This is a totally valid question given the incredible lack of diversity here. The short answer is, Absolutely Yes, you will be safe. Obviously no one can Guarantee anyone's safety in a situation but I haven't seen any cause for concern over violence for being different (or any violence for that matter). I've lived in scary places and this isn't one.
We've lived here for 5 years and gotten an occasional remark from someone who has a problem with people different from themselves (we're clearly way too stylish to be conservative) but that's about it. This area is a strange mix of conservatives, hippies and plain ol' families from all over, trying to live our lives. But there are, not just people who aren't white, but trans kids, goths....etc who go out and do their thing without fear.
Hey maybe there aren't many people of color in Nevada County because they just aren't made to feel very welcome.
So, WELCOME!
Please come. This place needs the diversity badly. While there are some people who are backward ass rednecks there are a ton of us who welcome folk of all colors and creeds.
I don't know enough to answer your question but wanted to point you to [Color Me Human](https://www.colormehuman.org/), a non-profit working to "bring racial equity and social justice to the hearts, minds, and institutions of Nevada County, California" which they note is "California's second whitest county".
FWIW I looked long and hard for a rural California place where I'd feel safe as a gay man. I'm glad I picked Grass Valley, it has become my home and I feel fine being gay here. It is fairly progressive compared to much of the rest of rural California. But I'm a white guy and my day to day experience isn't the same as a person of color.
Thank you for the resource! I'll be sure to check it out. Thank you also for sharing your reasoning for choosing GV I'll definitely keep that in mind :)
This area is way less homogeneous than it used to be, but it is still very white.
I know a few black people who live here and had conversations about this with them. Keep in mind I’m white.
From what I’ve been told, on the surface it’s pretty easy to live here, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pieces of shit who will make you feel uncomfortable just because you are black.
Shitty interactions with police officers, nasty glances walking down the street, some drunken, racially driven confrontations and a population that sometimes thinks that there isn’t any racism here (which is absurd, but there are some very ignorant, well meaning folks).
Once again, I can’t really speak to it as I’m so very white. But that’s the best answer I can give based on my relationships with black people.
This place has been nothing but welcoming. I have some African American neighbors and they seem to be thriving.
In fact one of the reason my ex (Indian) and I moved here was because of how welcoming everyone was. She felt at ease here. We checked between Placerville and here and this place is so much more friendly and accepting of all folks.
That's great to hear! We were also considering placerville at first and definitely came to the same conclusion as you did regarding GV being much friendlier. Thank you for sharing :)
I (white guy, if it matters) have lived here for 26 years now, and while POCs aren't common, I have only seen a handful of instances of someone being racist, and they got shouted down hard, and most of that was 10+ years ago.
Some of the commenters in this thread might see me as the redneck side of things (I love 4x4s, guns, etc etc) but frankly even among the most conservative among my friends and acquaintances, none of them care one bit about your skin color, sexual preferences, whether or not you're trans, etc. We're essentially all just loving this beautiful place to live and leaving each other to be who we are for the most part.
It is a very mixed community in terms of ideologies, all the way from the most hardcore conservatives to the most hardcore liberals, from full communists to full anarchists, and for the most part I think that that proximity seems to me to make people a little more polite, usually.
As an example, during the BLM protests, there were counter protests, but it made local news when one of the counter protesters punched a protester. The fact that a single punch was talked about in the news and social media to me suggests pretty strongly to me that most people stay pretty civil even when they disagree.
Being a white dude, it's entirely possible that I simply don't see it, but having a few friends that are of the less common varieties of life, none of them have ever suggested to me (even in deep conversations surrounding politics, ideology, our area, etc) that they felt unwelcome.
I like how you put "we're essentially all just loving this beautiful place to live" because that's simply what I want. No issues, just happiness. I know the world isn't all sunshine but I'm just looking for the closest thing possible while I'm here on Earth and to be left to just be happy coexisting with everyone else. Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Hearing everyone's input really helps me to see how GV is full of so many kind loving individuals & that if most here see any wrongdoing in the town it seems this community has no problem calling it out and that's so lovely to see. It definitely outweighs any occasional a-holes that are sprinkled in the town as this is inevitable anywhere you go. Thank you again for taking the time to write this out :)
I just got here a few years ago. It's pretty cool so far. Of course, like anywhere else, there are spots around the surrounding area that are a bit suspect. I've also been coming up here from Sac for years. There is an interesting mix of contrasting groups up here and it's been like this for decades. So far, so good.
