Shasta County, California

Shasta County, California
County
County of Shasta
Images, from top down: Shasta Dam at the southern end of Shasta Lake, Lassen Peak, Sundial Bridge
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sacramento Valley/Cascade Range
Incorporated	1850
Named for	Mount Shasta,[note 1] which was named after the Shasta people
County seat	Redding
Largest city	Redding
Area
• Total	9,960 km2 (3,847 sq mi)
• Land	9,780 km2 (3,775 sq mi)
• Water	190 km2 (72 sq mi)
Population  (April 1, 2010)[1]
• Total	177,223
• Estimate  (2018)[2]	180,040
• Density	18/km2 (46/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Website	www.co.shasta.ca.us

Shasta County, officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223;^[1] the county seat is Redding.^[3]

Shasta County comprises the Redding, California Metropolitan Statistical Area; the county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range.

Points of interest in Shasta County include Shasta Lake, Lassen Peak, and the Sundial Bridge.

History[edit]

Shasta County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to Tehama County in 1856.

The county was named after Mount Shasta; the name is derived from the English equivalent for the Shasta people, the name of a Native American tribe that once lived in the area, but they were ethnically cleansed from the area in the 1850's;^[4] the name of the tribe was spelled in various ways until the present version was used when the county was established. Originally Mt. Shasta was within the county, but it is now part of Siskiyou County, to the north, its 14,179-foot (4,322 m) peak is visible throughout most of Shasta County.

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,847 square miles (9,960 km²), of which 3,775 square miles (9,780 km²) is land and 72 square miles (190 km²) (1.9%) is water.^[5] Mountains line the county on the east, north and west; the Sacramento River flows out of the mountains to the north, through the center of the county, and toward the Sacramento Valley to the south.

Flora and fauna[edit]

According to Willis Linn Jepson the biota of Shasta County were not explored in a scientific manner until just before the year 1900. Up until the 1920s the Southern Pacific Railroad Company owned vast tracts of natural grasslands; however, during the 1920s the railroad sold off much of its grassland holdings, leading to the rapid clearing of brush and large scale conversion from habitat to agricultural uses.^[6] Shasta County has extensive forests, which cover over one half the land area with commercially productive forest systems.^[7] Common forest alliances include mixed oak woodland and mixed conifer-oak woodland as well as douglas fir forest. Common trees found include White-bark pine,^[8] California Black Oak and California Buckeye.^[9]

Adjacent counties[edit]

• Siskiyou County – north
• Modoc County – northeast
• Lassen County – east
• Plumas County – southeast
• Tehama County – south
• Trinity County – north

National protected areas[edit]

• Shasta-Trinity National Forest (part)
• Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (part)

Politics[edit]

Voter registration statistics[edit]

Population and registered voters
Total population[10]	177,231
Registered voters[11][note 2]	98,013	55.3%
Democratic[11]	25,957	26.5%
Republican[11]	45,815	46.7%
Democratic–Republican spread[11]	-19,858	-20.2%
Independent[11]	3,620	3.7%
Green[11]	453	0.5%
Libertarian[11]	786	0.8%
Peace and Freedom[11]	268	0.3%
Americans Elect[11]	2	0.0%
Other[11]	344	0.4%
No party preference[11]	20,768	21.2%

Cities by population and voter registration[edit]

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population[10]	Registered voters[11] [note 2]	Democratic[11]	Republican[11]	D–R spread[11]	Other[11]	No party preference[11]
Anderson	9,927	45.1%	30.7%	38.8%	-8.1%	11.4%	24.0%
Redding	89,674	53.4%	26.5%	46.7%	-20.2%	8.6%	21.5%
Shasta Lake	10,121	51.0%	29.5%	39.1%	-9.6%	10.9%	24.7%

Overview[edit]

Shasta at one time favored the Democratic Party in Presidential elections, it went Democratic in all but one presidential election from 1932 to 1976, and was one of the few counties in the state to be won by George McGovern. However, since 1980, it has become one of the most Republican counties in the state in Presidential and congressional elections; the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

In the United States House of Representatives, Shasta County is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.^[13]

In the California State Legislature, Shasta County is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Brian Dahle,^[14] and the 1st Assembly District, represented by (vacant).^[15]

Transportation[edit]

Major highways[edit]

• Interstate 5
• State Route 36
• State Route 44
• State Route 89
• State Route 151
• State Route 273
• State Route 299

Public transportation[edit]

Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) provides service in and around Redding. One route operates to Burney via State Route 299.

