Nevada City Veterans Memorial Building

The area now known as Nevada City was originally named Ustumah, and for thousands of years was the site of a flourishing Nisenan village. In 1848 after placer gold was discovered in nearby Wolf Creek and then later in Deer Creek, the area grew to over 10,000 people, becoming the third largest city in California, behind Sacramento and San Francisco.

The area went through several name changes including Deer Creek Dry Diggins and Caldwell's Upper Store, before Nevada (Spanish for "snow-covered", a reference to the snow-topped mountains in the area) was settled upon.

The town of Nevada was incorporated on April 19, 1856. In 1864, the word "City" was added to the name to relieve confusion with the nearby state of Nevada, and the town has legally been known as "Nevada City" ever since.

The town has had its share of firsts and famous people in California History. Former President Herbert Hoover lived and worked here as a gold miner in his younger days. Three former senators, George Hearst, A. A. Sargent and William Morris Stewart, lived in Nevada City. Sargent's wife, Ellen Clark Sargent, was a leading voting rights advocate, and a friend of such suffrage leaders as Susan B. Anthony, who the couple hosted in Nevada City.

Sarah Clark Kidder was president of Northern California's Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad from 1901 to 1913. She was the first female railroad president in the world, taking on the position upon the death of her husband, John Flint Kidder, who is credited with building the railroad.

In 2017, Nevada City, in conjunction with Grass Valley, was selected to serve as one of California's 14 inaugural state-designated Cultural Districts celebrating the area's heritage along with the people, places, traditions and events that contribute to the quality of life here.

While many California gold rush towns have disappeared into the pages of California history, Nevada City has rebounded time and again to emerge as a unique blend of yesterday and today.