The sister cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City bump boundaries on a small ridge separating the distinct personalities of the two cities. Visitors can easily miss the fact that they’ve gone from one city to the other.
Grass Valley became the richest gold mining town in California.
A walking tour guide is available. Today the tour can include several wine tasting rooms representing nearly a half- dozen local wineries.
Certainly you want to take advantage of the numerous restaurants, B&Bs, and recreation opportunities that both offer.
Both towns began as Gold Rush communities and they still portray that heritage well. Grass Valley has taken on a more cosmopolitan image while Nevada City is portrayed as the Queen City of the Gold Rush and has retained that character to this day.
Grass Valley became the richest gold mining town in California. The Empire Mine State Historical Park has captured the golden history and offers restored buildings and walking trails that are the pride and joy of locals. The North Star Mining Museum has preserved many of the tools and machinery used by miners including the three-story Pelton Wheel that provided hydropneumatic power to 367 miles of tunnels – the deepest of which approached a depth of nearly two miles. The Empire Mine alone produced over 6 million ounces of gold.
Many of the downtown buildings date back to the earliest brick buildings in the Gold Rush community. A walking tour guide is available. Today the tour can include several wine tasting rooms representing nearly a half-dozen local wineries. Several fine-dining and many more family style restaurants representing numerous cuisines are located in the community. So are numerous fast-food places; yet next door in Nevada City there are none.
Grass Valley makes a great outdoor recreation base with several nearby boating and fishing reservoirs plus the South Yuba/Bridgeport recreation area. Scotts Flat, Rollins, and Englebright are the closest reservoirs and each offers year-round fun. Highways 49 and 20 each quickly climb into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The nearby South Yuba River is renowned for its whitewater kayaking opportunities. The city provides every service necessary for a great outdoor adventure.
Both Grass Valley and Nevada City are bustling communities with a wide host of services, including an excellent alternative news source, www.yubanet.com. In addition to checking the site out for the latest in news, enjoy their eclectic collection of maps and aerial photographs of California and the Sierra Nevada. My favorite is Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe from space. This will give you a new perspective on the awesome Central Sierra Nevada.
| Population: | 12,000 | Links: | Chamber of Commerce: www.grassvalleychamber.com Community: www.ncgold.com |
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Grass Valley is located on Highway 49 about 24 miles north of Auburn and Interstate 80. Highway 20 joins Highway 49 at Grass Valley and Marysville is 33 miles to the west in the Central Valley on Highway 20.