Truckee, California


Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,729, reflecting an increase from the 16,180 counted in the 2010 census.
WWW Official Site

History

Name

Truckee's existence began in 1863 as Gray's Station, named for Joseph Gray's Roadhouse on the trans-Sierra wagon road. A blacksmith named Samuel S. Coburn was there almost from the beginning, and by 1866 the area was known as Coburn's Station. The Central Pacific Railroad selected Truckee as the name of its railroad station by August 1867, even though the tracks would not reach the station until a year later in 1868. It was renamed Truckee after a Paiute chief, whose assumed Paiute name was Tru-ki-zo. He was the father of Chief Winnemucca and grandfather of Sarah Winnemucca. The first Europeans who came to cross the Sierra Nevada encountered his tribe. The friendly chief rode toward them yelling, "Tro-kay!", which is Paiute for 'Everything is all right'. The unaware travelers assumed he was yelling his name. Chief Truckee later served as a guide for John C. Frémont.

Donner Party

The Donner Party ordeal is arguably Truckee's most famous historical event. In 1846, a group of settlers from Illinois, originally known as the Donner-Reed Party but now usually referred to as the Donner Party, became snowbound in early fall as a result of several trail mishaps, poor decision-making, and an early onset of winter that year. Choosing multiple times to take shortcuts to save distance compared to the traditional Oregon Trail, coupled with infighting, a disastrous crossing of the Utah salt flats, and the attempt to use the pass near the Truckee River all caused delays in their journey.
Finally, a large, early blizzard brought the remaining settlers to a halt at the edge of what is now Donner Lake, about below the steep granite summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains and east of their final destination, Sutter's Fort. Several attempts at carting their few remaining wagons, oxen, and supplies over the summit—sometimes by pulling them up by rope—proved impossible due to freezing conditions and a lack of any preexisting trail. The party returned, broken in spirit and short of supplies, to the edge of Donner Lake. A portion of the camp members also returned to the Alder Creek campsite a few miles to the east.
During the hard winter the travelers endured starvation and were later found to have practiced cannibalism. Fifteen members constructed makeshift snowshoes and set out for Sutter's Fort in the late fall but were thwarted by freezing weather and disorientation. Only seven survived: two were lost, and six died. Those who died were used as food by those who remained. The Truckee camp survivors were saved by James F Reed who had set out ahead after having been ejected from the party months earlier for killing John Snyder in a violent argument. Seeing that the group never arrived at Sutter's Fort, he initiated several relief parties.
Of the original 87 settlers in the Donner-Reed party, 48 survived the ordeal. The Donner Memorial State Park is dedicated to the settlers and is located at the East End of Donner Lake.

Historical events

Truckee grew as a railroad town originally named Coburn Station, starting with the Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad goes into downtown Truckee, and the Amtrak passenger lines still stop there on the trip from Chicago to San Francisco.
By the middle of the 1870s, roughly 1/4 of Truckee's residents were Chinese, many of whom moved there after the completion of the Pacific railroad. Most lived in wooden shanties on or near the town's main thoroughfare. In 1875 a fire destroyed about 40 Chinese buildings along with some white-owned businesses, and as anti-Chinese sentiment rose, white merchants attempted to segregate the Chinese residents. By 1876, some 300 of the town’s residents, from workers to its most prominent citizens, had formed a local chapter of the Order of the Caucasians, also known as the Caucasian League, to drive out the Chinese. Truckee gained statewide notoriety that summer, in an incident that was later called the Trout Creek Outrage, when late one night a number of the group's members, clad in black, surrounded and set fire to two cabins full of Chinese woodcutters who had refused to leave the area. The vigilantes shot at the Chinese men as they ran out of the cabin, killing forty-five-year-old Ah Ling. Seven men were eventually arrested and indicted for arson and murder. Charles Fayette McGlashan, local lawyer and owner/publisher of the Truckee Republican, defended those accused. An Irishman named William O'Neal was the first to be tried. Despite convincing evidence against him, the jury acquitted O'Neal after deliberating for only nine minutes. The prosecutor decided to not try the others, given the pervasiveness of anti-Chinese sentiment.
In October of 1878, Truckee's entire Chinese quarter burned down. The town's safety committee blocked the Chinese residents from rebuilding and ordered them to leave town and relocate across the river. Although not the first to do so, Truckee gained renown for its successful expulsion of resident Orientals.
In 1891, lawman Jacob Teeter was killed in a violent gunfight with fellow lawman, James Reed. Constable Reed was among those accused of participating in the Trout Creek Outrage fifteen years prior.
Truckee reportedly had one of the nation's first mechanized ski lifts at the site of the Hilltop Lodge. The historic Hilltop Lodge was converted to a restaurant in the 1940s by the Crandall Brothers, and eventually became Cottonwood Restaurant and Bar. There were possibly two rope tows and a Poma lift, which was installed in 1954. At the same location there was a ski jump constructed during the early 1900s that was designed by Lars Haugen, a seven-time Olympic ski jumping champion.
In 1993, Truckee incorporated as a city.

