Rough and Ready, California

Coordinates: 39°13′49″N 121°8′6″W / 39.23028°N 121.13500°W / 39.23028; -121.13500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rough and Ready
Census-designated place
A scene in Rough and Ready near the Historic Toll House
A scene in Rough and Ready near the Historic Toll House
ZIP codes
95975
Area code530
GNIS feature ID2628785
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rough and Ready, California
Official nameLittle Town of Rough and Ready
Reference no.294

Rough and Ready is a

Sacramento. The population was 963 at the 2010 census. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[3]

History

The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company from

California Gold Rush.[4] Their leader, Captain A. A. Townsend, named the company after General Zachary Taylor (nicknamed "Old Rough and Ready") who had recently been elected the 12th President of the United States. Captain Townsend had served under Taylor when he commanded the American Forces during the Black Hawk War (1832). California had three towns so named of which this one survives.[5]

The town declared its secession from the Union as The Great Republic of Rough and Ready on 7 April 1850, largely to avoid mining taxes, but voted to rejoin the Union less than three months later on 4 July.[6] The old republic is celebrated annually as a way to attract tourism and as a point of local pride.

The post office at Rough and Ready was established by February 1851; the first postmaster was Marcus Nutting.[7] The ZIP Code is 95975. The community is inside area code 530.

The post office was closed for a time in 1855, again for a time in 1913, and again from 1942 to 1948.[8]

In 1988, the 49er Fire was accidentally started near Highway 49. The fire went on to burn well over a hundred homes and more than 33,000 acres in Nevada County, including structures in and around Rough and Ready.[9]

Present day

What little is left of the town is located on the Rough and Ready Highway. It was bypassed by State Route 20 in the mid-1980s. Among the oldest buildings are the blacksmith shop (1850s), the Odd Fellows Hall (1854) (now Rough and Ready Grange Hall), and the Old Toll House.

The town of Rough and Ready is honored as a California Historical Landmark (#294).[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Census Designated Place covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20001,595—
2010963−39.6%
2020905−6.0%

The

Latino
of any race were 56 persons (5.8%).

The Census reported that 963 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 428 households, out of which 95 (22.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 203 (47.4%) were

families
(61.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.77.

There were 160 people (16.6%) under the age of 18, 60 people (6.2%) aged 18 to 24, 184 people (19.1%) aged 25 to 44, 385 people (40.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 174 people (18.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males.

There were 477 housing units at an average density of 150.5 inhabitants per square mile (58.1/km2), of which 332 (77.6%) were owner-occupied, and 96 (22.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%. 755 people (78.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 208 people (21.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the

the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Brian Dahle,[12] and the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican Megan Dahle.[13]

Federally, Rough and Ready is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.[14]

In popular culture

  • The New York City-based music duo The Great Republic of Rough and Ready takes its name from the town.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Census". census.gov. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rough and Ready, California
  3. ^ "13 Town Names We Can't Stop Laughing Over". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  4. ISBN 9780486483603
    . Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  5. ISBN 0520213165
    .
  6. ^ "The Great Republic of Rough and Ready, by Arthur Winfield Knight [secession, California, CA]". theava.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ISBN 0-943645-27-1
  8. ISBN 1-884995-14-4
    .
  9. ^ Kellar, Liz (2018-09-11). "Nevada County's 49er Fire proved a harbinger of fire seasons to come". The Union. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  10. ^ "Rough and Ready". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  11. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Rough and Ready CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  12. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  13. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  14. ^ "California's 1st Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  15. ^ "The Great Republic of Rough and Ready performs tonight". The Union.
  16. ^ "Rough and Ready on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. December 7, 1957. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  17. ^ a b staff, The Union (8 June 2021). "'Meet The Author' with Clark Casey". The Union. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  18. ^ "Author pens 'comical Gold Rush novel' about Rough and Ready". goldcountrymedia.com. Retrieved 2021-07-27.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rough_and_Ready,_California&oldid=1210871915"