Coloma (Nisenan: Cullumah, meaning "beautiful") is a place recognized by the census as a separate area in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is located about 36 miles (58 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento. Coloma is best known for being the place where James W. Marshall discovered gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848, which started the California gold rush. According to the 2020 census, Coloma had a population of 521.

The area is a popular tourist destination, famous for its ghost town and the main attraction of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Coloma was named a National Historic Landmark District on July 4, 1961.

The town is located at an elevation of 764 feet (233 meters).

Etymology

The name Coloma comes from the Nisenan Native American people's name for the valley where Coloma is located: Cullumah, which means "beautiful." Coloma is situated along the South Fork American River, which flows through the valley. The town was built on the site of the original Indian village called Koloma. Earlier spellings of the name include "Colluma" and "Culloma."

History

Coloma developed near Sutter's Mill after gold was discovered. A post office was created in 1849 and was named Culloma. The name changed to Coloma in 1851.

One of Coloma's earliest settlers was Silas Sanderson (1824–1886), who later became the 7th Chief Justice of California. Another early settler was Nancy Gooch, who was one of the first Black women to achieve success in California.

Ghost town

Coloma is considered a ghost town because many public buildings, like the jail, have been left empty and falling apart. Some buildings from its busy time between 1847 and 1852 have been turned into museums and historical exhibits. The tailrace part of Sutter's Mill is still present, along with a nearby reconstruction.

The importance of Coloma as a town has decreased because people living in the Coloma Valley area now share a sense of community.

The local economy mainly depends on farming and tourism. A key part of the economy is rafting on the South Fork American River, which is a very popular white-water trip in North America.

Demographics

Coloma was first recognized as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

The 2020 U.S. census reported that Coloma had a population of 521 people. The population density was 155.3 people per square mile (about 60 per square kilometer). The racial makeup of Coloma was 417 (80.0%) White, 5 (1.0%) African American, 3 (0.6%) Native American, 6 (1.2%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 22 (4.2%) from other races, and 68 (13.1%) from two or more races. A total of 60 people (11.5%) identified as Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The census reported that 504 people (96.7% of the population) lived in households, 17 (3.3%) lived in group homes or similar places, and no one was in an institution like a nursing home.

There were 222 households. Of these, 79 (35.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 133 (59.9%) were married-couple households, 15 (6.8%) were households where a couple lived together but were not married, 47 (21.2%) had a woman as the head of the household with no partner present, and 27 (12.2%) had a man as the head of the household with no partner present. 28 households (12.6%) had only one person living in them, and 16 (7.2%) had one person who was 65 years old or older. The average household size was 2.27 people. There were 169 families (76.1% of all households).

The age distribution was 62 people (11.9%) under the age of 18, 40 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 98 people (18.8%) aged 25 to 44, 167 people (32.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 154 people (29.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males.

There were 267 housing units at an average density of 79.6 units per square mile (about 30.7 per square kilometer), of which 222 (83.1%) were occupied. Of these, 170 (76.6%) were owned by the people living in them, and 52 (23.4%) were rented.

Politics

In the state legislature, Coloma is part of the 4th senatorial district, which is represented by Republican Marie Alvarado-Gil. It is also part of the 5th Assembly district, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.

At the federal level, Coloma is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom McClintock.

Climate

Based on the Köppen Climate Classification system, Coloma has a type of Mediterranean climate with warm summers, which is shortened to "Csa" on climate maps.

Education

It is located in the Gold Trail Union Elementary School District and the El Dorado Union High School District.