Colfax, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Colfax is a city in Placer County, California, at the crossroads of Interstate 80 and Highway 174. The population was 1,496 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Vice President Schuyler Colfax, and a statue of him is featured just off Main St. Some of the town's notable features include the newly restored train depot (which houses a number of shops), the downtown shops on Main St., and Colfax High School, which serves a large surrounding area.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Transportation
4 Attractions
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Colfax is located at 39°5′50″N, 120°57′14″W (39.097260, -120.954017)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,496 people, 614 households, and 394 families residing in the city. The population density was 440.9/km² (1,141.0/mi²). There were 636 housing units at an average density of 187.5/km² (485.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.18% White, 0.60% Black or African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 2.34% from other races, and 3.14% from two or more races. 8.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 614 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,391, and the median income for a family was $43,125. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $27,708 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,440. About 8.5% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Colfax. The city's passenger rail station is located at 99 Railroad Street in the heart of town. Amtrak Train 5, the westbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Colfax at 12:26pm daily with service to Roseville, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, and Emeryville across the bay from San Francisco. Amtrak Train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, is scheduled to depart Colfax at 12:26pm daily with service to Truckee, Reno, Sparks, Winnemucca, Elko, Salt Lake City, Provo, Helper, Green River, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Denver, Omaha, Galesburg, and Chicago.

[edit] Attractions

One of the most notable attractions of Colfax used to be the popular restaurant Dingus McGee's, run by the jovial Dennis Freidig and Robert "Ol' Bob" Townsend. Dingus McGee's was a classic roadhouse tavern that nestled into the wooded hillside adjacent to Interstate 80. Denny and Ol' Bob offered a variety of bar food from chicken wings to calamari, more exotic food like alligator nuggets and calamari and served up hefty steak, seafood and pasta entrees.

Colfax was once host to a miracle appearance of the Virgin Mary cast against the wall of the St. Dominic's Parish church. It was later revealed that the image was a projection of sunlight through a stained glass window rather than an actual miracle. Never the less dozens of people flocked to the church to witness the image.