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Sutter Creek, California

Coordinates: 38°23′35″N 120°48′09″W / 38.39306°N 120.80250°W / 38.39306; -120.80250
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sutter Creek
A view of Main Street (Old Highway 49) in Sutter Creek.
A view of Main Street (Old Highway 49) in Sutter Creek.
Nickname: 
Jewel of the gold country
Location in Amador County
Location in Amador County
Sutter Creek is located in California
Sutter Creek
Sutter Creek
Location in California
Sutter Creek is located in the United States
Sutter Creek
Sutter Creek
Sutter Creek (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°23′35″N 120°48′09″W / 38.39306°N 120.80250°W / 38.39306; -120.80250
Country United States
State California
CountyAmador
Settled1848
IncorporatedFebruary 11, 1913[1]
Government
 • MayorClaire Gunselman[2]
 • State SenateAngelique Ashby (D)[3]
 • State AssemblyJoe Patterson (R)[4]
 • U. S. CongressMike Thompson (D)[5]
Area
 • Total
2.70 sq mi (6.99 km2)
 • Land2.70 sq mi (6.99 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation1,188 ft (362 m)
Population
 • Total
2,646
 • Density980/sq mi (380/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
95685
Area code209
FIPS code06-77392
GNIS feature IDs277620, 2412019
Websitewww.cityofsuttercreek.org
Reference no.322[9]

Sutter Creek (formerly spelled Sutter's Creek and Suttercreek;[10] formerly named Suttersville[11]) is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 2,646 at the 2020 census, up from 2,501 at the 2010 census. It is accessible via State Route 49.

History

[edit]
Sutter Creek in 1853

The community takes its name from nearby Sutter Creek, which in turn has the name of early California developer John Sutter.[12]

Sutter's discovery of gold at nearby Coloma in January 1848 triggered the California Gold Rush. After all his workers left him to go on their own hunts for gold, Sutter moved to Mormon Island with a couple of hands. After about two weeks miners flooded the island, so Sutter and his hands left and returned to Sutter Creek. Sutter said: "I broke up the camp and started on the march further south, and located my next camp on Sutter Creek, now in Amador County, and thought that I should be there alone. The work was going on well for a while, until three or four traveling grog-shops surrounded me, at from one-half to ten miles (16 km) distance from the camp. Then, of course, the gold was taken to these places, for drinking, gambling, etc., and then the following day they were sick and unable to work, and became deeper and more indebted to me, particularly the Kanakas [native Hawaiians]." Shortly thereafter Sutter moved out of Sutter Creek and back to his fort.[13]

Sutter Creek became a destination for fortune hunters. A post office was established in 1852, and Sutter Creek became a town in 1854[11] that incorporated in 1913.[11]

Although plenty of placer gold was found there, gold-bearing quartz deposits were discovered in 1851, and mining those deposits for gold became the mainstay of the local economy for many years. With the prosperity brought by quartz mining, Sutter Creek became a boomtown. By 1932, the Central Eureka mine, begun in 1869, had reached the 2,300-foot (700 m) level. By 1939, it was the best-paying mine in Sutter Creek. The mines continued operations until 1942, when most gold mines were closed for manpower reasons during World War II.

Today, Sutter Creek is a tourist town with many shops and restaurants. The town itself is registered as California Historical Landmark #322.[9]

Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.6 km2), all of it land.

Climate

[edit]

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sutter Creek has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.[14] Summers are long and hot, while winters are cool but relatively short. As typical of mediterranean climates, precipitation is concentrated to winter months, with summers being extremely dry.

