Yuba's boom leads state

County was fastest-growing in California last year as home prices, safety draw newcomers.

About three years ago, Renee Richmond was out checking the mail near her south Sacramento apartment when a police helicopter startled her. Its loudspeaker blared a message along the lines of: "Go inside. There's a murderer on the loose."
A few months later, in her new home at Plumas Lake in southern Yuba County, another police officer bothered her late at night, this one shining his flashlight through her window. Richmond opened the door to see what was wrong.
"Your garage door is still open," he said helpfully.
"I feel safe here," Richmond said Friday, sitting on the couch inside her three-bedroom house. "I've been out at 2 in the morning, looking at the stars. I wouldn't do that in Sacramento."
That kind of serenity -- along with cheaper home prices -- has drawn thousands of people to Yuba, making it the fastest-growing county in the state last year, new U.S. census figures show.
Yuba County's one-year growth rate was 4.8 percent from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006. That translates to 3,252 new residents, bringing the county's total population to 70,396, according to the Census Bureau.
The large percentage increase reflects Yuba's relatively small total population. Sacramento County, with its 1.37 million people, added 11,301 residents last year, but that equates to an increase of less than 1 percent.
The bureau's latest population estimates include counties across the nation, both on a one-year basis and on a six-year basis, going back to 2000's decennial census.
Over the longer range, Placer County still reigns as California's fastest-growing county -- growing 31 percent between 2000 and 2006. During the six-year period, Placer's population mushroomed from 248,399 to 326,242.
That pace put Placer 41st on the chart of 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States.
But Placer's growth slowed a bit last year, while Yuba's took off.
Much of Yuba County's growth has come in Plumas Lake, the area just north of the Sutter County line that is home to the Richmonds and thousands more.
"That kind of growth is a new experience for us," said Ed Palmeri, the county's assistant planning director. "We're seeing a tremendous amount of growth in single-family residential, some multifamily, and limited commercial."
The 5,000-acre Plumas Lake community eventually will contain 12,000 homes, according to Palmeri.
The development is archetypal for the region: Close your eyes, spin around three times and, when you open them, you could just as easily be looking at Elk Grove or Natomas, albeit with slightly bigger yards.
There's not much shopping in Plumas Lake yet. Residents have to drive 10 miles to the nearest Wal-Mart Supercenter for most of their needs. Nor is there a plethora of restaurants or drug stores or the other amenities you find easily in an urban area.
The community does have schools, though, and shopping and jobs will follow soon, residents hope.
Most workers commute to Roseville -- a short distance complicated by a daily logjam in Lincoln -- or Sacramento. With no traffic, the drive to downtown Sacramento is about 35 minutes.
The galloping development has been bittersweet for those who've lived in the dusty county for years.
One is county Supervisor Mary Jane Griego, who describes herself as a Yuba lifer. She said she loves the rural ambiance, but asked if she regrets the changes coming to her county, her answer was "Nah."
"We're losing something to gain other things," she said. "The population will get us the economic development we so desperately need in this area. The population will get us the flood protection we're trying to accomplish. We're giving up some rural quality of life, but we're resource-rich."
Ken Dworkin moved to Plumas Lake in 2005. He's a computer specialist with a job in Sacramento who figures that the 2,050-square-foot home he paid $350,000 for here would have cost more than $500,000 in some of Sacramento's tonier neighborhoods.
"The house is a really nice size," he said, as he replaced a sprinkler in his front lawn. "It's got a really large yard."
Dworkin lives with his 18-year-old daughter, who attends high school down the road. He lived in Vacaville before, so he's used to commuting to Sacramento. Still, he wishes there were a few more jobs and retail options in Plumas Lake.
"Eventually," he said, "this place will be self-sustaining."
Half a mile from Dworkin sits the Richmonds' home. They moved here in 2004, leaving Florin Road in south Sacramento. Doug Richmond gets up early to make his commute to Sacramento National Guard headquarters, where he works on computers. Their kids, ages 5 and 6, attend a school nearby.
The Richmonds moved here because it was affordable and safe.
"You don't worry about letting your kids play here," Renee Richmond said.
One thing the Richmonds and their neighbors do worry about is flooding. After all, during the big floods of 1986 and 1997, the area where all the Plumas Lake homes sit was under water.
Still, the Richmonds are optimistic that levee improvements should do the trick soon.
"I'm OK with it," Doug Richmond said, adding that the deal he had with his developer to pay for flood insurance will end soon and he will likely start paying the fees.
For now, the community is just as worried about dealing with the flood of new schoolchildren and the lack of markets and banks. They want their bedroom community to offer more than just beds.
"They need," Renee Richmond said, "to get stuff down here."
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Written by Phillip Reese and Dorothy Korber - Bee Staff Writers