Plumas Lake is a master-planned exurb and census-designated place in Yuba County, California, United States. It is located north of Sacramento and south of Marysville off California State Route 70. Its population was 8,126 at the 2020 census.

Plumas Lake was first conceived in 1993 as a means to guide development along the Feather and Bear Rivers. Construction began in 2003 and at full build-out the community is expected to have roughly 12,000 homes and 36,000 residents.

History

thumb|left|Plumas Lake as surveyed by the [[USGS in 1909]]There was previously a settlement called Plumas Landing (also known as Plumas City) west of Plumas Lake on the bank of the Feather River. The old settlement was impacted by Gold rush-era hydraulic mining in the Yuba River watershed upstream. Mine tailings wound up in the riverbeds and were then transported into the Sacramento Valley, where they accumulated in the river channels and reduced their conveyance capacities.

Flood risk has been a concern throughout Plumas Lake's development and many individuals and agencies were opposed to its construction. The area that would become the community of Plumas Lake experienced major floods in 1986 and 1997. Despite this, the first master plan for Plumas Lake was approved in 1993 The community is rated against 200-year floods which equates to a 1 in 200 chance (0.5% probability) that a flood will occur in any given year. Improvements to existing water management infrastructure could enable 500-year flood protection in the future.

Geography

thumb|left|River Oaks BoulevardPlumas Lake is located at (39.0207272, -121.5580176).

Since Plumas Lake is an unincorporated community, there are a few ways to define its borders. The most popular definition is the census-designated place which includes land south of Algodon Road, north of Bear River, and some adjacent rural areas. The Plumas Lake Specific Plan's definition extends even further north to include the Olivehurst suburb of Wheeler Ranch, Plumas Lake Golf Club, Arboga, and rural areas in between. The largest definition is the Plumas Lake ZIP code area, which includes land east of the Feather River, west of Forty Mile Road, and everything north of Bear River up to the new developments along Arboga Road.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Plumas Lake has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Plumas Lake first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Plumas Lake had a population of 8,126, an increase of 38.8% from 5,853 at the 2010 census. The median age was 32.8 years. 33.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 7.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.4 males.

90.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,363 households in Plumas Lake, of which 54.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 68.9% were married-couple households, 11.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 9.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. and a paved pedestrian/bike path called the Bear River Habitat Trail. Also nearby is the Plumas Lake Golf Club, Toyota Amphitheatre, and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain.

Parks

  • Bear River Park
  • Bill Pinkerton Memorial Park
  • Donald Brown Memorial Park
  • Eufay Wood Sr. Memorial Park
  • Feather River East Park
  • Orchard Glen Park
  • River Glen Park
  • River Park
  • Riverside Meadows Park
  • Rolling Hills Park
  • Veteran's Park
  • Joann Aiello Memorial Park (Wheeler Ranch)
  • Leila Smith Memorial Park (Wheeler Ranch)
  • Richard Donahue Park (Wheeler Ranch)
  • Wheeler Ranch Park (Wheeler Ranch)

Government

Plumas Lake receives water, wastewater, park, and recreation services from the Olivehurst Public Utility District. Fire services are provided by the Linda Fire Protection District.

In the Yuba County Board of Supervisors, Plumas Lake is in the 4th Supervisor district, represented by Gary Bradford.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Plumas Lake is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Plumas Lake is in .

Education

Plumas Lake is served by the Plumas Lake Elementary School District (K-8) and the Wheatland Union High School District, Plumas Lake district (9-12).

Schools

  • Cobblestone Elementary
  • Rio Del Oro Elementary
  • Riverside Meadows Intermediate School
  • Plumas Lake High School (in development)

Notes

:a.Election data uses a combination of the Plumas Lake Specific Plan and the Plumas Lake CDP to define Plumas Lake's borders.

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References

  • Plumas Lake Subreddit
  • Plumas Lake School District