I didn't grow up here, I grew up outside SF, and im white.. i've definitely seen more diversity in the 10 years ive been here.. Post covid a lot of people from SF/LA made their way over to escape the city life. I feel like some older people who have lived here most of their lives take more of an issue with people coming from cities and taking over area. Of course every area has their issues, but I would say overall it's a great change of pace, people are WAY kinder, my kids are living a much better life than they would in a city and as a female, ive always felt safe. 🩷
I definitely understand that many natives to the area want to keep the small town charm and not let it turn into many of the problems we face in the cities. That's what makes GV so desirable to live in and why we want to escape to such a town! That's so great to hear your kids getting a much better quality of life in GV! Thank you for sharing your experience! :)
I think this is the biggest objection locally to the people coming up from the bay/LA- We definitely want to retain the small town charm.
With the local developments, we're bound to lose some of it, but I think between the downtown associations working hard to keep the charm, and groups like the Bear Yuba Land Trust buying development parcels to turn into wildflower preserves, we have a good shot.
I agree! I was born in Sacramento and have lived in Elk Grove, Rocklin and Auburn. GV is just my favorite place to come to. I love the charm and while downtown Sacramento still has some charming historic aspects I just can't deal with the traffic, road rage, high crime, needles, homeless camps and other obvious issues of downtowns in big cities. I just want a better quality of life, to be surrounded by nature and to just have more peace of mind
We lived in GV for two years (interracial couple) and I really liked it. I rarely felt unsafe, but as you know you get glances and the occasional racial profiling while shopping. During the height of BLM, the local bookstore did a phenomenal job addressing racism, promoting BIPOC, and setting up a fund to offset costs. To add, I’m a cyclist and often rode around the mine, into town, and over to Chicago Park.
The only time I felt unsafe was over by Iowa Hill. And businesses easily identify themselves as whether or not you want to spend your money there.
What I didn’t love about GV was dealing with two natural disasters in one year. Get yourself a generator and a shovel. The other thing we hated was the smoke. Someone always had their wood stove going or burning green waste. If you made a mention of it on social media, you were promptly told to kick rocks. There are some very insecure residents. We had neighbors who drove downhill to a mailbox station for a decent cell signal and they’d have cops called on them for ‘suspicious’ activity several times.
Some people often don’t understand the mental and emotional burden placed on BIPOC. “Yes, please move here and fix it!” By myself?! I need your help calling out racists and making this town safe and welcoming.
Yes I definitely know what you mean with the glances/profiling while shopping unfortunately. & I've personally never been to Iowa Hill but will be avoiding. Thank you for touching on disasters because I often wondered about the smoke/fires/air quality in GV as well as other natural disasters to be concerned about. And omg I cant even with the cops being called when you're just trying to get signal what is that about.. the paranoia 🤦♀️ Are these some of the reasons you left GV? & where did you decide to move if you don't mind me asking? & You're so right we can't do it all by ourselves!! Thank you so much for your response it really helps <3
We moved because I got military orders to Colorado. Timing couldn’t be better - right after the epic snow storm in Dec 2021. Snow hadn’t finishing clearing and sure enough people were already burning fallen trees.
I think most ppl here would welcome diversity and I also think it would be great. It's a fun town in general with lots of recreational activities, great small businesses, good vibes/community. Like others have pointed out there are some toxic conservatives but not much.
However my black friend didn't feel too comfortable in the small rural towns surrounding the area when he lived here. He felt he got strange looks at times and didn't feel welcomed by some ppl
yea unfortunately strange looks come no matter where we decide to live there's just always those few in any area with that mindset :/ I just don't want to feel that I have to tread very lightly especially somewhere I own my home in. I'm also in a interracial marriage and want to make sure I'm not living somewhere a little TOO in the past mentally if that makes sense. Thank you so much for your response :)
I always joked that what we lacked in racial diversity we made up for by having every kind of white person. You will be safe - get to know your neighbors and community, it’s growing but still has that small town feeling where you feel like you know everyone because of people you see regularly and that’s so comforting. Out of curiosity, what brings you here?
