Colfax, California

The area was initially denoted as "Camp 20" along the route of the transcontinental railroad. in July 1865, the Pacific Railroad Company (later to become the Union Pacific Railroad), purchased land along the railroad route near Illinoistown, and surveyed it into lots,^[9] and lots were offered for sale on July 29th.

The city was renamed Colfax after then Speaker of the House (and later Vice President) Schuyler Colfax who visited the town in 1865 while inspecting progress of construction of the Central Pacific Railroad, the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad. The city was the southern terminus of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad from 1876 until the railroad's removal in 1942. Historic U.S. Route 40 also runs through the city as well as the more modern Interstate 80. The city is mentioned in Jules Verne’s book Around the World in Eighty Days.

Note that the town was a separate settlement from nearby Illinoistown. Illinoistown did NOT change its name to Colfax.

In July 2015 the Lowell Fire burned thousands of acres nearby, forcing evacuation in Nevada County.^[10]

On August 4, 2021, the River Fire started in the Bear River Campground, forcing thousands of residents on both the Placer and Nevada county sides of the river to evacuate.^[11][12] The fire was contained nine days later after burning over 2,600 acres (11 km²) and dozens of homes.^[12]

In December 2021, the city was placed under a state of emergency due to severe snow storms. More than 575,000 metered electric customers in Northern California were without power at some point during the storm, with about 141,000 still without power one month after the first major outage.^[13] The mayor at the time, Trinity Burruss, urged citizens to help each other and deputized some of her family members to run snowplows in order to get roads cleared.^[14]

Colfax is located at 39°5′50″N 120°57′14″W (39.097260, −120.954017).^[15] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.

The principal geologic structures present are granitic and metamorphic rock formations. Located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Colfax is a branch of the Melones Fault, running in north to south direction. Because the fault runs through the old grammar school baseball field, the school was closed. (Earth Metrics, 1989) Another branch of the same fault is located about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the east, also aligned in a north–south orientation. No movement has been recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the faults are considered inactive.

Bunch Creek is an active water source flowing south to eventually reach a confluence with the North Fork of the American River.

Colfax sits a few miles outside the Tahoe National Forest as I-80 begins its climb into the Sierras. Because of its location, it is considered at high risk of wildfire.^[10]

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 11:48 a.m. 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 12:21 p.m. 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.^[23] A bronze statue of the town's namesake, Schuyler Colfax, stands near the depot at the Grass Valley Street railroad grade crossing.

Amtrak Thruway 20 provides a daily connection from Colfax Depot to Sacramento Valley Station to the west, and Reno/Sparks, Nevada to the east, with a few stops in between.^[24]

Placer County Transit provides commuter service to/from Colfax Depot to/from downtown Sacramento and several other California cities. All routes operate Monday-Saturday, with the exceptions of Route 40, Placer Commuter Express (which run weekdays only) and Lincoln School Tripper (which runs on school days). There is no service on Sundays and holidays.^[25]

Greyhound, the national intercity bus system, also provides service to and from Colfax.

• 
  East portal of Tunnel 34, Colfax, on the historic Central Pacific Railroad.
• 
  A statue of the city's namesake U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax in historic downtown Colfax, near the railroad station.
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  The trailhead of historic Stevens Trail in Colfax.