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Camptonville is an unincorporated town in Yuba County, surrounded on all sides by Tahoe National Forest. It is located south of Weeds Point, east of Bullards Bar Reservoir, and northeast of Dobbins. It has a population of 698 (as of a 2009 estimate). Its elevation is 2,825 feet. The average annual rainfall is 59.7 inches and average annual snowfall is 30.1 inches. The average high temperature in July is 92.4°, and the average low temperature in January is 33.6°.

The native plant community of Camptonville is yellow pine forest.

History

Camptonville was named in 1854 for Robert Campton, who was the town blacksmith at the time, having arrived there in 1852. By then, the Gold Rush had already brought miners flooding in—and by 1866, the town had 1,500 inhabitants. hydraulic mining was done extensively in Camptonville, uncovering as much as $500,000 in gold annually. Lester Allen Pelton invented the Pelton Wheel in Camptonville in 1878, making the hydroelectricity generators used to run the mining machinery more efficient. Camptonville burned down completely several times, so none of the Gold Rush era buildings remain.1

After the Gold Rush, the local economy depended upon Camptonville's sawmill. When the sawmill shut down, most of the population moved away. Mountain House and the Oregon Creek covered bridge are some of the historic places in Camptonville.

A monument on Cleveland Avenue in Camptonville commemorates Robert Campton, for whom Camptonville is named. Photo by queerbychoice. A monument on Cleveland Avenue in Camptonville commemorates Lester Allen Pelton, who invented the Pelton wheel in Camptonville. Photo by queerbychoice.

Demographics

As of a July 2007 estimate2, residents' median age was 47 years.

Of residents 25 or older, 84.7% had at least a high school degree, 14.2% had at least a bachelor's degree, and 5.6% had a graduate or professional degree.

Of residents 15 or older, 54.1% were married.

For employed residents, the average travel time to work was 33 minutes.

The 2008 median home price was $166,180.

Organizations

Places

Places to Have Fun

Creeks

Other Places to Have Fun

High water at Bullards Bar in June 2011. Photo by Ingrid M. Kollmann.

Places to Eat or Drink

Places to Shop

Places to Learn

Other Places

Camptonville Post Office. Photo by queerbychoice.

Main Roads

Links

Camptonville.com Camptonville entry on Wikipedia Sperling's Best Places: Camptonville

Footnotes

1. Historic Spots in California: Fifth Edition by Douglas Kyle, Hero Rensch, Ethel Rensch, and Mildred Hoover. Stanford University Press, 2002
2. Sperling's Best Places: Camptonville