Foresthill is located on a broad ridge between the North and Middle Forks of the American River on the gold-bearing gravel bed of an ancient river. In the spring of 1850, miners came to the Forest Hill Divide in large numbers. There was one route from Auburn through Yankee Jim's and one from Coloma. At the junction of these trails, the Forest House hotel and trading post was built. The height of mining activity in Foresthill began in 1853 after a winter landslide at the head of Jenny Lind Canyon exposed numerous nuggets of gold. The Jenny Lind mine produced about $2,500 of gold a dayfor a while, up to a total output over $1 million by 1880. The combined production of all the mines in the Forest Hill area was estimated at $10 million by 1868 with gold selling for $16 an ounce. In the 1860s, there were about of hard-rock tunnels dug into the hillsides in, around and under Foresthill. By 1857, this area had become an important center for trade among the many gold camps on the divide. In 1862, the Hardy-Kennedy building was erected - the first fireproof store in Foresthill. This building, now known as the Langstaff building, is still being used by the merchants of Foresthill. By 1880, Foresthill was one of the largest towns in Placer County. The town had an wide main street befitting such an important place. Today the town has a marker identifying it as a California Historical Landmark.
Foresthill has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate that is characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. , about 2 miles east of Foresthill. This is the premier mine for specimen gold in California, and this specimen appeared on the cover of a book and a major magazine. Among mineral collectors, it is widely known as the "Cover Gold". Size 5.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm.|left
Points of Interest
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Foresthill had a population of 1,483. The population density was 132.6 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Foresthill was 1,371 White, 8 African American, 29 Native American, 6 Asian, 2 Pacific Islander, 17 from other races, and 50 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 97 persons. The Census reported that 1,483 people lived in households, 0 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized. There were 625 households, out of which 182 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 314 were opposite-sex married couplesliving together, 66 had a female householder with no husband present, 45 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 49 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 9 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 140 households were made up of individuals, and 53 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37. There were 425 families ; the average family size was 2.76. The population was spread out, with 301 people under the age of 18, 118 people aged 18 to 24, 304 people aged 25 to 44, 540 people aged 45 to 64, and 220 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. There were 681 housing units at an average density of 60.9 per square mile, of which 407 were owner-occupied, and 218 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%. 965 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 518 people lived in rental housing units.