Amtrak's Coast Starlight serves Redding Station once a day in each direction.^{[citation needed]}

Airports[edit]

Redding Municipal Airport has scheduled passenger flights. Other (general aviation) airports within the county include Benton Field (near Redding), Fall River Mills Airport, and Shingletown Airport.

Crime[edit]

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population[10]	177,231
Violent crime[16]	1,280	7.22
Homicide[16]	3	0.02
Forcible rape[16]	111	0.63
Robbery[16]	130	0.73
Aggravated assault[16]	1,036	5.85
Property crime[16]	2,722	15.36
Burglary[16]	1,462	8.25
Larceny-theft[16][note 3]	2,839	16.02
Motor vehicle theft[16]	339	1.91
Arson[16]	27	0.15

Cities by population and crime rates[edit]

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population[17]	Violent crimes[17]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes[17]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Anderson	10,056	87	8.65	606	60.26
Redding	90,974	705	7.75	4,380	48.15

Demographics[edit]

2011[edit]

Population, race, and income
Total population[10]	177,231
White[10]	155,791	87.9%
Black or African American[10]	1,650	0.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native[10]	3,855	2.2%
Asian[10]	4,609	2.6%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[10]	286	0.2%
Some other race[10]	3,350	1.9%
Two or more races[10]	7,690	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[18]	14,622	8.3%
Per capita income[19]	$23,691
Median household income[20]	$44,058
Median family income[21]	$55,250

Places by population, race, and income[edit]

Places by population and race
Place	Type[22]	Population[10]	White[10]	Other[10] [note 4]	Asian[10]	Black or African American[10]	Native American[10] [note 5]	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[18]
Anderson	City	9,927	86.4%	6.5%	3.1%	1.4%	2.6%	10.4%
Bella Vista	CDP	2,344	97.1%	0.4%	0.8%	0.0%	1.7%	6.0%
Big Bend	CDP	95	89.5%	0.0%	5.3%	5.3%	0.0%	11.6%
Burney	CDP	2,824	91.5%	3.0%	0.2%	0.0%	5.2%	3.5%
Cassel	CDP	473	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	4.7%
Cottonwood	CDP	3,426	81.8%	14.7%	0.0%	0.4%	3.1%	18.9%
Fall River Mills	CDP	572	76.9%	21.2%	1.9%	0.0%	0.0%	35.1%
French Gulch	CDP	222	85.6%	10.4%	3.2%	0.0%	0.9%	0.0%
Hat Creek	CDP	183	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	24.0%
Keswick	CDP	660	96.5%	3.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.0%
Lakehead	CDP	347	78.1%	1.7%	12.1%	0.0%	8.1%	4.0%
McArthur	CDP	229	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	21.8%
Millville	CDP	833	94.6%	2.0%	0.0%	0.1%	3.2%	3.1%
Montgomery Creek	CDP	103	77.7%	20.4%	0.0%	1.9%	0.0%	0.0%
Mountain Gate	CDP	1,293	81.4%	15.4%	0.0%	0.0%	3.2%	0.0%
Old Station	CDP	41	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Palo Cedro	CDP	1,217	87.3%	6.7%	0.0%	1.8%	4.1%	10.6%
Redding	City	89,674	87.6%	6.3%	2.8%	1.1%	2.2%	8.7%
Round Mountain	CDP	124	81.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	18.5%	0.0%
Shasta	CDP	1,576	92.4%	2.9%	2.6%	0.0%	2.2%	11.4%
Shasta Lake	City	10,121	87.6%	5.6%	4.2%	0.4%	2.2%	6.1%
Shingletown	CDP	2,240	85.8%	4.6%	3.7%	1.2%	4.6%	0.5%

