Plumas Lake is a master-planned community between the Feather and Bear Rivers, about 10 miles south of Marysville and 30 miles north of Sacramento. Construction started in 2003, and the plan calls for about 12,000 homes at full build-out. County leaders have said most of the roughly 500 homes built in Yuba County each year are going up here.
The levees that made it possible are a big part of the story. After major floods in 1986 and 1997, levee work continued alongside construction, and in 2019 FEMA rated the community as moderate-to-low flood risk.
For local businesses, all those new households are new customers with no history. Many commute toward Sacramento and do their research at night on their phones. They read reviews, compare a few websites, and call the business that looks most trustworthy.