- Ophir, California
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Ophir — Unincorporated community — Location in California
OphirCoordinates: 38°53′28″N 121°07′25″W / 38.89111°N 121.12361°WCoordinates: 38°53′28″N 121°07′25″W / 38.89111°N 121.12361°W Country 
United StatesState 
CaliforniaCounty Placer County Elevation[1] 682 ft (208 m) Ophir (also, Spanish Corral[1] and Ophirville[2]) is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California.[1] Ophir is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Auburn.[2] It lies at an elevation of 682 feet (208 m).[1]
Ophir, now a suburb of Auburn, it was a boomtown of the California Gold Rush, later a ghost town. In 1852 it was the center of the local gold mining industry, and the most populous town in the county. After the gold rush, the area was planted in vineyards and orchards, and during Prohibition just in orchards. Beginning in the 1970s vineyards again returned to the area. Today, local services for Ophir come from Auburn.
The Ophirville post office was open by 1852 and closed in 1866.[2] The Ophir post office opened in 1872 and closed in 1910.[2] The name comes from Biblical Ophir, the source of King Solomon's treasures.[2]
Originally named The Spanish Corral in 1849,[3] Ophir received its Biblical name in 1850 because of the rich, gold placer mining in the area, and grew to over 500 families by 1853. Later it became the center of quartz mining in the county. It is remembered at California Historical Landmark #463.
Ophir addresses have the ZIP code of 95603, an Auburn address.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ophir, California
- ^ a b c d e Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 533. ISBN 9781884995149.
- ^ Gudde, Erwin. 1975. California Gold Camps. University of California Press: Berkeley. pp. 252-253.
- ^ Zip Code Lookup
External links
- "Ophir, Placer County, California" California Genealogy
- California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES) Record
Municipalities and communities of Placer County, California County seat: Auburn Cities and towns 
CDPs Alta | Carnelian Bay | Dollar Point | Dutch Flat | Foresthill | Granite Bay | Kings Beach | Kingvale‡ | Meadow Vista | Newcastle | North Auburn | Penryn | Sheridan | Sunnyside-Tahoe City | Tahoe Vista | Tahoma‡
Unincorporated
communitiesAlpine Meadows | Applegate | Baxter | Big Bend | Blue Canyon | Brockway | Cape Horn | Casa Loma | Chambers Lodge | Cisco | Cisco Grove | Clayton | Clipper Gap | Donner | Eder | Elders Corner | Emigrant Gap | Forebay | Four Acres | Gold Hill | Greekstore | Heather Glen | Hidden Valley | Homewood | Hughes Mill | Idlewild | Iowa Hill | Kilaga Springs | Lake Forest | Lander Crossing | Last Chance | Magra | McCulloh | Michigan Bluff | Midas | Monte Vista | Nielsburg | Ophir | Pinecroft | Rainbow | Rampart | Ramsey Crossing | Rawhide | Secret Town | Soda Springs | Squaw Valley | Sunnyside | Tahoe City | Tahoe Pines | The Cedars | Todd Valley | Towle | Troy | Virginiatown | Westville | Weimar | Whitney | Yankee Jims | Zuver
Ghost
townsAckerman | Andover | Arctic | Baltimore | Bath | Blue Bluffs | Bullion | Cairns | Ceres Flat | Chicago Park | Coon Creek | Deadwood | Drum | East Auburn | Flat Ravine | Florence Spring | Fort Trojan | Frytown | Fulda | Gilsons Station | Goggins | Gold Run | Indiana Hill | Knapp | Kulkumish | Leta | Little Rattlesnake Bar | Lone Star | Lost Camp | Mayflower | Millertown | Mineral Bar | Molma | Moss Hills | Oilville | Pine Grove | Pitsokut | Ralston | Red Point | Secret Canyon | Secret Ravine | Smiths | Spruce | Stanford | Stewarts Flat | Stonehill | Tamarack | Union Shed | Vantrent | Webster | Yorkville
Footnotes ‡This CDP also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- Populated places in Placer County, California
- Unincorporated communities in California
- Ghost towns in California
- California Gold Rush
- Sacramento Valley geography stubs
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