Newcastle, California

Newcastle is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Placer County, California.^[2] Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Newcastle is located 8 miles (12.9 km) northeast of Rocklin^[4] and 31 miles northeast of Sacramento. Newcastle generally has moderate winters and warm summers.

Newcastle
census-designated place & unincorporated community
Newcastle Position in California. Show map of California Newcastle Newcastle (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 38°52′20″N 121°07′50″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Placer
Area [1]
• Total	2.396 sq mi (6.206 km2)
• Land	2.392 sq mi (6.195 km2)
• Water	0.004 sq mi (0.011 km2)  0.18%
Elevation [2]	797 ft (243 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	1,321
• Density	550/sq mi (210/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	95658
Area codes	916, 279
GNIS feature ID	2583089[2]

The population of the CDP as of the 2020 U.S. Census is 1,321.^[5]

History

Newcastle was founded in the 19th century. According to Transcontinental Railroad Landmarks the "Regular freight and passenger trains began operating over the first 31 miles of Central Pacific's line to Newcastle June 10, 1864, when political opposition and lack of money stopped further construction during that mild winter. Construction was resumed in April, 1865." The region is also in the vicinity of what was the cradle of "gold country", where in the mid-19th century a flurry of miners and gold prospectors searched for their fortune. During this time, however, the town of Newcastle was known more for its orchards rather than abundant gold mines.

The Newcastle post office opened in 1864.^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), 99.82% of it land, and 0.18% of it water.

Demographics

Portuguese Hall in Newcastle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

The 2020 United States census reported that Newcastle had a population of 1,321. The population density was 552.3 inhabitants per square mile (213.2/km²). The racial makeup of Newcastle was 1,095 (82.9%) White, 8 (0.6%) African American, 6 (0.5%) Native American, 16 (1.2%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 42 (3.2%) from other races, and 154 (11.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 121 persons (9.2%).^[6]

The census reported that 1,317 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 4 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.^[6]

There were 565 households, out of which 122 (21.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 269 (47.6%) were married-couple households, 24 (4.2%) were cohabiting couple households, 168 (29.7%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 104 (18.4%) had a male householder with no partner present. 182 households (32.2%) were one person, and 117 (20.7%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33.^[6] There were 353 families (62.5% of all households).^[7]

The age distribution was 250 people (18.9%) under the age of 18, 88 people (6.7%) aged 18 to 24, 258 people (19.5%) aged 25 to 44, 390 people (29.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 335 people (25.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males.^[6]

There were 621 housing units at an average density of 259.6 units per square mile (100.2 units/km²), of which 565 (91.0%) were occupied. Of these, 466 (82.5%) were owner-occupied, and 99 (17.5%) were occupied by renters.^[6]

Notable people

• Bud Anderson - World War II "triple Ace".^[8]
• Joe Bailon - automobile customizer and creator of the paint color Candy Apple Red.
• George S. Nixon - U.S. Senator from Nevada.^[9]
• Jason Rhoades - artist.^[10]
• John Rudometkin - professional basketball player.