Grass Valley

Grass Valley, California may have been marked by the California Gold Rush but it was the fertile soil and mediteranian climate that brought the early settlers here. While those settlers were planting their fruitful orchards and building out homesteads their cattle were grazing the better part of Greenhorn Creek. That very spot gave birth to the name, Grass Valley. The word of gold traveled to Cornwall, England and with the migration of the cornish testing their tin mining skills to the hardrock of these foothills populations continued to rise and on March 13th, 1893 Grass Valley was incorporated.

While the percentage of land dedicated to agriculture has significantly decreased over the last few decades, agriculture continues to be an important aspect of the area’s economy, including organic agricultural products. During the past decade, Nevada County has become known for its growing wine industry.

Popular Businesses:

Art Works Gallery
37 juried visual artists cooperate. The work includes ceramic, glass, jewelry, painting, woodturning, furniture, fiber art, metal, mosaic, mixed media, photography, and sculpture.

Booktown Books
Independent bookstore in downtown Grass Valley.

Crystal Empire Gems
All Jewelry is hand made and consists of genuine crystals and minerals.

Foggy Mountain Music
Foggy Mtn Music store is the prodigy of a long line of musicians. Opened in 1975.

Tofanellis
Tofanelli’s is owned by a third-generation restaurant family that has opened 15 very successful restaurants in California, Oregon and Nevada.

Watershed At The Owl
The menu changes and evolves seasonally and daily, in order to serve the best possible product to our guests. We work with our farmers and ranchers to take advantage of the products at their peak of freshness and flavor.

South Pine Cafe
South Pine Café. Their idea was to create a restaurant that would appeal to any type of clientele, from the biscuit and gravy connoisseur to the vegan, and anyone in between; the result is an eclectic array of specialty items that attract a very diverse mix of diners.