| Rough and Ready | |
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| — census-designated place — | |
| A scene in Rough and Ready | |
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Rough and Ready
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Nevada |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 3.170 sq mi (8.210 km2) |
| • Land | 3.170 sq mi (8.210 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 963 |
| • Density | 303.8/sq mi (117.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 95975 |
| Area code(s) | 530 |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2628785 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rough and Ready, California | |
| Reference #: | 294 |
Rough and Ready is a census-designated place in Nevada County, California, United States.[2] It is located west of Grass Valley, California, approximately 62 miles (100 km) from Sacramento. The population was 963 at the 2010 census.
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The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company from Wisconsin known as the Rough and Ready Company. Their leader, Captain A. A. Townsend, named the company after General Zachary Taylor (nicknamed "Old Rough and Ready") who had recently been elected the 12th President of the United States. Captain Townsend had served under Taylor when he commanded the American Forces during the U.S.-Mexican War.
The post office at Rough and Ready was established by February 1851; the first postmaster was Marcus Nutting.[3] The ZIP Code is 95975. The community is inside area code 530.
The post office was closed for a time in 1855, again for a time in 1913, and again from 1942 to 1948.[4]
Rough and Ready is the only mining town to have "seceded" from the Union and then voted itself back in.[5] Populated mostly by miners from the state of Wisconsin, the town hoped to rid itself of a recently-introduced tax on new mining claims and the prohibition of alcohol in Nevada County. Residents were also frustrated that the US Postal Service was demanding they change the name of the town to either "Rough" or "Ready", but not both. Another incentive for secession is found in the legend of a local con man. The con man would wager with miners that if he was able to prospect a certain amount of gold from their claims, he would pay them far more than their claim was worth. He would prospect until he had slightly less than the amount of gold needed to make good on his wager, then quit and keep the gold. Since he technically hadn't committed a crime, the courts were unable to prosecute him. It was decided in a town meeting in April 1850 to draw up articles of secession, forming the "Great Republic of Rough and Ready" (and according to legend, the con man was immediately hanged). Less than three months later, when preparing for an Independence Day celebration, community members realized that they were no longer entitled to celebrate US independence, and the secession was rescinded by popular vote.
The history of the "Republic" is performed annually as a play in Nevada County during "Secession Days" on the last Sunday of June.
What little is left of the town is located on State Route 20, west of the Grass Valley junction at State Route 49. Among the oldest buildings are the blacksmith shop (1850s), the Odd Fellows Hall (1854), and the Old Toll House.
The town of Rough and Ready is honored as a historic landmark (#294) by the state of California.
A melodrama comedy, "Gold Fever at the Rough and Ready", written by Neal LaVine, was performed at the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville in Oceano, CA in the summer of 2009. The play incorporated historical characters (Captain A. A. "Sheriff Bartly" Townsend, Col. E. F. Brundage, Marcus Nutting, and Alonzo Delano) with fictional melodrama characters (prospector Eustace "Scabby" Jones, villain Phileas Cramner) and closely follows the history of Rough and Ready, from the gold boom and formation of the town to secession from the Union, and the eventual dissolving of the Union due to planned Fourth of July festivities. Certain fictional elements were added to serve comedic and theatrical purposes.
The New York City-based music duo The Great Republic of Rough and Ready takes its name from the town.[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²), all of it land.
The 2010 United States Census[7] reported that Rough and Ready had a population of 963. The population density was 303.8 people per square mile (117.3/km²). The racial makeup of Rough and Ready was 886 (92.0%) White, 3 (0.3%) African American, 6 (0.6%) Native American, 16 (1.7%) Asian, 6 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 11 (1.1%) from other races, and 35 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56 persons (5.8%).
The Census reported that 963 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 428 households, out of which 95 (22.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 203 (47.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 31 (7.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 28 (6.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 33 (7.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 132 households (30.8%) were made up of individuals and 50 (11.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25. There were 262 families (61.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.77.
The population was spread out with 160 people (16.6%) under the age of 18, 60 people (6.2%) aged 18 to 24, 184 people (19.1%) aged 25 to 44, 385 people (40.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 174 people (18.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.5 years. For every 100 females there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males.
There were 477 housing units at an average density of 150.5 per square mile (58.1/km²), of which 332 (77.6%) were owner-occupied, and 96 (22.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%. 755 people (78.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 208 people (21.6%) lived in rental housing units.