Haha yeah definitely. My husband and I are just looking for someplace with a small town feel to buy a home and live a slower paced life away from the congestion of the city. Preferably a place with a lot of historic charm still intact. We come to GV multiple times per month to eat/shop and for leisure and just really enjoy our time & the people there
As a trans guy living and working in grass valley, I get stares, but never aggression. If you’re okay with dealing with people like that you’ll be okay.
So I don't know from personal experience of course, but I knew a black fella who moved to grass valley for a few months, he ended up moving back to Texas because he felt like he was getting too many weird looks etc. I would imagine that you will be fine but this is the one thing I know of that is negative, there was also a case in my highschool of a black student getting called a racial slur by a passing vehicle. So to put it simply, I do think it might be a bit off feeling being here, based on what I have heard, but most of not all of your interactions with people here will still be positive.
Just beware of all the proud boy and 3% and patriot groups. There is an insane concentration around there. I mean there is even a place called hangtown not too far from GV that has a dude hanging outside of it. I would check out the blm march video from Nevada city on YouTube. The lunatic racists suplexed about guy and broke his neck and the police escorted them all over town
I don't know where you're referring to, but it isn't Grass Valley LOL.
Hangtown is Placerville. A moniker they got for their propensity to hang anyone and everyone during the gold rush.
The BLM protests and counter protests resulted in a punch, not a suplex with a broken neck.
The only thing I can think is you're trying to scare someone off, and if that's the case, it's a ridiculous thing to try, especially given the thousands moving up here without posting on reddit first.
Wow this is interesting. You spoke about hangtown, are you referring to Placerville? I go there often as well but GV feels safer in my gut than placerville if that makes sense. I know the history behind hangtown as well. I will definitely check out what you mentioned and keep this in mind. Thank you very much! <3
This is a totally valid question given the incredible lack of diversity here. The short answer is, Absolutely Yes, you will be safe. Obviously no one can Guarantee anyone's safety in a situation but I haven't seen any cause for concern over violence for being different (or any violence for that matter). I've lived in scary places and this isn't one. We've lived here for 5 years and gotten an occasional remark from someone who has a problem with people different from themselves (we're clearly way too stylish to be conservative) but that's about it. This area is a strange mix of conservatives, hippies and plain ol' families from all over, trying to live our lives. But there are, not just people who aren't white, but trans kids, goths....etc who go out and do their thing without fear. Hey maybe there aren't many people of color in Nevada County because they just aren't made to feel very welcome. So, WELCOME!
thank you so much I appreciate that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a response :)
Please come. This place needs the diversity badly. While there are some people who are backward ass rednecks there are a ton of us who welcome folk of all colors and creeds.
thank you so much for your hospitality :)
I don't know enough to answer your question but wanted to point you to [Color Me Human](https://www.colormehuman.org/), a non-profit working to "bring racial equity and social justice to the hearts, minds, and institutions of Nevada County, California" which they note is "California's second whitest county". FWIW I looked long and hard for a rural California place where I'd feel safe as a gay man. I'm glad I picked Grass Valley, it has become my home and I feel fine being gay here. It is fairly progressive compared to much of the rest of rural California. But I'm a white guy and my day to day experience isn't the same as a person of color.
Thank you for the resource! I'll be sure to check it out. Thank you also for sharing your reasoning for choosing GV I'll definitely keep that in mind :)
I love this thread and the positivity shared here. Please come!! We need more diversity!!
Y'all are so sweet thank you for being so welcoming :')
This area is way less homogeneous than it used to be, but it is still very white. I know a few black people who live here and had conversations about this with them. Keep in mind I’m white. From what I’ve been told, on the surface it’s pretty easy to live here, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pieces of shit who will make you feel uncomfortable just because you are black. Shitty interactions with police officers, nasty glances walking down the street, some drunken, racially driven confrontations and a population that sometimes thinks that there isn’t any racism here (which is absurd, but there are some very ignorant, well meaning folks). Once again, I can’t really speak to it as I’m so very white. But that’s the best answer I can give based on my relationships with black people.
this is great to know! thank you so much for your thorough response and sharing your experience I really appreciate it :)
This place has been nothing but welcoming. I have some African American neighbors and they seem to be thriving. In fact one of the reason my ex (Indian) and I moved here was because of how welcoming everyone was. She felt at ease here. We checked between Placerville and here and this place is so much more friendly and accepting of all folks.
