Coarsegold is a census-designated place in Madera County, California, set in the Sierra Nevada foothills along Highway 41 on the historic route to Yosemite National Park. With a population of 4,144 at the 2020 census, it is a spread-out foothill community that blends rural homes, ranches, and small businesses with a deep sense of the region's past. Coarsegold is regarded as Madera County's last surviving "gold town," a distinction rooted in the placer-mining rush of 1849 and the 1850s that drew thousands of miners to the area's diggings before the accessible gold played out. The community's heritage also runs through its Native American history. Coarsegold is the headquarters of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, a federally recognized tribe whose presence underscores the area's long indigenous roots. Although a post office was not established at Coarsegold until 1899, the town's name and identity have been tied to the gold era for more than a century and a half, and that history remains a point of local pride. Today Coarsegold serves both as a rural residential community and as a gateway to some of the Sierra's best-known recreation. Bass Lake, a popular boating and fishing destination, lies a short drive away, and the south entrance of Yosemite National Park is reached by continuing up Highway 41. The community's schools are part of the Yosemite Unified School District, with Coarsegold Elementary located in town, and the nearby town of Oakhurst provides shopping and services. Coarsegold appeals to those seeking foothill acreage, proximity to the mountains, and a quieter alternative to the San Joaquin Valley below, as well as to visitors using the area as a base for the national park.