Climate data for Sutter Hill Ranger Station
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 68
(20)
73
(23)
81
(27)
92
(33)
100
(38)
106
(41)
110
(43)
107
(42)
104
(40)
99
(37)
89
(32)
70
(21)
110
(43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 53.8
(12.1)
56.8
(13.8)
61.9
(16.6)
65.7
(18.7)
76.5
(24.7)
86.2
(30.1)
92.9
(33.8)
91.6
(33.1)
86.5
(30.3)
74.7
(23.7)
62.0
(16.7)
54.2
(12.3)
71.9
(22.2)
Daily mean °F (°C) 45.9
(7.7)
48.4
(9.1)
51.8
(11.0)
54.6
(12.6)
63.6
(17.6)
71.5
(21.9)
78.0
(25.6)
76.7
(24.8)
72.6
(22.6)
63.0
(17.2)
53.2
(11.8)
46.5
(8.1)
60.5
(15.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 38.0
(3.3)
40.0
(4.4)
41.7
(5.4)
43.7
(6.5)
50.8
(10.4)
57.0
(13.9)
62.8
(17.1)
61.6
(16.4)
58.8
(14.9)
51.3
(10.7)
44.4
(6.9)
38.8
(3.8)
49.1
(9.5)
Record low °F (°C) 23
(−5)
26
(−3)
28
(−2)
29
(−2)
31
(−1)
41
(5)
42
(6)
47
(8)
44
(7)
32
(0)
28
(−2)
20
(−7)
20
(−7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.19
(132)
4.41
(112)
3.84
(98)
2.76
(70)
1.07
(27)
0.32
(8.1)
0.01
(0.25)
0.12
(3.0)
0.29
(7.4)
1.72
(44)
3.62
(92)
5.22
(133)
28.55
(725)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.4
(1.0)
0.2
(0.51)
0.1
(0.25)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.25)
0.9
(2.3)
Average precipitation days 10 10 9 6 4 1 0 1 1 4 7 10 63
Source: Western Regional Climate Center[15]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18801,324
18901,3512.0%
1920920
19301,01310.1%
19401,13411.9%
19501,1511.5%
19601,1610.9%
19701,50829.9%
19801,70513.1%
19901,8357.6%
20002,30325.5%
20102,5018.6%
20202,6465.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
Old Route 49

The 2020 United States census reported that Sutter Creek had a population of 2,646. The population density was 980.7 inhabitants per square mile (378.7/km2). The racial makeup of Sutter Creek was 81.9% White, 0.6% African American, 2.2% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.8% of the population.

There were 1,265 households, out of which 26.0% included children under the age of 18, 40.2% were married-couple households, 6.2% were cohabiting couple households, 34.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 19.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 37.3% of households were one person, and 21.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.09. There were 720 families (56.9% of all households).

The age distribution was 18.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% aged 18 to 24, 20.0% aged 25 to 44, 25.6% aged 45 to 64, and 29.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males.

There were 1,428 housing units at an average density of 529.3 units per square mile (204.4 units/km2), of which 1,265 (88.6%) were occupied. Of these, 55.5% were owner-occupied, and 44.5% were occupied by renters.[17][18]

Politics

[edit]
Sutter Creek Auditorium & City Hall also houses the Police Department.
Sutter Creek Inn, Main Street, Sutter Creek
Sutter Creek Main Street

In the state legislature Sutter Creek is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby,[3] and the 5th Assembly District, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.[4] Federally, Sutter Creek is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom McClintock.[5] The city, as well as Amador County as a whole, consistently votes Republican.

Landmarks

[edit]

Sutter Creek has two buildings on the National Register of Historic Places

Notable people

[edit]

High schools

[edit]

Sutter Creek is home to Amador High School. It has fewer than 1000 students and competes athletically in the Mother Lode League of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on February 21, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  2. ^ "City Council". Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "California's 5th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  7. ^ "Sutter Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 24, 2007.
  8. ^ "US Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Sutter Creek". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  10. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sutter Creek, California
  11. ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 565. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  12. ^ "Historic Sutter Creek". City of Sutter Creek. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ Mason, J.D. (1881). History of Amador County, California. Oakland, California: Thompson & West. ISBN 978-0-938121-07-7.
  14. ^ Climate Summary for Sutter Creek, California
  15. ^ "Sutter Hill CDF, California". Western Regional Climate Center. Desert Research Institute. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "Sutter Creek city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  18. ^ "Sutter Creek city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  19. ^ Perovich, Edyth. "National Register of Historical Places Inventory" (PDF). Sierra Nevada Geotourism. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2019.
  20. ^ Greenbaum, Toni (1996). Eidelberg, Martin P. (ed.). Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry 1940-1960. Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts. Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts. p. 112. ISBN 978-2-08-013593-3.
  21. ^ Storms, A. D. (1901). The Players Blue Book. Worcester, MA: Sutherland & Storms. pp. 258-259.
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