Shingle Springs, CA

Shingle Springs is where Highway 50 first starts to feel like Gold Country, with the valley's grass giving way to oaks right around the exits. Placerville is less than 15 miles farther up the road, so this is the natural first stop on the foothill drive toward Tahoe. The name describes the first business here. In the early camp days a horse-powered machine turned out thousands of shingles a day beside the springs. Nisenan Maidu people lived in the area long before the gold camp, and the town is registered as California Historical Landmark 456 for the 1849 emigrant party that camped here. The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, which owns the Red Hawk Resort and Casino, shares the town's name. Rail is the other thread in the story. Tracks reached town in 1865, and the county museum's El Dorado Western Railroad now runs excursion cars between the depot and Missouri Flat Road. Part of the freight depot built after an 1896 fire is still standing, a short walk from the platform. Food and coffee gather around the exits. Train Station Coffee Shop is the breakfast diner for omelets and French toast. Crepe Town European Cafe & Grill serves crepes, goulash and chicken paprikash. Gold Pan Pizzeria is the pizza stop, with a crust that fans liken to a New York slice. There is no single downtown, so a car is part of daily life. Highway 50 carries commuters toward Sacramento, and Placerville is the nearest stop for bigger shopping. Day trips head up to Coloma and its state park or over to Placerville's historic blocks. Spread is the cost. Homes, schools and stores are scattered on both sides of the freeway, and heavy Tahoe weekend traffic can slow the on-ramps. For many residents, the draw is being in the foothills while still close to the valley's jobs, with a little more land and a little more quiet.