Coloma is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is approximately 36 miles (58 km) northeast of Sacramento. Coloma is most noted for being the site where James W. Marshall found gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills, at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848, leading to the California gold rush. As of the 2020 census, Coloma had a population of 521.