Lotus, California

{{Short description|Unincorporated community in California, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}

{{coord|38|48|06|N|120|54|31|W|display=title}}

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Lotus

|other_name =

|native_name =

|nickname =

|settlement_type =Unincorporated community

|image_skyline =

|imagesize =

|image_caption =

|pushpin_map =California#USA

|pushpin_label_position =bottom

|pushpin_mapsize =

|pushpin_map_caption =Location in California

|pushpin_image=California Locator Map with US.PNG

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name =United States

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = California

|subdivision_type2 =County

|subdivision_name2 = El Dorado County

|subdivision_type3 =

|subdivision_name3 =

|

|established_title =

|established_date =

|coordinates = {{coord|38|48|06|N|120|54|31|W|region:US-CA|display=inline}}

|elevation_footnotes = {{gnis|1656142}}

|elevation_m =220

|elevation_ft =722

|footnotes =

|population_as_of = 2010

|population_footnotes =

|population_total = 238

|

|postal_code_type = ZIP code

|postal_code = 95651{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/95651|title=Lotus ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2022|access-date=November 11, 2022}}

|area_code = 530

}}

Lotus (formerly, Marshall and Uniontown) is an unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is located {{convert|1|mi|km}} west of Coloma,{{California's Geographic Names|517}} at an elevation of 722 feet (220 m).

The settlement was established in 1849 and named for James W. Marshall, discoverer of gold. In 1850, the name was changed to Uniontown to commemorate California's admission to the Union. The name was changed to Lotus with the arrival of the post office in 1881. Lotus once had a store, dance hall, and a large Chinese population, including a Chinese cemetery. At its peak, the town was estimated to have 8,000 to 10,000 residents; now it is overshadowed by its neighbor Coloma.{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Jim |date=12 Feb 1978 |title=Lotus: A famous neighbor can give a whole town a complex |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/620920830/ |work=The Sacramento Bee |location=Sacramento, CA |access-date=26 Dec 2023}}