The settlement at the modern location of Paicines was originally called Tres Pinos, after a prominent grouping of three
pine trees located on a nearby hill. By 1873 the
Southern Pacific Railroad had been constructed to a point north of the town to a point they called
Tres Pinos station, causing much confusion. In 1874 the name of the town was changed to Grogan for three months before settling on Paicines. ==Geography==