Yuba County Introduction

Yuba County, California was incorporated on February 18, 1850, and is approximately 640 square miles. It was named after the Yuba River by Captain John A. Sutter for the Indian Village of Yubu, Yupu, or Juba, near the confluence of the modern-day Yuba and Feather rivers.

Yuba County is located approximately thirty miles north of the state capital of Sacramento. It is bordered on the north by Honcut Creek, on the south by the Bear River, and on the west by the Feather River. It extends into the Sierra Nevada foothills with more mountainous country in the northeastern corner of the county. The western third of the county, paralleling the Feather River, lies in the Sacramento Valley where agriculture is dominant. In the foothills, cattle ranching is dominant while deciduous and coniferous forests cover the mountains.

Location and Connectivity of Yuba County

The city of Marysville, the Gateway to the Goldfields in the northern part of gold rush country, is the county seat. Marysville is located between Chico and Sacramento along Highway 70 on the banks of the Feather and Yuba rivers. Originally, the gold rush brought people here, but Marysville itself is now considered to be a primary location with excellent amenities. It offers a variety of historical and recreational opportunities, nicknamed “the hub” for its placement between highways and surrounding cities.

Yuba County Communities Peak-hour Commute to Work

Most of the people in Yuba County live in the Marysville-Linda-Olivehurst area. Historically, agriculture has been the dominant industry in the area. Recently, the economy has modernized to become a center for production, distribution, and a developing capacity for high technology industry. Autonomous technology is a particularly important development as the U.S. Department of Defense’s new Global Hawk, a remote control reconnaissance and delivery aircraft, is now based at Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County.

Most of the several foothill communities in Yuba County are former gold mining towns that now house mostly retirees, commuters to Marysville and other job centers, and self-employed individuals.

One of the reasons the economy in Yuba County is so successful lies in the leisure activities available and the amount of tourism in the county. The outdoor recreational opportunities are diverse and abundant, from boating and fishing to golfing and tennis. The natural landscape contributes to the availability of outdoor sports, such as fishing and hunting, while the historical towns offer a glimpse of the past and excellent shopping opportunities.

Just minutes outside the city limits, the Sleep Train Amphitheatre draws crowds from all over California to see live musical performances. As a smaller version of the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, the Sleep Train Amphitheatre, which seats 18,500, has become a vital part of the economic success of Yuba County.