Geography

[Image:Trout Creek Truckee.jpg|thumb|First snow of winter, Trout Creek, December 2007]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and is water, mostly Donner Lake and the Truckee River.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification system, Truckee has a humid continental climate with Mediterranean like characteristics. Winters are chilly with regular snowfall, while summers are warm to hot and dry, with occasional periods of intense thunderstorms. Its location near the Sierra Nevada crest at provides conditions for winter storms to commonly deposit nearly a meter of snow in a 24-hour storm event and the occasional week-long storm event can deliver of snow. The National Weather Service reports that Truckee's warmest month is July with an average maximum temperature of and an average minimum temperature of. January is the coldest month with an average maximum temperature of and an average minimum temperature of. The record maximum temperature of was on August 28, 1915. The record minimum temperature of was on February 27, 1962. Annually, there are an average of 8.4 days with highs of or higher and 239 with a high above. Freezing temperatures have been observed in every month of the year and there are an average of 228.4 nights with lows of or lower – seven more than Fairbanks and only eight fewer than Nome – but only 6.0 nights with lows of or lower and 15.6 days where the high does not top freezing.
Normal annual precipitation in Truckee is ; measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 87.0 days annually. The most precipitation in one month was in December 1955, and the most in 24 hours was on February 1, 1963. The wettest calendar year has been 1997 with and the driest 1976 with, although the extremes by "rain year" are a maximum of between July 1981 and June 1982 and a low of between July 2000 and June 2001.
Truckee has an average of of snow annually, which makes it the fifth-snowiest city in the United States, while snow cover usually averages in February, but has exceeded. The most snow in one month was in February 1938, and the most in a season was between July 1951 and June 1952. The maximum 24-hour snowfall was on February 17, 1990.

Demographics

[Image:A Cabin in Truckee CA.jpg|thumb|A house in Truckee]

2020

The 2020 US Census reported that Truckee had a population of 16,729. According to the Census, the breakdown of the town's population by race and ethnicity in 2020 was: 12,946 White, 3,128 Hispanic or Latino, 31 African American, 92 Native American, 275 Asian, 9 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1,446 other races, and 1,930 from two or more races.
Per the 2021 American Community Survey, 50.3% of residents were male and 49.7% were female. 22.2% of residents were under 18, 15.9% were 65 or older, and the median age was 41.9 years. 8.1% of the town's population were people with disabilities.
There were 6,247 households, out of which 59.7% were married-couple family households, 18.8% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 12.5% had a female householder with no spouse present. The average family size was 3.07.
There were 13,374 housing units, of which 49.4% were reported as vacant and 50.6% were reported as occupied.
12.8% of Truckee residents had moved: 4.1% of Truckee residents had moved within the same county, 5.2% had moved from a different county within California, 1.1% had moved from a different state, and 2.4% had moved from abroad.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Truckee had a population of 16,180. The population density was. The racial makeup of Truckee was 13,992 White, 3,016 Hispanic or Latino, 60 African American, 95 Native American, 241 Asian, 15 Pacific Islander, 1,431 from other races, and 346 from two or more races.
The Census reported that 16,137 people lived in households, 43 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized.
There were 6,343 households, out of which 2,135 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,443 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 411 had a female householder with no husband present, 314 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 502 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 43 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,382 households were made up of individuals, and 275 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54. There were 4,168 families ; the average family size was 2.98.
The population was spread out, with 3,769 people under the age of 18, 1,139 people aged 18 to 24, 5,030 people aged 25 to 44, 4,986 people aged 45 to 64, and 1,256 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.3 males.
There were 12,803 housing units at an average density of, of which 4,326 were owner-occupied, and 2,017 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.8%. 10,783 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,354 people lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,864 people, 5,149 households, and 3,563 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 9,757 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 88.4% White, 0.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 7.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.8% of the population.
There were 5,149 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,848, and the median income for a family was $62,746. Males had a median income of $38,631 versus $29,536 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,786. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over. Recent land clearing outside town limits may affect the population.

Government

The town is governed by a five-member Town Council, which elects one of its members as Mayor; the mayor presides over meetings and ceremonial events, but has no other special responsibilities.
The mayor as of October 2025 is Jan Zabriskie. The first mayor of Truckee was Kathleen Eagan, who served from the town's incorporation in 1993 through 1995.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Truckee is in, and.
In the United States House of Representatives, Truckee is in.
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Truckee has 9,910 registered voters. Of those, 4,336 are registered Democrats, 1,901 are registered Republicans, and 1,398 have declined to state a political party.

Education

The Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District, which covers the municipality, provides K-12 education to Truckee and the Lake Tahoe area with six schools in the town itself. These consist of two elementary schools, one elementary-middle school, one middle school, and two high schools including Truckee High School.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Amtrak's California Zephyr stops daily at Truckee station.
A free public bus, operated by Placer County, California, connects Truckee station to Lake Tahoe, and to Incline Village, Nevada. Greyhound operates from Truckee station.
Interstate 80 passes west-east through Truckee. State Route 89 runs north-south, but overlaps with I-80 for 2.18 miles until it separates at the northern terminus of State Route 267, also in Truckee.
Truckee-Tahoe Airport provides general aviation to the California side of the Sierra Nevada region near Lake Tahoe.

Notable people

Works cited

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