Nevada City, CA: population 3'068, elevation 2'477 ft
Grass Valley, CA: population 12'860, elevation 2'411 ft
Last weekend serendipity brought us to Grass Valley and Nevada City–two neighboring towns settled during the California Gold Rush. In fact, two of the richest mines in California–the Empire Mine and North Star Mine–are located in Grass Valley. Apparently, the Empire Mine is still full of gold, as only about 20% of it was extracted.
These two mines turned Nevada City and Grass Valley into two most important mining towns in California (at least between 1850 and 1851) and their past glory is still clearly visible today in beautifully preserved historic downtown districts, which attract tourism and provide employment for the locals.
Even though Grass Valley is larger and has bigger historic downtown, we liked Nevada City much more. It felt more relaxed, it seemed to be more friendly towards artists and other free-thinkers, and it had many good coffee places. In contrast, we had trouble finding a coffee place in Grass Valley, and when we finally found one, the coffee there was terrible. Still, we enjoyed our stay there a lot, and we're likely to come back in the future.
Here are some photos from the two towns.
Grass Valley, CA: population 12'860, elevation 2'411 ft
Last weekend serendipity brought us to Grass Valley and Nevada City–two neighboring towns settled during the California Gold Rush. In fact, two of the richest mines in California–the Empire Mine and North Star Mine–are located in Grass Valley. Apparently, the Empire Mine is still full of gold, as only about 20% of it was extracted.
These two mines turned Nevada City and Grass Valley into two most important mining towns in California (at least between 1850 and 1851) and their past glory is still clearly visible today in beautifully preserved historic downtown districts, which attract tourism and provide employment for the locals.
Even though Grass Valley is larger and has bigger historic downtown, we liked Nevada City much more. It felt more relaxed, it seemed to be more friendly towards artists and other free-thinkers, and it had many good coffee places. In contrast, we had trouble finding a coffee place in Grass Valley, and when we finally found one, the coffee there was terrible. Still, we enjoyed our stay there a lot, and we're likely to come back in the future.
Here are some photos from the two towns.
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| Nevada City, CA |
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| Nevada City, CA |
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| Nevada City, CA |
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| Nevada City, CA |
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| Nevada City, CA |
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| Grass Valley, CA |
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| Grass Valley, CA |
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| Grass Valley, CA |
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| Grass Valley, CA |