The day of the Indy 500 was beautiful in Alexander Rossi’s hometown of Nevada City, California. As he was crossing the finish line of the historic 100th running of the Indy 500, people were enjoying ice cream, browsing his historic town’s specialty shops and cheering him at its popular bars and restaurants.
Nevada City is located about an hour and a half into the mountains northeast of Sacramento, along Highway 49. With its 2,500 feet elevation, there is an abundance of pine trees, wildlife and fun things to do.
Notably the entire downtown is designated a historic district; with over 90 structures honored. Broad Street is the primary thoroughfare seen in most pictures, but be sure to wander over one short block to Commercial Street or risk missing many great places to explore.
Nevada City, like most old towns, has had several names. In the early days it was called “Deer Creek Dry Diggins.” The name “Nevada” was selected in the 1850s. When the state of Nevada became a state, the town added “City,” which is still used today – “Nevada City.” Many locals were not happy with the new state of Nevada, thinking they had stolen the town’s name.
Just three miles away is Grass Valley. The two towns are sometimes called the twin cities. They share a lot of the same resources and they both are great destinations. At one time four standard gauge streetcars connected them along a five miles stretch. The streetcars ran from Nevada City to just south of Grass Valley during the years of 1901 to 1924. When cars and buses came along, the streetcars were retired. (Maybe something they should think about restoring.)
Key Landmarks
- Firehouse No. 1 (built in 1861) is one of the most photographed buildings in the Gold Country. The building housed Nevada Hose Co. No. 1 and is now a museum.
- The Nevada Theater (constructed in1865) is a brick structure and is the oldest building in the state erected as a theatre.
- The National Hotel on Broad St. is the state’s oldest continuously operated hotel and consists of four buildings. It was constructed in 1854 and 1856/57.
Enjoy visiting places full of Gold Country history; Nevada City is a prime stop. For more information about Nevada City, click here or their Chamber website.
Oh and if racing is important to you, why not plan to participate in the annual Adult Soap Box Derby held in June. How can that not be fun for the whole family! The Derby website.
As Mr. Alexander Rossi was driving his Formula 1, for Andretti Autosport, and literally crossed the line with his car running on fumes, his hometown was full of excitement and cheering him to victory. As he is from a historic town, it was only appropriate that he should win the 100th running of this historic race.
Please come see this beautiful and historic town that Alexander calls his hometown.