Places by population and income
Place	Type[22]	Population[23]	Per capita income[19]	Median household income[20]	Median family income[21]
Anderson	City	9,927	$17,210	$34,862	$39,766
Bella Vista	CDP	2,344	$24,537	$54,958	$64,487
Big Bend	CDP	95	$20,027	$19,250	$15,250
Burney	CDP	2,824	$19,422	$33,875	$46,131
Cassel	CDP	473	$22,696	$65,156	$66,406
Cottonwood	CDP	3,426	$17,701	$47,532	$49,615
Fall River Mills	CDP	572	$26,462	$39,600	$38,100
French Gulch	CDP	222	$19,226	$30,500	$32,014
Hat Creek	CDP	183	$38,961	$55,536	$56,339
Keswick	CDP	660	$22,534	$61,023	$76,250
Lakehead	CDP	347	$33,629	$71,094	$47,222
McArthur	CDP	229	$24,510	$21,563	$39,276
Millville	CDP	833	$31,570	$72,250	$76,667
Montgomery Creek	CDP	103	$24,544	$12,009	$6,875
Mountain Gate	CDP	1,293	$10,862	$19,821	$14,324
Old Station	CDP	41	$18,946	[note 6]	[24]
Palo Cedro	CDP	1,217	$32,302	$68,688	$75,772
Redding	City	89,674	$23,548	$43,157	$54,987
Round Mountain	CDP	124	$17,967	$20,521	$25,521
Shasta	CDP	1,576	$35,850	$67,548	$83,009
Shasta Lake	City	10,121	$21,026	$42,901	$52,860
Shingletown	CDP	2,240	$26,325	$48,953	$71,719

2010[edit]

The 2010 United States Census reported that Shasta County had a population of 177,223; the racial makeup of Shasta County was 153,726 (86.7%) White, 1,548 (0.9%) African American, 4,950 (2.8%) Native American, 4,391 (2.5%) Asian, 271 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 4,501 (2.5%) from other races, and 7,836 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,878 persons (8.4%).^[25]

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Shasta County	177,223	153,726	1,548	4,950	4,391	271	4,501	7,836	14,878
Incorporated cities and towns	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Anderson	9,932	8,273	70	426	256	17	353	537	1,070
Redding	89,861	77,117	1,092	2,034	3,034	156	2,307	4,121	7,787
Shasta Lake City	10,164	8,749	67	389	233	13	201	512	865
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Bella Vista	2,781	2,559	16	41	30	6	43	86	179
Big Bend	102	85	0	10	0	0	1	6	2
Burney	3,154	2,685	13	233	7	2	61	153	265
Cassel	207	194	0	3	0	0	4	6	6
Cottonwood	3,316	2,844	4	99	108	2	120	139	352
Fall River Mills	573	450	0	30	3	2	56	32	105
French Gulch	346	296	3	15	3	1	8	20	17
Hat Creek	309	239	4	45	2	4	9	6	20
Keswick	451	389	0	23	6	0	4	29	14
Lakehead	461	421	0	13	2	0	3	22	11
McArthur	338	217	0	15	0	0	98	8	119
Millville	727	673	0	6	6	1	22	19	50
Montgomery Creek	163	117	2	16	0	0	9	19	18
Mountain Gate	943	850	7	27	5	0	13	41	49
Old Station	51	49	0	1	0	0	0	1	2
Palo Cedro	1,269	1,164	7	24	6	1	22	45	74
Round Mountain	155	126	1	12	3	1	1	11	12
Shasta	1,771	1,612	11	37	23	1	7	80	56
Shingletown	2,283	2,124	5	49	8	1	13	83	86
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	47,866	42,493	246	1,402	656	63	1,146	1,860	3,719

2000[edit]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	378		—
1860	4,360		1,053.4%
1870	4,173		−4.3%
1880	9,492		127.5%
1890	12,133		27.8%
1900	17,318		42.7%
1910	18,920		9.3%
1920	13,361		−29.4%
1930	13,927		4.2%
1940	28,800		106.8%
1950	36,413		26.4%
1960	59,468		63.3%
1970	77,640		30.6%
1980	115,715		49.0%
1990	147,036		27.1%
2000	163,256		11.0%
2010	177,223		8.6%
Est. 2018	180,040	[2]	1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[26] 1790-1960[27] 1900–1990[28] 1990-2000[29] 2010-2015[1]

As of the census^[30] of 2000, there were 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families residing in the county; the population density was 43 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 68,810 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²); the racial makeup of the county was 89.3% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 2.8% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. 5.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.7% were of German, 12.3% English, 11.2% Irish, 9.9% American and 5.2% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.0% spoke English and 3.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 63,426 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,335, and the median income for a family was $40,491. Males had a median income of $35,959 versus $24,773 for females; the per capita income for the county was $17,738. About 11.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and policing[edit]

Shasta County government[edit]

Shasta County Sheriff[edit]

The sheriff provides court protection, prison administration and coroner services for the entire county and patrol, investigative, and coroner services for the unincorporated portions of the county.

