Humboldt County, California

Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka.
Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California, Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the far North Coast of California, about north of San Francisco. It has among the most diverse climates of United States counties, with very mild coastal summers and hot interior days. Similar to the greater region, summers are extremely dry and winters have substantial rainfall.
Its primary population centers of Eureka, the site of College of the Redwoods main campus, and the smaller college town of Arcata, site of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, are located adjacent to Humboldt Bay, California's second largest natural bay. Area cities and towns are known for hundreds of ornate examples of Victorian architecture.
Humboldt County is a densely forested mountainous and rural county with about of coastline (more than any other county in the state), situated along the Pacific coast in Northern California's rugged Coast (Mountain) Ranges. With nearly of combined public and private forest in production, Humboldt County alone produces twenty percent of the total volume and thirty percent of the total value of all forest products produced in California. The county contains over forty percent of all remaining old growth Coast Redwood forests, the vast majority of which are protected or strictly conserved within dozens of national, state, and local forests and parks, totaling approximately .
History
The original inhabitants of the area now known as Humboldt County include the Algic Wiyot, Yurok; the Hokan Karuk; and the Athapaskan Hupa, Chilula, Whilkut, Tsnungwe as well as the Eel River Athapaskan peoples, including the Wailaki, Mattole and Nongatl.
Spanish traders made unintended visits to California with the Manila Galleons on their return trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565. The first recorded entry by people of European origin was a landing by the Spanish in 1775 in Trinidad.
The first recorded entry of Humboldt Bay by non-natives was an 1806 visit from a sea otter hunting party from Sitka employed by the Russian American Company. The hunting party included Captain Jonathan Winship, an American, and some Aleut hunters. The bay was not visited again by people of European origin until 1849 when Josiah Gregg's party visited. In 1850, Douglas Ottinger and Hans Buhne entered the bay, naming it Humboldt in honor of the great naturalist and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt, and the name was later applied to the county as a whole.
The area around Humboldt Bay was once solely inhabited by the Wiyot Indian tribe. One of the largest Wiyot villages, Tolowot, was located on Indian Island in Humboldt Bay. Founded around 900 BC, it contains a shell midden in size and deep. It was the site of the February 26, 1860 massacre of the Wiyot people that was recorded by Bret Harte, then living in Union, now called Arcata. Between 60 and 200 Wiyot men, women, and children were murdered that night in the midst of a religious ceremony. Tolowot is now a restricted site and a National Historic Landmark. In 2019, the island was restored to the Wiyot tribe, and is now known as Tuluwat or Duluwat island.
Humboldt County was formed in 1853 from parts of Trinity County.
State historic landmarks in Humboldt County include Arcata and Mad River Railroad, California's First Drilled Oil Wells in Petrolia, Camp Curtis, Centerville Beach Cross, the city of Eureka, the Victorian town of Ferndale, Fort Humboldt, Humboldt Harbor Historical District, the Jacoby Building, The Old Arrow Tree, Old Indian Village of Tsurai, the Town of Trinidad, and Trinidad Head.
On February 5 and 6, 1885, Eureka's entire Chinese population of 300 men and 20 women were expelled after a gunfight between rival Chinese gangs (tongs) resulted in the wounding of a 12-year-old boy and the death of 56-year-old David Kendall, a Eureka City Councilman. After the shooting, an angry mob of 600 Eureka residents met and informed the Chinese that they were no longer wanted in Eureka and would be hanged if they were to stay in town longer than 3 p.m. the next day. They were put on two steamships and shipped to San Francisco. No one was killed in the expulsion. Another Chinese expulsion occurred during 1906 in a cannery on the Eel River, in which 23 Chinese cannery workers were expelled after objections to their presence. However, some Chinese remained in the Orleans area, where some white landowners sheltered and purchased food for the Chinese mineworkers until after racial tension passed. Chinese did not return to the coastal cities until the 1950s.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Humboldt County encompasses , of which is land and is water.
Cape Mendocino is the westernmost point in California (longitude 124 degrees, 24 minutes, 30 seconds). Humboldt Bay, the only deepwater port between San Francisco and Coos Bay, Oregon, is located on the coast at the midpoint of the county.
Humboldt County contains a diversity of plant and animal species, with significant forest and coastal habitats. In coastal areas there are extensive redwood forests. A prominent understory shrub is the toyon, whose northern range limit is in Humboldt County.