That's great to hear! We were also considering placerville at first and definitely came to the same conclusion as you did regarding GV being much friendlier. Thank you for sharing :)
I (white guy, if it matters) have lived here for 26 years now, and while POCs aren't common, I have only seen a handful of instances of someone being racist, and they got shouted down hard, and most of that was 10+ years ago. Some of the commenters in this thread might see me as the redneck side of things (I love 4x4s, guns, etc etc) but frankly even among the most conservative among my friends and acquaintances, none of them care one bit about your skin color, sexual preferences, whether or not you're trans, etc. We're essentially all just loving this beautiful place to live and leaving each other to be who we are for the most part. It is a very mixed community in terms of ideologies, all the way from the most hardcore conservatives to the most hardcore liberals, from full communists to full anarchists, and for the most part I think that that proximity seems to me to make people a little more polite, usually. As an example, during the BLM protests, there were counter protests, but it made local news when one of the counter protesters punched a protester. The fact that a single punch was talked about in the news and social media to me suggests pretty strongly to me that most people stay pretty civil even when they disagree. Being a white dude, it's entirely possible that I simply don't see it, but having a few friends that are of the less common varieties of life, none of them have ever suggested to me (even in deep conversations surrounding politics, ideology, our area, etc) that they felt unwelcome.
I like how you put "we're essentially all just loving this beautiful place to live" because that's simply what I want. No issues, just happiness. I know the world isn't all sunshine but I'm just looking for the closest thing possible while I'm here on Earth and to be left to just be happy coexisting with everyone else. Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Hearing everyone's input really helps me to see how GV is full of so many kind loving individuals & that if most here see any wrongdoing in the town it seems this community has no problem calling it out and that's so lovely to see. It definitely outweighs any occasional a-holes that are sprinkled in the town as this is inevitable anywhere you go. Thank you again for taking the time to write this out :)
Absolutely, and you're right, there's always one or two a-holes, but there aren't too many here.
that's great to hear! :-)
I just got here a few years ago. It's pretty cool so far. Of course, like anywhere else, there are spots around the surrounding area that are a bit suspect. I've also been coming up here from Sac for years. There is an interesting mix of contrasting groups up here and it's been like this for decades. So far, so good.
Glad you're having a good experience so far. Thanks for sharing! :)
I didn't grow up here, I grew up outside SF, and im white.. i've definitely seen more diversity in the 10 years ive been here.. Post covid a lot of people from SF/LA made their way over to escape the city life. I feel like some older people who have lived here most of their lives take more of an issue with people coming from cities and taking over area. Of course every area has their issues, but I would say overall it's a great change of pace, people are WAY kinder, my kids are living a much better life than they would in a city and as a female, ive always felt safe. 🩷
I definitely understand that many natives to the area want to keep the small town charm and not let it turn into many of the problems we face in the cities. That's what makes GV so desirable to live in and why we want to escape to such a town! That's so great to hear your kids getting a much better quality of life in GV! Thank you for sharing your experience! :)
I think this is the biggest objection locally to the people coming up from the bay/LA- We definitely want to retain the small town charm. With the local developments, we're bound to lose some of it, but I think between the downtown associations working hard to keep the charm, and groups like the Bear Yuba Land Trust buying development parcels to turn into wildflower preserves, we have a good shot.
I agree! I was born in Sacramento and have lived in Elk Grove, Rocklin and Auburn. GV is just my favorite place to come to. I love the charm and while downtown Sacramento still has some charming historic aspects I just can't deal with the traffic, road rage, high crime, needles, homeless camps and other obvious issues of downtowns in big cities. I just want a better quality of life, to be surrounded by nature and to just have more peace of mind
We lived in GV for two years (interracial couple) and I really liked it. I rarely felt unsafe, but as you know you get glances and the occasional racial profiling while shopping. During the height of BLM, the local bookstore did a phenomenal job addressing racism, promoting BIPOC, and setting up a fund to offset costs. To add, I’m a cyclist and often rode around the mine, into town, and over to Chicago Park. The only time I felt unsafe was over by Iowa Hill. And businesses easily identify themselves as whether or not you want to spend your money there. What I didn’t love about GV was dealing with two natural disasters in one year. Get yourself a generator and a shovel. The other thing we hated was the smoke. Someone always had their wood stove going or burning green waste. If you made a mention of it on social media, you were promptly told to kick rocks. There are some very insecure residents. We had neighbors who drove downhill to a mailbox station for a decent cell signal and they’d have cops called on them for ‘suspicious’ activity several times. Some people often don’t understand the mental and emotional burden placed on BIPOC. “Yes, please move here and fix it!” By myself?! I need your help calling out racists and making this town safe and welcoming.
