Roseville, California
Roseville is the most populous city in Placer County, California, located within the Sacramento metropolitan area. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 147,773, making it the third-largest city in the Sacramento area. Interstate 80 runs through Roseville and State Route 65 runs through part of the northern edge of the city.
Historically associated with the railroad, the city underwent significant urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s. Today it has become a major commercial hub, attracting regular shoppers and visitors from a large swath of rural southeastern Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Nevada foothills. In recent years, it has seen significant population growth and new single-family home developments, becoming a "boomburb" or edge city of Sacramento.
History
The Nisenan lived in the land that became Roseville for over 2000 years before being forcibly removed by disease, miners and settlers. The settlement developed around a stage coach station called Griders. According to the Roseville Historical Society, in 1864 the Central Pacific Railroad tracks were constructed northeastward from Sacramento as part of the transcontinental railroad. The point where the tracks met the California Central Railroad line was named "Junction". Junction eventually became known as Roseville.In 1909, three years after the Southern Pacific Railroad moved its facilities from Rocklin to Roseville, the town became an incorporated city. What followed was a period of expansion, with businesses building more than 100 structures, including what was the largest ice manufacturing plant in the world in 1913.
The city was a railroad town for decades. By 1929, the railroad employed up to 1,225 people out of a total population of 6,425. With the onset of World War II, the rail yards became busier than ever.
The post-war building boom brought continued prosperity. But the nature of the city changed dramatically in the 1950s.
During this decade, the railroad continued to expand and upgrade, converting its steam engine fleet to all diesel engines. But competition arose in new sectors: the postwar development of the national Interstate Highway System and the airline industry adversely affected the railroads' passenger and freight traffic. Trucking carried increasing amount of freight on highways. Industry restructuring took place and jobs were lost as railroads dropped passenger routes and consolidated operations.
Although the railroad has continued as a major employer in Roseville, the city's expansion has been based on the emergence of other employment sectors.
Construction in 1950 of the Washington Boulevard railroad underpass dramatically affected downtown. It improved the ability of people to travel from one side of the tracks to the other, but it reduced traffic through the Roseville business district north of the tracks. Those businesses lost customers.
The completion of Interstate 80 in 1956 stimulated new businesses, with a population shift, from downtown to what would become known as East Roseville. The old downtown lost more businesses and slid into a gradual decline.
The Southern Pacific yard was the site of the 1973 Roseville Yard Disaster. A major explosion and fire took place.
The city saw steady population growth throughout the ensuing decades, as shopping centers, major retailers, and homes were constructed, mostly outside the historic downtown. The growth rate was modest until 1985. Between 1929, when the population was 6,425 people, and 1985, the population grew by 22,563 people.
In 1985 the population stood at 28,988 people. Five years later it was 44,685 people, and by 2000 it was 74,234 people. Some of this growth was fueled by the arrival of major technology employers, such as Hewlett Packard and NEC, in the city. The population as of 2014 was 126,956 people.
Revitalization
In 1988, the city embarked on a multi-million dollar plan to redevelop approximately of land in the downtown core, and revitalize historic areas that had been in decline. Projects included the Vernon Streetscape Project, Atlantic Street Beautification, Civic Plaza Complex, Downtown Vernon Street and Historic Old Town, Historic Old Town Streetscape project, Riverside Avenue Streetscape project, Oak Street Improvement Project, and Washington Boulevard pedestrian underpass. A new parking garage opened in 2007, the Roseville Arts! Blueline Gallery opened in 2008, and a new Civic Center opened in 2013. The Vernon Street Town Square now features a small raised stage, a water spray for children, and a venue for community events.Incidents
On April 28, 1973, a shipment of munitions bound for the Vietnam War exploded in Roseville's rail yard creating a massive disaster.In 1995, a Roseville police officer shot and killed another officer, Mark A. White, during an attack at the city's police station. White drew his weapon against the assailant, but another officer mistakenly believed White was also an assailant and shot and killed him.