Rivers
Humboldt County's major rivers include (in order of flow – cubic meters per second – from largest to smallest):
Klamath River
Eel River
Trinity River
Mad River
The smaller rivers include Redwood Creek, significant due to amount of its flow; the Van Duzen; the Eel River syncline group composed of the South Fork, the North Fork, and the Salt River; the Mattole, Salmon, Elk, Bear, and Little rivers.
Seismic activity
Historically, Humboldt County and the entire far north coast have had many earthquakes over 6.0 magnitude.
The 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes were a series of three major earthquakes that occurred off the coast of Cape Mendocino, California on April 25 and 26, 1992, the largest being a 7.2. Ninety-five people were injured and property in the county sustained considerable damage.
In 2010, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck offshore, west of Eureka, resulting in only minor injuries and some structural damage to houses and utilities, and no fatalities reported.
In 2022, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake centered approximately from Ferndale caused damage, especially in Rio Dell.
The town of Arcata is built on top of an accretionary wedge. This was formed by the subduction of the Gorda plate under the North American plate.
Climate
The coastal zone of the county experiences very wet, cool winters and dry, mild foggy summers. In the winter, temperatures range from highs of to lows of . Coastal summers are cool to mild, with average highs of and frequent fogs. Coastal summer temperatures range from highs of to lows of . In the populated areas and cities near the coast, the highest temperatures tend to occur at locations just a few miles inland from Eureka and Arcata, in towns like Fortuna, Rio Dell, and smaller unincorporated communities located somewhat further away from Humboldt Bay. In these locations summer highs are . The coastal zone experiences a number of frosty nights in winter and early spring, though snowfall and hard freezes are rare. Coastal winters are cool and wet. Winter rainstorms are frequent, with averages from a year, depending upon elevation.
Inland areas of the county also experience wet, cool winters. Snowfall is common at elevations over throughout the winter months, and is deep enough at higher elevations to have inspired the opening of a small ski lift operation (now defunct) on Horse Mountain, near Willow Creek, for several decades in the late 20th century. Summer displays the sharpest difference between the coastal and inland climates. Inland regions of Humboldt County experience highs of depending on the elevation and distance from the ocean. Occasional summer highs of are common in eastern and southern parts of the county including Orleans, Hoopa, Willow Creek, Garberville, Honeydew, and inland river valleys.
Demographics
2000
As of the 2000 census, the population of Humboldt County was 126,518. As of that census, there were 51,238 households in Humboldt County, and the population density was . By 2006, the population was projected to have increased to 131,361 by the California Department of Finance. There were 55,912 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.7% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 5.7% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. In 2017, 11.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino according to the United States Census Bureau. 13.3% were of German, 10.7% Irish, 10.3% English, 7.4% American and 5.7% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.1% spoke English and 4.6% spoke Spanish as their first language.
There were 51,238 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,226, and the median income for a family was $39,370. Males had a median income of $32,210 versus $23,942 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,203. About 12.9% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Humboldt County had a population of 134,623. The racial makeup of Humboldt County was 109,920 (81.7%) White, 1,505 (1.1%) African American, 7,726 (5.7%) Native American, 2,944 (2.2%) Asian, 352 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 5,003 (3.7%) from other races, and 7,173 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,211 persons (9.8%).
2011
Places by population, race, and income
Lead (2017–18)
Humboldt County children are at greater risk of dangerously elevated blood lead levels than Flint, Michigan's – and almost double that of any other California county measured. The cases are concentrated in Eureka's Old Town and downtown areas.
Economy
Humboldt County is known for its impressive redwood trees, and many acres of private redwood timberland make Humboldt the top timber producer in California. The lush river bottoms adjacent to the ocean produce rich, high-quality dairy products. Somewhat further inland, the warmer valleys have historically produced abundant apples and other fruit. More recently vineyards have been planted in the Trinity, Klamath, Mattole and upper Eel river areas.
Locally based companies
Dairy
Humboldt County is known for its family-operated dairy farms. The Humboldt Creamery, a significant producer of high-grade ice cream and other dairy products, operates from the original headquarters located at Fernbridge adjacent to the Eel River.
Cannabis
As part of the Emerald Triangle, Humboldt County is known for its cultivation of cannabis, estimated to be worth billions of dollars. Proposition 215 allows patients and caregivers who are given a doctor's recommendation to legally (State level only) grow up to 99 plants in Humboldt County. However, in the years before Prop 215 (early 1970s – late 1980s), Humboldt County saw a large migration of the Bay Area counter-culture to the region. Many came looking to purchase cheap land, and ended up growing marijuana to pay for their land. Especially around Garberville and Redway, the rural culture and hippie scene eventually collaborated to create a rural hippie community in which marijuana became the center of the economy and the culture. Many people prospered by producing marijuana for California and other states because of its reputation for quality. A Redway radio station, KMUD, in the past has issued warnings and alerts to the region with information on whereabouts of law enforcement on their way to raid marijuana gardens.
