Tag Archives: Penn Valley

History of Nevada County, Nevada County Information

Penn Valley, California

By Judy J. Pinegar

The first residents of the area were the Maidu Indians, who migrated in about 1833 from the Sacramento Valley. The four main areas they lived were the sites now called Bridgeport, Lake Wildwood, Indian Springs and Money Flat. However everything changed with the discovery of gold and the white settlers moved into the area, when Penn Valley became one of the first settlements in the county.

 

Photo courtesy of the Penn Valley Chamber of Commerce

The name Penn Valley may come from a Madam Penn who is remembered for her determination to make money if hard word would do it. Coming to the area in 1849, she took her turn with her husband carrying dirt to wash and rocking out the gold.  Later she had a 320 acre homestead at the intersection of Squirrel and Grub Creeks, which grew to 700 acres (most of Penn Valley) after being purchased in October 1852.

Early settlement of the area was probably started due to its location on a freight wagon route from Sacramento to mining regions east. Later men gave up their picks for plows and the valley produced fresh meat, fruits and vegetables to miners as far away as Nevada (state). In the late 1800’s the valley was home to a thriving dairy industry. In Western Gateway park is the rebuilt Butter Maker’s Cottage to commemorate the importance of the dairy industry in the area.

 

Photo Courtesy of Penn valley Chamber of Commerce

Today the valley is still a peaceful place, but continues to gain business opportunities and residential growth. Horses, llamas, deer and wild turkeys all coexist in the area with about 12,000 residents. The Western Gateway Park, Historic Bridgeport and Lake Englebright are all a short drive away.

Photo Courtesy of Penn valley Chamber of Commerce

Lake Wildwood is gated community in the area, off  Highway 20 on Pleasant Valley Road, which now has about 5,000 full time residents. Over half of the residents are retirees, but more and more families are moving in and the average age continues to go down.

Judy J. Pinegar is a writer
Her articles have appeared in many publications

 

For all your real estate needs
Email or call today:

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Civil Engineer
General Contractor
(530) 263-1091
Email jodell@nevadacounty.com

DRE#00669941

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Nevada County Information, Real Estate

Residential Sales in Nevada County November 2009 Compared to November 2008

 map-of-nevada-county

The good news is that sales volume picked up 7 percent.   In November of 2007 to November of 2008, 839 homes had been sold.  From November 2008 to November 2009 897 homes were sold, an increase of 7 percent.

The average sales price in November 2008 was $395,609. In November 2009 the average sales price was $316,859.  This is a decrease of $78,650 or a 20 percent drop in average sales price.  The amount of active listings also dropped 7 percent.

Sales bya few key areas:

 Nevada City area sales increased 17 percent and average sales price dropped 22 percent. The average sales price in November 2009 was $364,800 compared to a year ago of $468,895.

Lake Wildwood sales increased 11 percent and the average sales price dropped 14 percent to an average sales price of $316,216 compared to last year’s average sales price of $368,366.

Lake of the Pines sales decreased 3 percent and the average sales price dropped 20 percent to an average sales price of $313,188 compared to $368,366 last year.

Alta Sierra sales increased 20 percent and the average sales price dropped 26 percent to an average sales price of $305,537 compared to last year’s average sales price of $410,415.

Grass Valley’s sales decreased 3 percent and the average sales price dropped 16 percent to an average sales price of $267,024 compared to last year’s average sales price of $318,072.

Penn Valley sales decreased 10 percent and the average sales price dropped 12 percent to an average sales price of $319,370 compared to last year’s average sales price of $361,450.

Peardale/Chicago Park sales decreased 2 percent and the average sales price decreased 20 percent with an average sales price of $382,940 compared to last year’s average sales price of $476,855.

There are other areas of the county which I have not mentioned. If you are interested in any particular area that is not in the list above, write or call me and I will give you the stats.

John O’Dell
Broker

Real Estate

Realty World, O’Dell Realty Group is Now John O’Dell Realty

Bridgeport Covered Bridge, Nevada County, CA

 

I’m pleased to announce that we are no longer a part of the Realty World, Northern California franchise.  No longer being part of the corporate world, we are back to being your home town real estate company, locally owned and operated. We are also using our original name, O’Dell Realty. Please go to our website John ODell Realty   There you can search for all the  MLS listings, foreclosures or put yourself on a free mailing list of homes with your own criteria to find exactly the home or land that you are looking for.

With the advent of the world wide web, there is no need for being a part of a corporate franchise. Along with our own web site, we can provide you with large exposure on many other websites, such as Realtor.com, Trulia and others, to mention just a few. Of course your property is also listed  on the Nevada County Multiple Listing service.  We also have direct access to all of the Bay Area  MLS’s and beyond, along with most of the Northern California MLS’s. Currently we are working with clients buying property in the Bay Area, along with our clients here in Nevada County.

We want to thank our clients that has helped us to be successful for these many years.

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Thinking of buying or selling?
For all your real estate needs
Email or call:

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Civil Engineer
General Contractor
(530) 263-1091
Email jodell@nevadacounty.com

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