Sierra County is a county in California, United States, set in the northern Sierra Nevada along the North and Middle forks of the Yuba River, east of the Sacramento Valley. It had a population of 3,236 at the 2020 census and covers 953 square miles (2,470 km2) of land, centred near 39°35′N 120°30′W.<\/p>\n
Downieville is the county seat, and its postal code is 95936. The county has one incorporated city (Loyalton) and about 39 unincorporated communities and historic mining camps, no civil townships. It sits in the Pacific time zone.<\/p>\n
Sierra County is almost entirely unincorporated — Loyalton is the sole incorporated city, and every other place on this list is a Census Designated Place (CDP) or an unincorporated mining-era settlement. Many of the historic mining camps carried over from the old county records are now abandoned or seasonal, but they remain named places on maps and in local use.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loyalton<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 740<\/td>\n | 96118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Downieville<\/td>\n | Unincorp. · seat<\/td>\n | 282<\/td>\n | 95936<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sierra City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96125<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sierraville<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96126<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Calpine<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96124<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sattley<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96126<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sierra Brooks<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Goodyears Bar<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 95944<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alleghany<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 95910<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bassetts<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96125<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Forest<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Gibsonville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Howland Flat<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Loganville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96125<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Poker Flat<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pike<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Scales<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sierra Pines<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 96118<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cal-Ida<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Union Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brandy City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Campbell Hot Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Carvin Creek Homesites<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Clark Station Homesites<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Grass Flat<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Haskell Creek Homesites<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maredith Mill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Minnesota Flat<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Morristown<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mount Pleasant<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nelson Mill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oxford Mill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Peavine<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Plum Valley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Plumbago<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Poverty Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Queen City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Randolph<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saint Louis<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Verdi<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Alleghany, Downieville, Goodyears Bar and Forest all sit along the North Yuba River corridor and are frequently confused with one another by out-of-county mail — each keeps its own ZIP code and post office.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nSmaller mining-era places such as Forest, Gibsonville, Howland Flat, Pike, Poker Flat, Scales, Cal-Ida and Union Hill have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest post office listed above.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nSierra County lies entirely within the northern Sierra Nevada, a landscape of steep forested ridges cut by the North and Middle forks of the Yuba River in the west and the high Sierra Valley in the east. Elevations range from around 2,000 feet along the Yuba canyons to over 8,500 feet on the Sierra Buttes. The county has no incorporated city aside from Loyalton and remains largely national forest land within the Tahoe and Plumas national forests.<\/p>\n Sierra County borders Plumas County<\/a> to the north, Lassen County<\/a> to the northeast, Nevada County<\/a> to the south, Yuba County<\/a> to the west, and Washoe County, Nevada, to the east.<\/p>\n Sierra County had 3,236 residents at the 2020 census, making it California’s second-least populous county. Loyalton is the largest community (740), followed by Downieville (282). Median household income runs well below the California median of $95,521, reflecting the county’s small, aging, largely retired and seasonal-worker population. Population density is roughly 3.4 people per square mile, one of the lowest in the state.<\/p>\n Timber, ranching and tourism drive the local economy. Sierra Valley cattle ranching remains a mainstay around Loyalton and Sierraville, while the Yuba River canyon towns depend on summer recreation — fishing, gold panning and cycling on the historic Downieville trail network draw visitors each year. Sierra County government, based in Downieville, is one of the county’s largest employers alongside the local school districts.<\/p>\n Sierra County was created from Yuba County in 1852, named for the Sierra Nevada range that covers it. The Gold Rush brought more than 16,000 miners into the county’s canyons between 1848 and 1860, and hydraulic and hardrock mining around Alleghany, Downieville and Sierra City shaped the county’s early economy and its many small named camps. Downieville, founded during that rush, has served as county seat since the county’s creation.<\/p>\n State Routes 49 and 89 are the county’s main roads; US Route 395 skirts its eastern edge near the Nevada line, and Interstate 80 crosses just south of the county through Nevada County.<\/p>\n Reno–Tahoe International Airport, about an hour east, is the nearest commercial airport.<\/p>\n Where is Sierra County?<\/strong> What is the population of Sierra County?<\/strong> How big is Sierra County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Sierra County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Sierra County?<\/strong> |