On October 21, 2010, a young man set fires inside the Westfield Galleria at Roseville resulting in major damage to the mall. It reopened the next year after renovations.
Geography
According to the Roseville Civic Center, the city has a total area of, of which is land. 0.002 square miles, or, is water. Several streams flow through Roseville, including Dry Creek, Linda Creek, Secret Ravine and Cirby Creek.Climate
Roseville has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate that is characterized by cool, wet, usually snowless winters and hot, dry summers. The climate is similar to nearby Sacramento, the minor differences reflecting Roseville's more inland position, resulting in less of the moderating influence of the ocean. As a result, winters are slightly cooler and summers are slightly hotter than Sacramento. Some marine influence does reach Roseville, so temperatures often are still more moderate than other inland parts of the Central Valley by up to.The wet season is generally October through April. Because Roseville is east of Sacramento and at a higher elevation, it receives slightly more rainfall. The dry season lasts from June to October; similar to other Central Valley cities, temperatures can be extremely hot in the summer, unusual for a non-desert climate at mid-latitude. For any given year, summers can be consistently hot or mild depending on where the position of the North Pacific High settles around the end of June. Extremely hot years with July highs typically around are averaged out against milder summers that reach around.
Average daily high temperatures range from in January to in July. Daily low temperatures range from in winter to in summer.
On March 26, 2014, an EF0 tornado touched down in Roseville.
Demographics
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 63,737 | 84,349 | 90,347 | 79.75% | 71.01% | 61.14% |
| Black or African American alone | 992 | 2,157 | 3,540 | 1.24% | 1.82% | 2.40% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 408 | 568 | 520 | 0.51% | 0.48% | 0.35% |
| Asian alone | 3,370 | 9,785 | 18,322 | 4.22% | 8.24% | 12.40% |
| Pacific Islander alone | 135 | 294 | 475 | 0.17% | 0.25% | 0.32% |
| Other race alone | 103 | 244 | 734 | 0.13% | 0.21% | 0.50% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 1,951 | 4,032 | 9,778 | 2.44% | 3.39% | 6.62% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 9,225 | 17,359 | 24,057 | 11.54% | 14.61% | 16.28% |
| Total | 79,921 | 118,788 | 147,773 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Roseville had a population of 147,773. The population density was. The racial makeup of Roseville was 65.6% White, 2.5% African American, 0.8% Native American, 12.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 12.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.3% of the population.The census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.6% were institutionalized.
There were 55,237 households, out of which 34.4% included children under the age of 18, 54.1% were married-couple households, 5.7% were cohabiting couple households, 25.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 24.0% of households were one person, and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 38,785 families.
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% aged 18 to 24, 26.0% aged 25 to 44, 25.1% aged 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.8years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males.
There were 57,318 housing units at an average density of, of which 55,237 were occupied. Of these, 65.6% were owner-occupied, and 34.4% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $117,354, and the per capita income was $54,484. About 4.3% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
The 2010 United States census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was. The racial makeup of Roseville was 94,199 White, 2,329 African American, 885 Native American, 10,026 Asian, 346 Pacific Islander, 5,087 from other races, and 5,916 from two or more races. There were 17,359 people of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, of any race.The Census reported that 117,941 people lived in households, 478 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 369 were institutionalized.
There were 45,059 households, out of which 16,885 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 24,050 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4,901 had a female householder with no husband present, 2,088 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,518 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 286 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 11,042 households were made up of individuals, and 4,502 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62. There were 31,039 families ; the average family size was 3.14.
The age distribution of the population shows 31,210 people under the age of 18, 9,397 people aged 18 to 24, 33,362 people aged 25 to 44, 28,952 people aged 45 to 64, and 15,867 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
There were 47,757 housing units at an average density of, of which 29,513 were owner-occupied, and 15,546 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%. 79,887 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 38,054 people lived in rental housing units.