Shasta County, California

Shasta County, California
Shasta County, officially the County of Shasta, is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 census. The county seat is Redding.
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
Shasta County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. The county was named after Mount Shasta; the name is derived from the English equivalent for the Shasta people. Their population declined in the 1850s due to disease, low birth rates, starvation, killings, and massacres, as White settlers moved in. The name of the tribe was spelled in various ways until the present version was used when the county was established. The peak of Mt. Shasta is visible throughout most of Shasta County. Originally within the county, it is now part of Siskiyou County, to the north. Parts of the county's territory were transferred to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to Tehama County in 1856.
The Fountain Wind project, proposed by energy firm ConnectGEN LLC, includes up to 71 wind turbines, tall, with the capacity to generate 216 megawatts of electricity. In 2021, the Shasta County Planning Commission voted unanimously to reject the project's use permit, followed by an appeal to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors that similarly resulted in a 4–1 vote to deny the appeal. Wildfire risks and firefighting challenges, among other issues, were given as a primary reason for the rejection of the project. In early 2023, ConnectGen resubmitted its application to the California Energy Commission under Assembly Bill 205 which established a new certification program for non-fossil-fuel powered plants of 50 megawatts or more and related facilities.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.9%) are covered by water. 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
According to Willis Linn Jepson, the biota of Shasta County was not explored in a scientific manner until just before 1900. Until the 1920s, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company owned vast tracts of natural grasslands, but 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. Shasta County has extensive forests, which cover over one half the land area with commercially productive forest systems. 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, California black oak, and California buckeye.
Adjacent counties
Siskiyou County – north
Modoc County – northeast
Lassen County – east
Plumas County – southeast
Tehama County – south
Trinity County – west
National protected areas
Shasta-Trinity National Forest (part)
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (part)
Demographics
2011
Places by population, race, and income
2010
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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 14,878 persons (8.4%).
2000
As of the census of 2000, 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families were residing in the county. The population density was . The 68,810 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% White, 0.8% 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. About 5.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. About 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.
Of the 63,426 households, 31.7% had children under 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 not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, theage distribution was 26.1% under 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 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,335, and 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.
Annual events
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)
Palo Cedro Honey Bee Festival (September)
Government
In the United States House of Representatives, Shasta County is in .
In the California State Legislature, Shasta County is in , and .
Shasta at one time favored the Democratic Party in Presidential elections elections. The economy was shaped by the construction of Shasta Dam and some 60 percent of its registered voters were pro-labor Democrats. 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. Since 1980, it has become one of the most Republican counties in the state in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to carry the county in a presidential race was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
A 2022 successful recall unseated supervisor, Leonard Moty, Redding's ex-police chief who describes himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, after enough signatures were collected to have the election. The county's Board of Supervisors shifted to a conservative supermajority in subsequent elections. The board issued a declaration opposing state vaccine mandates and fired the health officer after the change in the makeup of the all Republican board. The Board cancelled its contract with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to pursue other options including the possibility of counting votes by hand. The county's contract with Dominion was not up for renewal until 2025. County supervisor Kevin Crye met privately with Mike Lindell in Minnesota before the vote. According to Lindell, they discussed how to run elections without voting machines. State and federal law require that voters with disabilities have access to an electronic voting system. The county selected Hart InterCivic as the new provider of voting equipment.
Voter registration statistics
Cities by population and voter registration
Transportation
Major highways
Interstate 5
State Route 36
State Route 44
State Route 89
State Route 151
State Route 273
State Route 299
Public transportation
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.
Airports
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.
Law enforcement
The Shasta County sheriff provides prison administration and coroner services for the entire county, and patrol, investigative, and coroner services for the unincorporated portions of the county.
Redding and Anderson have municipal police departments.
Crime
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
Education
School districts include:
Unified:
Fall River Joint Unified School District
Gateway Unified School District
Secondary:
Anderson Union High School District
Dunsmuir Joint Union High School District
Red Bluff Joint Union High School District
Shasta Union High School District
Elementary:
Antelope Elementary School District
Bella Vista Elementary School District
Black Butte Union Elementary School District
Cascade Union Elementary School District
Castle Rock Union Elementary School District
Columbia Elementary School District
Cottonwood Union Elementary School District
Enterprise Elementary School District
French Gulch-Whiskeytown Elementary School District
Grant Elementary School District
Happy Valley Union Elementary School District
Igo, Ono, Platina Union Elementary School District
Indian Springs Elementary School District
Junction Elementary School District
Millville Elementary School District
Mountain Union Elementary School District
North Cow Creek Elementary School District
Oak Run Elementary School District
Pacheco Union Elementary School District
Redding Elementary School District
Shasta Union Elementary School District
Whitmore Union Elementary School District
High schools and below
43 elementary schools
10 junior high schools
8 high schools
35 private schools
Colleges and universities
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
Points of interest
Shasta Dam - second-largest dam in US
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
Cities
Anderson
Redding
Shasta Lake
Unincorporated communities
Beegum
Bella Vista
Big Bend
Burney
Cassel
Castella
Centerville
Cottonwood
Dana
Enterprise
Fall River Mills
French Gulch
Happy Valley
Hat Creek
Igo
Ingot
Johnson Park
Jones Valley
Keswick
Lakehead
McArthur
Millville
Montgomery Creek
Motion
Mountain Gate
Oak Run
O'Brien
Old Station
Ono
Palo Cedro
Platina
Pollard Flat
Round Mountain
Shasta
Shingletown
Viola
Whiskeytown
Whitmore
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Shasta County.
† county seat
See also
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
References
External links
Shasta Historical Society – large database of historical Shasta County photographs
Shastasearch.com: Shasta Regional Travel and Resource Guide
Hiking trails in Shasta County
1850 establishments in California
California counties
Populated places established in 1850
Sacramento Valley
Shasta Cascade