Municipal police[edit]

Redding and Anderson have municipal police departments.

Annual events[edit]

• Kool April Nites (April): A classic car show
• Rodeo Week Festivities (May)
• Art Fair and Fiddler’s Jamboree (May)
• Whiskeytown Regatta (May)
• Watershed Festival (May)
• Strawberry Festival (May)
• Shasta Dragonwood Celtic Faire (May)
• Redding Exchange Club Air Show (June)
• Shasta District Fair (June)
• Fall River Valley Century Bike Ride (July)
• Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration (July)
• Burney Basin Days (July)
• Fall River Valley Wild Rice Festival (Aug)
• Intermountain Fair, Fall River Valley (September) The Shasta County Fair
• Stillwater Pow Wow (September)
• Walk To End Alzheimer's (September)
• Big Bike Weekend (October)
• Fall River Valley Lights of Christmas Parade (December)

Education[edit]

High schools and below[edit]

• 43 elementary schools
• 10 junior high schools
• 8 high schools
• 35 private schools

Colleges and universities[edit]

Shasta County has four colleges and universities:

• Shasta College, Redding: 2 year, fully accredited
• Simpson University, Redding: 4 year, fully accredited
• National University, Redding: 4 year, fully accredited
• Shasta Bible College: 4 year

Housing[edit]

• Median price for a house is about $183,000 as of early 2014.^[31]
• Median rental rate is $700/month.^{[citation needed]}

Points of interest[edit]

• Lassen Peak
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Shasta Lake
• Turtle Bay Exploration Park
• Hat Creek Radio Observatory
• Iron Mountain Mine, one of the nation's most toxic waste sites
• Sundial Bridge/Turtle Bay, an architectural beauty and a natural habitat area surrounded by urbanization.
• Burney Falls
• Whiskeytown Dam and Lake, with John F. Kennedy Memorial

Communities[edit]

Cities[edit]

• Anderson
• Redding
• Shasta Lake

Census-designated places[edit]

Unincorporated communities[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2009)

• Castella
• Centerville
• Dana
• Igo
• Oak Run
• Ono
• Platina
• Tunnel Inn
• Whiskeytown
• Whitmore

Population ranking[edit]

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Shasta County.^[32]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Redding	City	89,861
2	Shasta Lake	City	10,164
3	Anderson	City	9,932
4	Cottonwood	CDP	3,316
5	Burney	CDP	3,154
6	Bella Vista	CDP	2,781
7	Shingletown	CDP	2,283
8	Shasta	CDP	1,771
9	Palo Cedro	CDP	1,269
10	Mountain Gate	CDP	943
11	Millville	CDP	727
12	Fall River Mills	CDP	573
13	Lakehead	CDP	461
14	Keswick	CDP	451
15	French Gulch	CDP	346
16	McArthur	CDP	338
17	Hat Creek	CDP	309
18	Cassel	CDP	207
19	Montgomery Creek	CDP	163
20	Round Mountain	CDP	155
21	Big Bend	CDP	102
22	Old Station	CDP	51
23	Redding Rancheria[33]	AIAN	34
24	Roaring Creek Rancheria[34]	AIAN	14
25	Montgomery Creek Rancheria[35]	AIAN	12
26	Big Bend Rancheria[36]	AIAN	9

See also[edit]

• List of school districts in Shasta County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Shasta County, California
• 2018 Shasta County Wildfires: Carr Fire, Hirz Fire, Delta Fire

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shasta County, California.

• Official website
• Shasta Historical Society – large database of historical Shasta County photographs
• Shastasearch.com: Shasta Regional Travel and Resource Guide
• Hiking trails in Shasta County

Coordinates: 40°46′N 122°02′W / 40.76°N 122.04°W / 40.76; -122.04