Welcome to Alta ...
Alta is located in Placer County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Alta, you might consider that their post office opened in 1871.
Alta is 3,600 feet [1,097 m] above sea level.<2> In other words, the elevation of Alta is about ¾ mile [or ~1 km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Alta lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Alta: 530
The ZIP code for Alta: 95701<3>
Communities Also Named Alta ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two California communities named Alta: This one is located in Placer County and the other is located in San Diego County.
Beyond California, there are 21 communities that are also named Alta - they are located in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (3), Kentucky, Montana (2), North Dakota, Ohio (2), Tennessee, Utah (2), West Virginia (2) and Wyoming.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Alta.
Communities near Alta ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Alta.
- Grass Valley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Nevada City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Colfax
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Secret Town
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Secret Town. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
- Secret Town is located in Placer County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Secret Town
- From Alta to Secret Town
- You Bet ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for You Bet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
- You Bet is located in Nevada County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to You Bet
- From Alta to You Bet
- Iowa Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Scotts Flat
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Valley ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Bear Valley is located in Shasta County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Bear Valley
- From Alta to Bear Valley
- Chicago Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chicago Park ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chicago Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
- Chicago Park is located in Placer County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Chicago Park
- From Alta to Chicago Park
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Alta. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Alta.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Alta. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alta.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Alta. See our Newspapers Page for Alta.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Alta ...
Looking for more information about Alta? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Alta, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Alta.
Adding Alta to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Alta in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Alta was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Alta post office opened in 1871.
We also found Alta in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Alta.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of California's counties, including Placer, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Alta - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Alta). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Alta or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |