Higgins Corner | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 39°02′34″N 121°05′42″W / 39.04278°N 121.09500°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Nevada County |
Elevation | 1,427 ft (435 m) |
Higgins Corner is an unincorporated community in Nevada County, California. [1] It lies at an elevation of 1427 feet (435 m). [1] Higgins Corner is located 12.5 miles (20.1 km) south of Grass Valley. [2]
Higgins Corner was named after a Gold Rush settler, Michael J. Higgins. The name, Higgins Corner was first recorded in the 1860s. Michael J. Higgins homesteaded 160 acres of land at Wolf Road. A long time resident (since 1955), Willard Shoellerman, states that the area has been called Higgins Corner for a century. [3]
A Bill Higgins arrived in the area in the late 1800s; while he coincidentally shared the name Higgins, he was not related to Michael J. Higgins. [4]
During the Gold Rush times, the Higgins Corner Bar was the meeting place that a gold-running gang used as their headquarters. This resulted in the kidnapping and eventual killing of several children. [4]
In 1952 a temporary San Quentin prisoner forestry camp was located at Higgins Corner. [5]
A 2014 article on Higgins Corner states that the area includes the Lake of the Pines housing development, several small-scale shopping centers, the Forest Lake Christian School, the Higgins Lions community club, six churches, several ranches and "cottage home businesses". [3] It also has a fire department that provides service for the area along with the Higgins County Department of Forestry. [4]
The Lake of the Pines housing complex was formerly a cattle ranch. As of the 1980s it contained 3,000 lots, that sustained housing for 4,500 residents. [4]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Higgins Corner has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. [6]