Sonora, California

This small town is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills and is known as the 'Queen of the Southern Mines'.  Sonora appears to be the largest of the Route 49 corridor gold-mining towns.   This small town is not as nice as Jamestown or the other gold-mining towns.  They seem to have a problem with the homeless and roving teenagers in this town.   With these reservations in mind, we still recommend a visit to this town.