Colfax, CA

Colfax is where the Sierra foothills start turning into mountains, a railroad and highway town on Interstate 80 where State Route 174 splits off toward Grass Valley. Auburn is the nearest larger town down the grade, and Lake Tahoe and Reno lie farther up it. The town's identity comes from two lines running through it, the tracks that brought Colfax into being and the freeway that keeps it busy. Downtown is a short stretch of older storefronts around the old depot, and the best-known weekend is Railroad Days in September. Travelers and locals share the same few dependable meals. TJ's Roadhouse on South Auburn Street is the big sit-down dinner stop with burgers and meatloaf, Main Street Pizza turns out hand-tossed pies and calzones, and Madi's MexiCali Stop sells Baja-style tacos and burritos close to the interstate. Houses spread in every direction from the center. Older cottages sit near the tracks, and newer homes, cabins and larger parcels climb the surrounding ridges among pine and oak. Rollins Lake and the Bear River country are within reach for a day on the water, and the canyon trails above the American River draw hikers who come up from the valley for the day. Daily life leans on the freeway. Bigger shopping and a wider choice of jobs are down the hill in Auburn, and anyone commuting to Sacramento takes Interstate 80 for a long stretch. In town you have a library, a ball park, a market and the usual fast food clustered near the exits. The cost of the elevation shows up in winter. Snow and slow stretches on the interstate are part of the calendar, and everything outside the center takes a car. In return you get a small place with a working depot, a recognizable main street and mountain air not far from the Sacramento Valley.