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Rough and Ready, California

Coordinates: 39°13′49″N 121°8′6″W / 39.23028°N 121.13500°W / 39.23028; -121.13500
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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
Flag of Rough and Ready
Flag
Rough and Ready is located in California
Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready
Location within the state of California
Rough and Ready is located in the United States
Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°13′49″N 121°8′6″W / 39.23028°N 121.13500°W / 39.23028; -121.13500
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyNevada
Area
[1]
 • Total
3.170 sq mi (8.210 km2)
 • Land3.170 sq mi (8.210 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
905
 • Density290/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
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 census-designated place in Nevada County, California, United States.[2] It is located west of Grass Valley, California, approximately 62 miles (100 km) from Sacramento. The population was 963 at the 2010 census. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[3]

History

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The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company from Wisconsin, known as the Rough and Ready Company, during the 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

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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

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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

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

The 2020 United States census reported that Rough and Ready had a population of 905. The population density was 285.2 inhabitants per square mile (110.1/km2). The racial makeup of Rough and Ready was 761 (84.1%) White, 6 (0.7%) African American, 14 (1.5%) Native American, 13 (1.4%) Asian, 1 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 33 (3.6%) from other races, and 77 (8.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 67 persons (7.4%).[11]

The whole population lived in households. There were 399 households, out of which 79 (19.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 172 (43.1%) were married-couple households, 47 (11.8%) were cohabiting couple households, 85 (21.3%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 95 (23.8%) had a male householder with no partner present. 111 households (27.8%) were one person, and 52 (13.0%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.27.[11] There were 246 families (61.7% of all households).[12]

The age distribution was 108 people (11.9%) under the age of 18, 66 people (7.3%) aged 18 to 24, 209 people (23.1%) aged 25 to 44, 260 people (28.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 262 people (29.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.2 males.[11]

There were 457 housing units at an average density of 144.0 units per square mile (55.6 units/km2), of which 399 (87.3%) were occupied. Of these, 295 (73.9%) were owner-occupied, and 104 (26.1%) were occupied by renters.[11]

Politics

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In the state legislature, Rough and Ready is in the 1st senatorial district, represented by Republican Megan Dahle,[13] and the 1st Assembly district, represented by Republican Heather Hadwick.[14]

Federally, Rough and Ready is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.[15]

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  • The New York City-based music duo The Great Republic of Rough and Ready takes its name from the town.[16]
  • The television series Death Valley Days told the story of Rough and Ready in two different episodes.[17]
  • The Ruins of Rough and Ready, a "comical western" novel by Clark Casey, "reimagines the three months when Rough and Ready was a sovereign republic".[18][19] The town drunkard falls asleep in a cave and wakes up in an earthquake to find a giant gold boulder, which must be brought to Sacramento while every bandit in California is closing in. The town is defended by "oddball miners" and "a sheriff who's afraid of guns".[18]
  • The Sacramento-based math rock band Hella released a track entitled "Republic of Rough and Ready" on their 2002 album Hold Your Horse Is.[20] Notably, guitarist Spencer Seim was born and raised in Nevada County, with drummer Zach Hill briefly living there as well.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Census". census.gov. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 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 July 13, 2014.
  4. ^ Gallant, Frank K. (May 17, 2012). A Place Called Peculiar: Stories About Unusual American Place-Names. Courier Dover Publications. p. 30. ISBN 9780486483603. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Gudde, Erwin G. (1998). California place names : the origin and etymology of current geographical names (4th ed., rev. and enl. ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 322. ISBN 0520213165.
  6. ^ "The Great Republic of Rough and Ready, by Arthur Winfield Knight [secession, California, CA]". theava.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  7. ^ Salley, Harold E. (1991) History of California Post Offices, 1849–1990, p. 183. The Depot, ISBN 0-943645-27-1
  8. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 548. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  9. ^ Kellar, Liz (September 11, 2018). "Nevada County's 49er Fire proved a harbinger of fire seasons to come". The Union. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "Rough and Ready". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d "Rough and Ready CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  12. ^ "Rough and Ready CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  14. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  15. ^ "California's 1st Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  16. ^ "The Great Republic of Rough and Ready performs tonight". The Union.
  17. ^ "Rough and Ready on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. December 7, 1957. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  18. ^ a b staff, The Union (June 8, 2021). "'Meet The Author' with Clark Casey". The Union. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "Author pens 'comical Gold Rush novel' about Rough and Ready". goldcountrymedia.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  20. ^ "Hold Your Horse Is by Hella". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  21. ^ NCS Import (August 25, 2003). "Instrumental duo returns to Nevada County". The Union. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
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