does nearby Nevada City. It is the location of the Empire Mine, one of the richest mines in California.
Many of those who came to settle in Grass Valley were tin miners from Cornwall. They were attracted to the California gold fields because the same skills needed for deep tin mining were needed for hardrock (deep) gold mining. Many of them specialized in pumping the water out of very deep mining shafts. This coincided with a glut in Cornish tin mining.
Grass Valley still holds on to its Cornish heritage, with events such as its annual Cornish Christmas celebration. Pasties are a local favorite dish with a few restaurants in town specializing in recipes handed down from the original immigrant generation.
In effort to put an end to the increasing number of stray cats, Grass Valley became the first city in California to pass a law limiting cat ownership to 1 per household. The law passed in 1987 and was the first of its kind.

Notable Persons

Well-known people associated with Grass Valley include:

★ Jeremy Sisto actor

★ Jonathan Dayton director ''Little Miss Sunshine''

★ Chuck Yeager the ace fighter pilot

★ Josiah Royce philosopher

★ Lotta Crabtree 19th century actress

★ Lola Montez 19th century dancer

★ John Thomson author

★ Chris Senn professional skateboarder

★ Hunter Burgan bassist of the band AFI

★ Wallace Stegner (1903-1993) set his Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel ''Angle of Repose'' (1971) in Grass Valley.

★ Bill Hotchkiss, poet and novelist, author of ''Medicine Calf,'' based on the life of Jim Beckwourth.

★ Hans Ostrom, writer and professor.

★ Jim Tucker, a guitarist for the group, The Turtles.

★ Jim Pagliaroni, former professional baseball player, catcher of a perfect game pitched by Jim "Catfish" Hunter (Oakland Athletics).

★ John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867), Native American writer, is buried in Grass Valley.
On May 15, 1902 in a field outside Grass Valley, Lyman Gilmore became the first person to fly a powered airplane (a steam-powered glider). Lyman Gilmore Middle School is located in Grass Valley and listed as a Historical site.

Economy

The Grass Valley Group is a research and development company founded in the city in 1958, specializing in video amplifiers and television switchers. Some of its technology appeared on-screen in the 1977 film ''. The company is now a subsidiary of Thomson SA. ^[1]

Gallery

Town Twinning

★ Penzance, United Kingdom

References

1. Thomson Grass Valley official site

External links

★ The Union - Local newspaper

★ City of Grass Valley Official Site

★ Great Visitor's Guide to Grass Valley

★ Live Grass Valley Web Cam

★ Nevada County Gold Online, Grass Valley History and tourism info