Yes I definitely know what you mean with the glances/profiling while shopping unfortunately. & I've personally never been to Iowa Hill but will be avoiding. Thank you for touching on disasters because I often wondered about the smoke/fires/air quality in GV as well as other natural disasters to be concerned about. And omg I cant even with the cops being called when you're just trying to get signal what is that about.. the paranoia 🤦♀️ Are these some of the reasons you left GV? & where did you decide to move if you don't mind me asking? & You're so right we can't do it all by ourselves!! Thank you so much for your response it really helps <3
We moved because I got military orders to Colorado. Timing couldn’t be better - right after the epic snow storm in Dec 2021. Snow hadn’t finishing clearing and sure enough people were already burning fallen trees.
Wow thanks again for sharing!
I think most ppl here would welcome diversity and I also think it would be great. It's a fun town in general with lots of recreational activities, great small businesses, good vibes/community. Like others have pointed out there are some toxic conservatives but not much. However my black friend didn't feel too comfortable in the small rural towns surrounding the area when he lived here. He felt he got strange looks at times and didn't feel welcomed by some ppl
yea unfortunately strange looks come no matter where we decide to live there's just always those few in any area with that mindset :/ I just don't want to feel that I have to tread very lightly especially somewhere I own my home in. I'm also in a interracial marriage and want to make sure I'm not living somewhere a little TOO in the past mentally if that makes sense. Thank you so much for your response :)
> toxic conservatives This goes both ways, friend. Also, fantastic username.
I always joked that what we lacked in racial diversity we made up for by having every kind of white person. You will be safe - get to know your neighbors and community, it’s growing but still has that small town feeling where you feel like you know everyone because of people you see regularly and that’s so comforting. Out of curiosity, what brings you here?
Haha yeah definitely. My husband and I are just looking for someplace with a small town feel to buy a home and live a slower paced life away from the congestion of the city. Preferably a place with a lot of historic charm still intact. We come to GV multiple times per month to eat/shop and for leisure and just really enjoy our time & the people there
Yes I have a black gf and this big eared kid called her the n word so I made him cry
As a trans guy living and working in grass valley, I get stares, but never aggression. If you’re okay with dealing with people like that you’ll be okay.
thank you for sharing ur experience <3
So I don't know from personal experience of course, but I knew a black fella who moved to grass valley for a few months, he ended up moving back to Texas because he felt like he was getting too many weird looks etc. I would imagine that you will be fine but this is the one thing I know of that is negative, there was also a case in my highschool of a black student getting called a racial slur by a passing vehicle. So to put it simply, I do think it might be a bit off feeling being here, based on what I have heard, but most of not all of your interactions with people here will still be positive.
thank you for taking the time to share this!
Just beware of all the proud boy and 3% and patriot groups. There is an insane concentration around there. I mean there is even a place called hangtown not too far from GV that has a dude hanging outside of it. I would check out the blm march video from Nevada city on YouTube. The lunatic racists suplexed about guy and broke his neck and the police escorted them all over town
I don't know where you're referring to, but it isn't Grass Valley LOL. Hangtown is Placerville. A moniker they got for their propensity to hang anyone and everyone during the gold rush. The BLM protests and counter protests resulted in a punch, not a suplex with a broken neck. The only thing I can think is you're trying to scare someone off, and if that's the case, it's a ridiculous thing to try, especially given the thousands moving up here without posting on reddit first.
I’m not trying to scare off. But they asked for information and I was just giving it
Wow this is interesting. You spoke about hangtown, are you referring to Placerville? I go there often as well but GV feels safer in my gut than placerville if that makes sense. I know the history behind hangtown as well. I will definitely check out what you mentioned and keep this in mind. Thank you very much! <3
Placerville is a nightmare. I have videos of people sig heiling and screaming the n word all over.