City of Placerville Overview

Famous as the locus for gold mining, today Placerville cites lumber, agriculture, light manufacturing, tourism and recreation as strengths in its economy, along with vineyards and production of fine wines. Formerly known as Hangtown—there's a great story about being the site of the first known hanging in the Mother Lode for a string of gold robberies by some bad guys—visitors can get a look into the pursuit of gold at the Gold Bug Park & Mine, a museum with tours and books on the era. The county seat of El Dorado County has population of around 11,000, most of whom can tell you all about the town’s legendary “Hangtown fry,” a dish of eggs, bacon, and oysters favored by miners.