Photo of the week

This #PlacerLife photo of the Tower Theatre in Roseville was taken by @jeffe_photos on Instagram. 

Featured story

Meet our new Library on Wheels!

Our Library Services Division is proud to introduce its new Library on Wheels! This upgraded vehicle is larger than our previous model, offering more space, more materials and a better overall experience for customers.

Whether you’re visiting us at a neighborhood stop, school or community event, you’ll enjoy easier browsing, improved accessibility and more opportunities to discover something new.

Check out our website for routes and stop schedules

Watch video

History

175 Years of Placer County history in one timeline

From Gold Rush camps to Olympic slopes, Placer County has been making history for 175 years. Explore our new interactive timeline — updated every Thursday with new photographs, milestones and stories connecting our past to today. Read more

Youth & health

Teens take action on vaping crisis with release of new children’s book

Placer teens in the Youth Commission are tackling vaping with a new children’s book. "Benny and the Forbidden Garden" helps kids spot and resist peer pressure. Join a public storytime and launch at the Rocklin Library next week.
Learn more

175th anniversary

Track and Field Championship celebrates Placer County's 175th

As part of our 175th anniversary celebration, we’re sponsoring a track and field championship on April 18 featuring county high school athletes. The meet will include a Guns and Hoses race to benefit the Special Olympics.
Learn more

Transportation

Caltrans announces completion of SR-49 roundabout project

Caltrans has announced the completion of the $13.1 million state Route 49 American Canyon Roundabout Project in Auburn, the third project completed in the Auburn area aimed at improving safety and traffic flow along the corridor.
Read more

In other news

Rocklin and Roseville make U.S. News’ list of best cities to live in California
$3 million available for Clean Air Projects in Placer County
Placer County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan now open for public input
Early green waste disposal now available in eastern Placer County
Virtual town hall meeting on proposed Cabin Creek biomass facility April 13
New Behavioral Health Services Act plan open for public comment
Safely dispose of medications: Take back event coming up, plus year-round resources

This week in Placer County history

On April 25, 1851, the territory that Placer County comprises was officially formed and given its name. California had just entered the Union as the 31st state Sept. 9, 1850, and at the time included 27 expansive counties.

When Placer County was created, it was carved out of portions of Sutter and Yuba counties. Auburn had recently been elected as the seat of Sutter County, a position reaffirmed by election in May 1851, and it continued to serve as the seat of the new county.

The name ‘Placer’ was given in recognition of the rich deposits of placer gold in the region. Over time, water eroded these deposits from their hard rock origins and swept them into ancient rivers and waterways.

By the time Placer County was established, prospectors were already seeking this precious metal throughout the foothills as they had been since mid-1848 when news of the treasure began to spread.

It was on May 16, 1848, that gold was found in what would become Auburn by Claude Chana, marking the first discovery in what became Placer County.

First called the North Fork Dry Diggings or Wood’s Dry Diggings, by late summer 1849, the name Auburn was chosen. According to the memoirs of Auburn’s earliest pioneers and merchants, the name was selected in reference to Oliver Goldsmith’s poem from 1770, entitled “The Deserted Village,” which begins “Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain…”

This illustration (pictured above) is the earliest known view of Auburn, as it appeared in 1851. The location of this village was tied to water and opportunity. In addition to the Auburn Ravine where Chana made his fateful discovery nearby in 1848, several other ravines converge in the vicinity of Old Town Auburn, while natural springs here also drew a growing population.

Auburn was situated at an ideal elevation and at a major crossroads for travelers heading from Sacramento and Folsom to Nevada County, and up into higher elevation locales. Among the earliest citizens of the village was William Gwynn, who built a trading post here and was joined by other ambitious merchants and pioneer prospectors.

Pictured in the foreground of this illustration is a round canvas tent and a log cabin billowing smoke. This is where two merchants from Texas, Willard Post and George Ripley made their trading post in 1850.

By 1851, the firm of Post and Ripley had moved on, and these structures served as Placer County’s first courthouse and jail. The census of 1852 recorded a population of 10,784 residents of the county, who were served by the system of government operated from these primitive structures.

Explore our new interactive timeline — updated every Thursday with photographs, milestones and the stories of people who built this county.
Explore timeline

Advisory committees and commissions

Whether it’s representing your community or sharing your expertise on topics like agriculture or parks, there are always opportunities for you to help advise county leaders on the issues that matter to you most. Recruitment is open now to fill seats on the following committees or commissions, among others. Learn more and apply

Current recruitments include:

• Agricultural Commission

• Area 4 Agency on Aging Advisory Council

• Building Board of Appeals

• Cemetery Tahoe District

• Colfax Cemetery District

• Economic Development Board

• Fish & Game Commission

• First 5 Placer Children & Families Commission

• Flood Control & Water Conservation District Board

• Gold Run Cemetery Committee

• Greater Auburn Area Fire Safe Council

• Greater Lincoln Area Fire Safe Council

• In Home Support Services Advisory Committee

• Juvenile Justice / Delinquency Prevention

• Library Advisory Board

• Donner Summit Municipal Advisory Council

• Municipal Advisory Council - Granite Bay

• Municipal Advisory Council - Olympic Valley

• Municipal Advisory Council - Rural Lincoln

• Municipal Advisory Council - West Placer Citizens

• Newcastle Ophir Municipal Advisory Council

• North Auburn/Ophir Fire Safe Council

• Placer County Behavioral Health Advisory Board

• Placer County Child Care Advisory Council

• Placer County Older Adult Advisory Commission

• Solid Waste Local Task Force

• Veterans Advisory Council

• Wastewater Advisory Committee

Fun things to do this week

Don’t miss the fun coming this next week in...

Roseville: Mahany Park Certified Farmers' Market, Maidu Park Farmers' Market, Roseville Fountains Farmers' Market, Kaiser Riverside Farmers' Market, Kaiser Eureka Farmers' Market, Bunny Hop at The Fountains, Before the Flick Fun, Friday Flicks: HOP

Rocklin: 26 Parks in 2026

Lincoln: Farmers’ Market at Fowler Ranch, Kaiser Lincoln Farmers' Market

Auburn: Auburn Old Town Farmer’s Market – Placer Farmers Market, North Auburn Artists Reception, Farmers Market at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, Floating Egg Hunt

Colfax: Easter Egg Hunt, Coffee and Conversations

North Lake Tahoe: Smore’s O’clock, The Village at Northstar Après Music Series, Throwback Thursdays, Line Dancing Fridays, Crushing Crossing, Dummy Downhill at Diamond Peak

...and many Placer County Library and Placer County Museum events.

Visit our regional partners to discover more of the fun happening right here in Placer County!

Placer County Visitors' Bureau
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tahoe City Downtown Association
The Arts Council of Placer County
Placer Valley Tourism
PlacerGROWN
Placer Wine Trail

Upcoming public meetings and events

Dollar Creek Crossing information night, April 2, 5:30 p.m. Information
Foresthill town hall, April 6, 7 p.m. Information
Foresthill Forum, April 6, 7:30 p.m. Information
Board of Supervisors, April 7, 9 a.m. Information
Planning Commission, April 9, 9 a.m. Information

To learn about other Placer County committees and commissions and current opportunities to serve your community click here.

List of active projects throughout Placer County

Projects are listed alphabetically and by Board of Supervisors districts. A hard copy of the list is available at the Placer County Community Development Resource Agency, 3091 County Center Drive in Auburn. 

Active Projects

Click here to sign up for emergency notifications