NEVADA COUNTY

City of Grass Valley, California

Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Grass Valley, population 12,000, offers great weather, natural beauty, and a relaxed lifestyle.

With great restaurants, a wide variety of entertainment and shopping opportunities, and quaint B&Bs, Grass Valley is a great place to visit.

Nevada County Gold Online Magazine offers the following information to help you plan your visit to Grass Valley, and its sister town, Nevada City:

Grass Valley:
Real Estate
Restaurants
Lodging
Events
History
Recreation
Business Directory
Walking Tour

Nevada City and Grass Valley are located above the 2,500-foot elevation in the Northern Sierra foothills. From Sacramento, take eastbound I-80 and northbound State Route 49. From Marysville-Yuba City, take eastbound SR 20. From Reno and Truckee-Tahoe, take westbound I-80 and westbound SR 20. See map below.

Contacts

For information, contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce at (530) 265-2692 or (800) 655-NJOY, the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce at (530) 273-4667 or (800) 655-4667 (www.grassvalleychamber.com) or the Grass Valley Downtown Association at (530) 272-8315.

From Sacramento: Take HWY80 east to HWY49 (about 1/2 hour east of Sacramento, at the town of Auburn). Take HWY49 north for 1/2 hour to the town of Grass Valley.

From The Bay Area: Take HWY680 north to HWY80. Take HWY80 east to HWY49 (about 1/2 hour east of Sacramento, at the town of Auburn). Take HWY49 north for 1/2 hour to the town of Grass Valley.

From San Francisco: Take HWY80 east to HWY49 (about 1/2 hour east of Sacramento, at the town of Auburn). Take HWY49 north for 1/2 hour to the town of Grass Valley.

From Lake Tahoe (North Shore): Take HWY80 east for about 1/2 hour to HWY20. Follow HWY20 for 1/2 hour into Nevada City/Grass Valley.

Grass Valley History:

When immigrants first came through, the meadows provided fodder for the horses, oxen and cattle. The name Grassy Valley seemed appropriate. Later, in 1849, a group of immigrants from Boston settled by the side of Wolf Creek. They built a store and cabins and named their settlement Boston Ravine. The main route through the area ran between Nevada City and Rough & Ready. The area that is now downtown Grass Valley was about halfway between the two settlements, so in 1850, it came to be known as Centreville. The Postal Service opened it's first office under that name. Ultimately the three settlements became one town and adopted the name Grass Valley.

Most gold was sifted from river gravel along the creeks in the area, but when gold was discovered in quartz deposits, hard rock mining was introduced. A man named Night was chasing his cow, or so the story goes, and stubbed his toe on an outcropping. Or maybe his name was McNight, and maybe he didn't really stub his toe. Maybe the cow was named McNight... well that's going a bit far. In fact, it still seemed easier to pan gold than to free it from rock, at least until October of 1850, when an exceptionally rich deposit was found by George Roberts. Roberts later sold his claim to the company that would become the Empire Mine which pumped out gold in huge quantities until World War II.

Walking Tour