San Andreas

San Andreas is the county seat of Calaveras County in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California. The settlement spreads over gently rolling terrain at roughly 310 m (1,000 ft) elevation and includes residential neighborhoods, shops, and public buildings along the main road.

Mexican prospectors discovered gold here in 1848 and founded a camp that soon became a permanent settlement. The town grew quickly and later became the seat of county administration as the region consolidated after the gold rush.

The county museum occupies an old courthouse and displays mining tools and settler belongings from the gold rush era. Visitors see reconstructed mine sections and everyday objects from the indigenous groups who lived here before the miners arrived.

The town sits directly on State Route 49, which runs through the gold country and connects several historic settlements. Banks and schools are found in the center, which is easy to walk through on foot.

In the 1980s a large gold nugget was found nearby and sold for several thousand dollars, showing that gold still lies in the ground. Some residents today still search small creeks for nuggets that may be hidden in the rocks.

Location: Calaveras County

Elevation above the sea: 310 m

GPS coordinates: 38.19611,-120.68056

Latest update: December 13, 2025 19:38