Colfax, California

Colfax (formerly Alden Grove, Alder Grove, Illinoistown, and Upper Corral) is a city in Placer County, California, at the crossroads of Interstate 80 and State Route 174. The population was 1,995 at the 2020 census. The town is named in honor of U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax (1869–73), a bronze statue of whom stands at Railroad Street and Grass Valley Street. (This is one of two known statues of Schuyler Colfax in the United States, the other located in Indianapolis, Indiana.) Some of the town's notable features include the newly restored Southern Pacific Railroad colonnade-style depot (which houses the Colfax Museum and Chamber of Commerce) built in 1905, the downtown shops on Main Street, and Colfax High School, which serves a large surrounding area. History Originally inhabited by the Maidu and Miwok Native Americans, by the mid-19th century the city site was known as Alder Grove; however, as development increased, the city became known as Illinoistown, a supply hub for gold mining camps. In April 1852, the Reelfoot Williams Gang robbed a Nevada City stagecoach of $7,000 in gold bullion near Illinoistown. This was the first stagecoach robbery in the gold country. Later the city was renamed Colfax after then Speaker of the House (and later Vice President) Schuyler Colfax who visited the town in 1865 while inspecting progress of construction of the Central Pacific Railroad, the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad. The city was the southern terminus of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad from 1876 until the railroad's removal in 1942. Historic U.S. Route 40 also runs through the city as well as the more modern Interstate 80. The city is mentioned in Jules Verne’s book Around the World in Eighty Days. In July 2015 the Lowell Fire burned thousands of acres nearby, forcing evacuation in Nevada County. On August 4, 2021, the River Fire started in the Bear River Campground, forcing thousands of residents on both the Placer and Nevada county sides of the river to evacuate. The fire was contained nine days later after burning over 2,600 acres (11 km2) and dozens of homes. In December 2021, the city was placed under a state of emergency due to severe snow storms. More than 575,000 metered electric customers in Northern California were without power at some point during the storm, with about 141,000 still without power one month after the first major outage. The mayor at the time, Trinity Burruss, urged citizens to help each other and deputized some of her family members to run snowplows in order to get roads cleared. Geography Colfax is located at 39°5′50″N 120°57′14″W (39.097260, −120.954017). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all of it land. The principal geologic structures present are granitic and metamorphic rock formations. Located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Colfax is a branch of the Melones Fault, running in north to south direction. Because the fault runs through the old grammar school baseball field, the school was closed. (Earth Metrics, 1989) Another branch of the same fault is located about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the east, also aligned in a north–south orientation. No movement has been recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the faults are considered inactive. Bunch Creek is an active water source flowing south to eventually reach a confluence with the North Fork of the American River. Colfax sits a few miles outside the Tahoe National Forest as I-80 begins its climb into the Sierras. Because of its location, it is considered at high risk of wildfire. Climate Colfax has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Summers can be quite hot, especially in the months of July and August, when temperatures easily reach 90 °F (32 °C) with plenty of sunshine. Winters, on the other hand, are quite cool, with temperatures in December hovering around 46 °F (8 °C); and owing to its altitude above sea level, Colfax some years sees snow accumulation. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Colfax had a population of 1,995 and a population density of 1,418.9 inhabitants per square mile (547.8/km2). The median age was 38.6 years. The age distribution was 421 people (21.1%) under age 18, 177 (8.9%) aged 18 to 24, 539 (27.0%) aged 25 to 44, 500 (25.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 358 (17.9%) aged 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males age 18 and over. The whole population lived in households. There were 862 households, of which 251 (29.1%) had children under age 18. Of all households, 316 (36.7%) were married-couple households, 83 (9.6%) were cohabiting-couple households, 262 (30.4%) had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 201 (23.3%) had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. In addition, 283 households (32.8%) were made up of individuals, and 137 (15.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31, and there were 497 families (57.7% of all households). There were 921 housing units at an average density of 655.0 units per square mile (252.9 units/km2), of which 862 (93.6%) were occupied and 59 (6.4%) were vacant. Of occupied units, 447 (51.9%) were owner-occupied and 415 (48.1%) were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4%, and the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. Transportation Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Colfax. The city's passenger rail station is located at 99 Railroad Street in the heart of town. Amtrak Train 5, the westbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Colfax at 11:48 a.m. daily with service to Roseville, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, and Emeryville across the bay from San Francisco. Amtrak Train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Colfax at 12:21 p.m. daily with service to Truckee, Reno, Sparks, Winnemucca, Elko, Salt Lake City, Provo, Helper, Green River, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Denver, Omaha, Galesburg, and Chicago. A bronze statue of the town's namesake, Schuyler Colfax, stands near the depot at the Grass Valley Street railroad grade crossing. Amtrak Thruway 20 provides a daily connection from Colfax Depot to Sacramento Valley Station to the west, and Reno/Sparks, Nevada to the east, with a few stops in between. Placer County Transit provides commuter service to/from Colfax Depot to/from downtown Sacramento and several other California cities. All routes operate Monday-Saturday, with the exceptions of Route 40, Placer Commuter Express (which run weekdays only) and Lincoln School Tripper (which runs on school days). There is no service on Sundays and holidays. Greyhound, the national intercity bus system, also provides service to and from Colfax. References Colfax, California community profile Earth Metrics Inc., "Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Bunch Creek Shopping Center, Colfax, California", printed in San Mateo, Ca., Document File no. 7928W0, May 16, 1989 Further reading Moody, C. L. (1917). The breccias of the Mariposa formation in the vicinity of Colfax, California. University of California publications, v. 10, no. 21. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. OCLC 4875739. Du Vall, A. H., & Landrith, M. H. (1984). A Colfax cemetery recording: Colfax, California, February 29, 1984. Auburn, CA: The Authors. OCLC 17348030. External links City of Colfax Colfax Area Chamber of Commerce Colfax History