Washington, California

For the town formerly called Washington, in Yolo County, California, see Broderick, California.

Washington
census-designated place
Main Street in Washington
Main Street in Washington
Washington is located in California
Washington
Washington
Location within the state of California
Washington is located in the United States
Washington
Washington
Washington (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°21′34″N 120°47′53″W / 39.35944°N 120.79806°W / 39.35944; -120.79806 [1]
Country United States
State California
CountyNevada
Area
[2]
 • Total1.899 sq mi (4.917 km2)
 • Land1.899 sq mi (4.917 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation
[3]
2,612 ft (796 m)
Population
 (2020)[4]
 • Total101
 • Density53/sq mi (21/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
95986
Area code530
GNIS feature ID2628797

Washington (originally, Indiana Camp)[5] is a census-designated place located in Nevada County, California.[3] Washington is located on the banks of the South Yuba River and has a population of approximately two hundred people. There is a hotel/bar and restaurant, grocery store, a one-room schoolhouse that has educated students continuously for one hundred years, and two trailer park campgrounds. The elevation is 2,612 feet (796 m). The population was 185 at the 2010 census. According to the 2020 census, the population was 137 with a median age of 61.7.[6]

The population fluctuates seasonally and the town businesses rely on the tourist trade as the population increases in the summer. It was settled during the California Gold Rush in 1849 and produced a large amount of placer gold. Hard rock mines were established soon afterward and were very productive. Washington is the only settlement in the vicinity to have survived to this day. There remains today much evidence of placer gold mining, hydraulic mining, and hard-rock mining. During the mining period, many Chinese lived there.

Washington's biggest businesses are its two campsites, Little Town Campground (formerly Gene's Pine Aire Campground) and the River Rest, which has been in business since the 1960s through different owners. Filmmaker Sara Ross-Samko is making a feature-length documentary portrait of the town.[7]

The ZIP Code is 95986. The community is inside area code 530.

  1. ^ USGS Map Name: Washington, CA Map MRC: 39120C7
  2. ^ U.S. Census
  3. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Washington, California
  4. ^ "US Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CGN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Washington Demographics - Get Current Census Data for Washington, CA".
  7. ^ "ABOUT". mysite. Retrieved January 16, 2021.