Foresthill, California

Foresthill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Placer County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 1,692 at the 2020 census, up from 1,483 at the 2010 census.

Foresthill, California
census-designated place
Location in Placer County and the state of California
Foresthill, California Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°00′19″N 120°49′53″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Placer
Government
• State Senate	Brian Dahle (R)
• State Assembly	Megan Dahle (R)
• U. S. Congress	Mike Thompson (D)[1]
Area [2]
• Total	11.185 sq mi (28.969 km2)
• Land	11.185 sq mi (28.969 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation [3]	2,169 ft (661 m)
Population  (2020)[4]
• Total	1,692
• Density	150/sq mi (58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95631
Area code	530
FIPS code	06-24834
GNIS feature ID	2408229[3]
California Historical Landmark
Reference no.	399

History

Gold specimen from the Eagles Nest mine, about 2 miles east of Foresthill. This is the premier mine for specimen gold in California, and this specimen appeared on the cover of a book and a major magazine. Among mineral collectors, it is widely known as the "Cover Gold". Size 5.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm.

Foresthill is located on a broad ridge between the North and Middle Forks of the American River on the gold-bearing gravel bed of an ancient river.

In the spring of 1850, miners came to the Forest Hill Divide in large numbers. There was one route from Auburn through Yankee Jim's and one from Coloma. At the junction of these trails, the Forest House hotel and trading post was built. The height of mining activity in Foresthill began in 1853 after a winter landslide at the head of Jenny Lind Canyon exposed numerous nuggets of gold. The Jenny Lind mine produced about $2,500 of gold a day for a while, up to a total output over $1 million by 1880. The combined production of all the mines in the Forest Hill area was estimated at $10 million by 1868^[5] with gold selling for $16 an ounce.

In the 1860s, there were about 125,000 feet (38,000 m) of hard-rock tunnels dug into the hillsides in, around and under Foresthill. By 1857, this area had become an important center for trade among the many gold camps on the divide. In 1862, the Hardy-Kennedy building was erected - the first fireproof store in Foresthill. This building, now known as the Langstaff building, is still being used by the merchants of Foresthill.

By 1880, Foresthill was one of the largest towns in Placer County, with an 80-foot (24 m) wide main street. Today the town has a marker identifying it as a California Historical Landmark.^[5] The marker is located at 24540 Main Street.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau Foresthill has a total area of 11.2 square miles (29 km²), all of it land.

Climate

Foresthill has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate that is characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers (Köppen climate classification Csa).

Climate data for Foresthill, California
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	51.9 (11.1)	53.8 (12.1)	58.2 (14.6)	63.2 (17.3)	71.8 (22.1)	80.9 (27.2)	89.0 (31.7)	89.0 (31.7)	82.2 (27.9)	70.6 (21.4)	57.7 (14.3)	51.6 (10.9)	68.3 (20.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	43.1 (6.2)	44.3 (6.8)	47.4 (8.6)	51.3 (10.7)	59.8 (15.4)	67.8 (19.9)	75.3 (24.1)	75.3 (24.1)	70.1 (21.2)	60.1 (15.6)	49.5 (9.7)	42.4 (5.8)	57.2 (14.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	34.2 (1.2)	34.7 (1.5)	36.6 (2.6)	39.5 (4.2)	47.7 (8.7)	54.8 (12.7)	61.6 (16.4)	61.5 (16.4)	57.9 (14.4)	49.6 (9.8)	41.2 (5.1)	33.1 (0.6)	46.0 (7.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	10.01 (254)	7.73 (196)	7.25 (184)	4.04 (103)	2.26 (57)	0.63 (16)	0.08 (2.0)	0.20 (5.1)	0.74 (19)	2.95 (75)	6.77 (172)	9.04 (230)	51.69 (1,313)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	8.0 (20)	6.4 (16)	5.3 (13)	2.0 (5.1)	0.1 (0.25)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.7 (1.8)	3.2 (8.1)	25.7 (65)
Average precipitation days	10	10	10	7	5	2	0	1	2	5	8	9	69
Source 1: PRISM Climate Group[6]
Source 2: Western Regional Climate Center[7]

Points of Interest

Foresthill Bridge

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	1,304		—
1990	1,409		8.1%
2000	1,791		27.1%
2010	1,483		−17.2%
2020	1,692		14.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1980[9] 1990[10] 2000[11] 2010[12]

Foresthill first appeared as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.^[9]

The 2020 United States census reported that Foresthill had a population of 1,692. The population density was 151.3 inhabitants per square mile (58.4/km²). The racial makeup of Foresthill was 1,367 (80.8%) White, 7 (0.4%) African American, 41 (2.4%) Native American, 10 (0.6%) Asian, 1 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 26 (1.5%) from other races, and 240 (14.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 161 persons (9.5%).^[13]

The whole population lived in households. There were 673 households, out of which 153 (22.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 338 (50.2%) were married-couple households, 26 (3.9%) were cohabiting couple households, 107 (15.9%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 202 (30.0%) had a male householder with no partner present. 199 households (29.6%) were one person, and 80 (11.9%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51.^[13] There were 429 families (63.7% of all households).^[14]

The age distribution was 368 people (21.7%) under the age of 18, 115 people (6.8%) aged 18 to 24, 451 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 447 people (26.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 311 people (18.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.1 males.^[13]

There were 756 housing units at an average density of 67.6 units per square mile (26.1 units/km²), of which 673 (89.0%) were occupied. Of these, 502 (74.6%) were owner-occupied, and 171 (25.4%) were occupied by renters.^[13]