Living in the Twin Cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City, Ca. – New York Time Article October 2025.
By Freda MoonVisuals by Rozette Halvorson
Oct. 15, 2025
Among the best-preserved Gold Rush-era towns in California, the sister communities of Nevada City and Grass Valley can feel like living museums. But behind the weathered brick facades, wide porches and historical placards, this rural area in Nevada County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, has an eclectic and surprisingly cosmopolitan mix of back-to-the-landers, former loggers, 49er descendants, artists, musicians and mystics.
Midway between Reno, Nev., and Sacramento, California’s capital, Nevada City and Grass Valley are less insular than their modest year-round populations suggest. From the towns’ earliest days of European settlement in the 1850s, the region drew droves of unconventional outsiders: Cornish miners, the dancer and courtesan Lola Montez and, later, yogis and longhaired commune-dwellers. In recent years, there’s been a fresh influx of pandemic-era Coastal California transplants and techies.
Beyond its Victorian architecture and small-town open-mindedness, the area has spectacular nature surrounding it: the lakes and hiking trails of Tahoe National Forest; the stunning swimming holes of Yuba River State Park; and the attractions of the Sacramento Valley’s river delta and Lake Tahoe’s ski slopes.
A big part of what distinguishes one area from another is the weather, Ms. Kibbe said. Because of elevation, two communities 20 minutes apart by car, like Cascade Shores and Grass Valley, might have dramatically distinct climates, she said. “You can choose your own adventure here.”In the wooded foothills, wildfires are a significant concern. Outside of the dense historic downtowns, it is difficult to secure private fire insurance. California’s FAIR Plan, a state-subsidized program for homeowners who can’t buy conventional insurance, may be the only option.
