Gold Country

Crystalline gold specimen from Amador County, California. Size 2.0 x 1.8 x 0.4 cm.

The Gold Country (also Mother Lode Country) is a historic region in the U.S. State of California, primarily located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada.^[1] It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.

Geology

Sutter's Mill in 1850.

The Gold Country lies on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, reaching down to the Sacramento Valley. The oldest geology can be found along the easternmost portions of this region, closer to the Sierra Nevada summits. It consists of ancient sea floor and portions of islands which were added onto the western edge of North America during the late Paleozoic, about 275 million years ago. The western sections of the Mother Lode are significantly younger, from the mid Mesozoic about 150 million years ago, and also consist of material that was solidified on the ocean floor to the continental edge. Massive intrusions of granite forced their way into these formations. After ten miles of overlying material was eroded over the last 70 million years, these intrusions became visible throughout the Sierra Nevada. Over the last 50 million years, rivers and volcanoes deposited materials; these built up in thick layers found atop many of the high ridges of the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Climate

This part of California has a Mediterranean climate like much of Italy and Spain, making wine grapes and vineyards one of the region's primary crops and industry. Over 100 wineries are found throughout the Gold Country. Winters are cool and wet with occasional snowfall, especially in the higher elevations of the eastern reaches up the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Winter temperatures range from the upper twenties to mid fifties. Summers are dry and hot, with long stretches that reach triple digits. The average annual precipitation is around 30 in (760 mm).

Transportation

California State Route 49 is the primary north-south highway through the region, passing through many historic mining communities. Major east-west highways include Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 50.

Two Amtrak routes run through the area. The eastern terminus of the Capitol Corridor is in Auburn. The California Zephyr stops in Colfax.

Principal cities and towns

References

↑ "Gold Country". California State Parks. California Department of Recreation. Retrieved August 1, 2014.

External links

Greater Sacramento

Counties

Major City

Sacramento

Cities
and
towns

100k–200k	Elk Grove Roseville

25k–100k	Antelope Arden-Arcade Carmichael Citrus Heights Davis El Dorado Hills Fair Oaks Florin Folsom Foothill Farms Lincoln North Highlands Orangevale Rancho Cordova Rocklin West Sacramento Woodland Yuba City

10k–25k	Auburn Cameron Park Diamond Springs Galt Gardnerville Ranchos (NV) Granite Bay Grass Valley La Riviera Lemon Hill Linda Marysville North Auburn Olivehurst Parkway Placerville Rio Linda Rosemont South Lake Tahoe Truckee Vineyard

Sub-regions

Sacramento Valley

Counties	Butte Colusa Glenn Placer Sacramento Shasta Sutter Tehama Yolo Yuba

Major cities	Sacramento

Cities and towns 100k-250k	Elk Grove Roseville

Cities and towns 25k-99k	Antelope Arden-Arcade Carmichael Chico Citrus Heights Davis Fair Oaks Florin Folsom Foothill Farms Lincoln North Highlands Orangevale Paradise Rancho Cordova Redding Rocklin West Sacramento Woodland Yuba City

Cities and towns 10k-25k	Auburn Galt Granite Bay La Riviera Linda Magalia Marysville North Auburn Olivehurst Oroville Parkway Red Bluff Rio Linda Rosemont Shasta Lake Vineyard

Sub-regions	Sacramento Metropolitan Area Yuba–Sutter area

State of California

Sacramento (capital)

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Regions	Antelope Valley Big Sur California Coast Ranges Cascade Range Central California Central Coast Central Valley Channel Islands Coachella Valley Coastal California Conejo Valley Cucamonga Valley Death Valley East Bay (SF Bay Area) East County (SD) Eastern California Emerald Triangle Gold Country Great Basin Greater San Bernardino Inland Empire Klamath Basin Lake Tahoe Greater Los Angeles Los Angeles Basin Lost Coast Mojave Desert Mountain Empire North Bay (SF) North Coast North Coast (SD) Northern California Owens Valley Oxnard Plain Peninsular Ranges Pomona Valley Sacramento Valley Salinas Valley San Fernando Valley San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Peninsula San Gabriel Valley San Joaquin Valley Santa Clara Valley Santa Clara River Valley Santa Clarita Valley Santa Ynez Valley Shasta Cascade Sierra Nevada Silicon Valley South Bay (LA) South Bay (SD) South Bay (SF) South Coast Southern Border Region Southern California Tech Coast Transverse Ranges Tri-Valley Victor Valley Wine Country

Metro regions	Metropolitan Fresno Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Sacramento San Bernardino-Riverside metropolitan area San Francisco metropolitan area San Diego–Tijuana

Counties	Alameda Alpine Amador Butte Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte El Dorado Fresno Glenn Humboldt Imperial Inyo Kern Kings Lake Lassen Los Angeles Madera Marin Mariposa Mendocino Merced Modoc Mono Monterey Napa Nevada Orange Placer Plumas Riverside Sacramento San Benito San Bernardino San Diego San Francisco San Joaquin San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Solano Sonoma Stanislaus Sutter Tehama Trinity Tulare Tuolumne Ventura Yolo Yuba

Most populous cities	Los Angeles San Diego San Jose San Francisco Fresno Sacramento Long Beach Oakland Bakersfield Anaheim

Coordinates: 38°24′N 120°48′W / 38.4°N 120.8°W / 38.4; -120.8

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