Cool, formerly known as Cave Valley, is a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

El Dorado County El Dorado County (; ''El Dorado'', Spanish language, Spanish for "The Golden ne), officially the County of El Dorado, is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, about from

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, the state capital. Cool is at an elevation of 1,532 feet (467 m). It has a population of 4,100 according to the 2010 census and is contained within the

area code 530 Area codes 530 and 837 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in northeastern and Northern California. 530 was created in 1997 in an area code split of 916 and 837 was added to the same numbering plan area as an ov ...

with a ZIP code of 95614.

Geography

It is built on State Route 49 between Auburn and Placerville on a hill at an elevation more than 1,500 feet (450 m) in an area full of trees, trails,

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

, and other recreational activities. The temperature ranges from 75° to 105 °F (23 °C to 41 °C) in the summer and 25° to 50 °F (-4 °C to 10 °C) in the winter.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Cool has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

History

The first post office was established in 1885. Penobscot Public House, established in 1850, was a way station and stage coach stop during the days of the Gold Rush. The Penobscot Ranch still exists today.

Ultramarathon

The

Way Too Cool 50 Kilometer The Way Too Cool 50K Endurance Run is an annual ultramarathon run in the Sierra Nevada, that starts and ends in the town of Cool. The race takes place in early March, and was first held in 1990. Course Most of the course is held on single-trac ...

run starts and ends in the town in early March. It follows sections of the Western States Trail with more than 4000 ft (1200+ m) elevation change along its 31-mile length.

Politics

In the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

, Cool is in , and . Federally, Cool is in .

Education

Th
Black Oak Mine Unified School District
serves Cool. Cool currently has just one school �

– catering to elementary students (TK–6). Residents are zoned t
Golden Sierra Junior Senior High School
for grades 7–12. Until 2007 there was also another K–8 school in Cool, the Cool Christian School."Cool Christian School"
/ref>

References

Pacific Historian 10 (Summer 1966 pages 19–42): Goodness, Gold, and Gold, The California Mining Career of Peter Y. Cool 1851-52.

External links

* http://www.historichwy49.com {{authority control Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in El Dorado County, California Unincorporated communities in the Sacramento metropolitan area