Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, United States, about northeast of Sacramento and about northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it borders Granite Bay, Loomis, and Lincoln. As of the 2020 census, Rocklin's population was 71,601.

History

Before the California Gold Rush, the Nisenan Maidu occupied both permanent villages and temporary summer shelters along the rivers and streams that miners sifted, sluiced, dredged, and dammed to remove the gold. Explorer Jedediah Smith and a large party of American fur trappers crossed the Sacramento Valley in April 1827. The group saw many Maidu villages along the river banks. Secret Ravine, at the area now at the intersection of Ruhkala Road and Pacific Street, was later mined for granite, some of which was used as the base course of the California Capitol Building; the earliest recorded use of the rock was for Fort Mason at San Francisco in 1855. The granite was hauled out by oxcarts before the arrival of the railroad many years later. The area was called Secret Ravine or the "granite quarries at the end of the tracks" as late as 1864. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, significantly increasing railroad traffic through the town. According to the 1870 census, Rocklin had 542 residents, and the majority of Irish immigrants had forgone mining and were working for the railroad.

In 1869, a group of laid-off Chinese railroad workers moved to Secret Ravine to mine and raise vegetables, which they sold locally. The Chinese were violently driven out in 1876 after a group of them were accused of murdering three people near Rocklin. The area was still known as China Gardens as of 1974. Finnish immigrants settled in Rocklin starting in the 1870s, and Spanish settlers arriving by way of Hawaii settled in Rocklin in the early 20th century.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Rocklin had a population of 71,601. The population density was . 99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas.

The census reported that 98.6% of the population lived in households, 1.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.

The age distribution was 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% aged 18 to 24, 24.7% aged 25 to 44, 25.9% aged 45 to 64, and 14.7% aged 65 or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.5 males age 18 and over.

The median household income in 2023 was $120,916, and the per capita income was $54,517. About 3.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, Rocklin had a population of 56,974. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rocklin was 47,047 (82.6%) White, 858 (1.5%) African American, 410 (0.7%) Native American, 4,105 (7.2%) Asian, 150 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 1,538 (2.7%) from other races, and 2,866 (5.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,555 persons (11.5%).

The census reported that 56,337 people (98.9% of the population) lived in households, 456 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 181 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 20,800 households, 8,424 (40.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 11,974 (57.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,191 (10.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 895 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,035 (5.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 124 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,403 households (21.2%) were one person and 1,652 (7.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.71. There were 15,060 families (72.4% of households); the average family size was 3.18.

The age distribution was 15,613 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 5,306 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 15,159 people (26.6%) aged 25 to 44, 14,668 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,228 people (10.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

There were 22,010 housing units at an average density of 1,123.3 per square mile, of the occupied units 13,797 (66.3%) were owner-occupied and 7,003 (33.7%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%. 39,295 people (69.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,042 people (29.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy

Granite mining ended in 2004 in Rocklin.

Shopping, entertainment, and dining can be found in the Blue Oaks Town Center, a regional shopping center anchored by national tenants on the Highway 65 corridor, and in Rocklin Commons and Rocklin Crossings, with tenants including Target, Walmart, and Bass Pro Shop, along Interstate 80. A section of Granite Drive along Interstate 80 known as Toy Row has high-end auto dealerships, RV and boat retailers, and a local antique mall.

The city has four districts with distinct architectural guidelines: the University District, Granite District, College District, and Quarry District.<!-- Business names are not usually included in Wikipedia, please see guidelines on Neutral Point of View, and absence of boosterism. Wikipedia is not an advertising venue for specific businesses. -->

Education

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The Rocklin area has 13 elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools, and two alternative education institutions, encompassed in the Rocklin Unified School District, as well as campuses of Sierra College and William Jessup University.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Interstate 80 and State Route 65 intersect in Rocklin, and historic U.S. Route 40 runs through town. The Rocklin Amtrak station is served by Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor route.

Notable people

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  • Brandon Aiyuk, wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers
  • Seth Casiple, soccer player
  • Johnny Davis, kickboxer
  • Kevin Kiley, U.S. representative
  • John Romero, video game developer
  • Santiago Suárez, soccer player
  • Logan Webb, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
  • Karyn White, pop singer
  • Nick Mears, pitcher for the Kansas City Royals

References

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  • City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Rocklin