Downieville, California

Downieville is the county seat of Sierra County, California. It has a population of 325.

Downieville was settled in late 1849 during the California Gold Rush and is named after Major William Downie (1820-1893), a Scotsman who led the expedition up the North Fork of the Yuba River. Major Downie's travels are documented in his 1893 autobiography, "Hunting for Gold." Downieville reached a peak population of over 5,000 people in 1851 but declined sharply by 1865. Downieville is situated on the convergence of the Downie River and North Fork of the Yuba River. Downieville was nearly voted the state capital of California in 1853 before it was moved to Benicia, and then shortly thereafter its current location in Sacramento.

Downieville is a popular mountain biking destination, hosting the world famous race, the Downieville Classic, a two day event consisting an Enduro style or Super-D downhill race as well as an extremely challenging cross country race. The Single Speed World Championship was also held in Downieville in 2003.

Other popular outdoor activities include off-road motorcycling, kayaking, hiking, and gold panning.

It is home to the state's oldest weekly newspaper, the Mountain Messenger. Default wired telephone numbers for the town follow the format (530) 289-xxxx. In a typical year, the high school graduates about a half-dozen students. It is in the ZIP code 95936.

Government

Local

Because Loyalton is Sierra County's most populous municipality and its only incorporated city, generally half of the meetings of the county's board of supervisors are held in Downieville and the other half are held in Loyalton. [1]

State and Federal

In the state legislature Loyalton is located in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Dave Cox, and in the 3rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Rick Keene. Federally, Loyalton is located in California's 4th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +11^[1] and is represented by Republican John Doolittle.

References

1. ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2007-10-20.

External links

• Sierra County Visitor's Guide
• County of Sierra web page
• Highway 49 information
• Major Downie Web site
• Downieville, California is at coordinates 39°33′34″N 120°49′33″W / 39.55944, -120.82583 (Downieville, California)Coordinates: 39°33′34″N 120°49′33″W / 39.55944, -120.82583 (Downieville, California)

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