The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting is the multi-agency law enforcement task force managed by the California Department of Justice, formed with the prime purpose of eradicating illegal cannabis production in California. The operations began in the late 1970s, named the Northern California Sinsemilla Strike Force in 1979, but the name CAMP became used after its official establishment in 1983. While the influence of CAMP in Humboldt County has waned with decriminalization of marijuana, there is a renewed interest at the state level regarding valid growing permits and environmental concerns. As a result, CAMP is today still used as a policing body, in accordance with the DEA. Yearly CAMP reports, published by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) are available online through Cal Poly Humboldt's Special Collections. Starting in 1983, the annual reports detail the organizational structure and names of individual participants, a summary of the season's activities, tactics, and mention of special successes, trends and hazards.
County officials and the industry have encountered challenges in the transition from an illegal, underground economy to legal recreational cannabis sales that began in California in 2018.
As of 2023, the county has the largest cannabis farming industry in the Emerald Triangle. While the largest legal pot farm in the county was , a 2021 survey found the median pot farm sito be as .
Parks and recreation
National protected areas
National Park
Redwood National and State Parks – National Park Service
Conservation area
King Range National Conservation Area and The Lost Coast – Bureau of Land Management
Recreation area
Samoa Dunes Recreation Area – Bureau of Land Management
Forests
Headwaters Forest Reserve – Bureau of Land Management
Six Rivers National Forest – U.S. Forest Service
Trinity National Forest – U.S. Forest Service
Wildlife refuge
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge – Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
State protected areas
Beaches
Little River State Beach
Trinidad State Beach
Parks
Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
Humboldt Lagoons State Park
Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Sue-meg State Park
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Richardson Grove State Park
Sinkyone Wilderness State Park
Tide pools
Sue-meg State Park
Moonstone Beach
Indian Beach (also known as Old Home Beach)
Recreation areas
Benbow State Recreation Area
Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area
Reserves
Azalea State Reserve
John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Reserve
County parks
A. W. Way
Big Lagoon County Park
Centerville Beach
Clam Beach
Crab Park
Freshwater County Park
Hammond Trail
Luffenholtz Beach
Mad River, California
Margarite Lockwood
Moonstone Beach
Van Duzen Pamplin Grove
Arts and culture
The Sequoia Park Zoo is the oldest zoo in California operating on a facility operated by the City of Eureka in Sequoia Park.
The Clarke Historical Museum in Eureka, displays North Coast regional and cultural history in the repurposed Historic Register Bank of Eureka building.
The Ferndale Museum, in Ferndale, houses and exhibits artifacts, documents and papers from settlement during the California Gold Rush to the 1950s covering the lower Eel River Valley.
The Morris Graves Museum of Art conserves and displays the works of local artists in a restored Carnegie Library building.
The Ferndale Repertory Theatre is the county's oldest theater company; it has been in operation since 1972 at the Hart Theater building in Ferndale.
The Humboldt Crabs, founded in 1945, are the oldest continuously operated summer collegiate, wood-bat baseball team in the country.
See also the List of museums in the North Coast (California).
Government
Overview
Humboldt County is in .
In the state legislature, Humboldt is part of , and .
Election audits in the county since 2008 have used a distinctive system which has spread elsewhere. They scan all ballots and release a file of the images with a digital signature, so candidates and the public can recount to find if the official totals are correct. They also release software to let the public tally the images electronically. The first time they did this they found the official software omitted 200 ballots.
Voter registration
Cities by population and voter registration
Party preferences
From 1920 to 1984, the county was a noted bellwether area, voting for the national winner of every Presidential election. Since 1988, Humboldt has swung heavily to the Democratic Party at the Presidential and congressional levels, and is now one of the most Democratic areas in the state outside the Bay Area and Southern California. The last Republican presidential candidate to win a majority in the county was Ronald Reagan, a Californian, in 1984.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Humboldt also had a substantial number of people affiliated with the Green Party, but that number has declined in recent years; however, the Green Party has had its best performance by presidential and gubernatorial candidates of any county in the United States in Humboldt County, with Jill Stein gaining her largest county-level number of votes in Humboldt in 2016.
Crime
Humboldt County is known for an unusual number of missing person cases. It was highlighted as part of the 2018 Netflix documentary Murder Mountain.
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
Cities by population and crime rates
Education
The List of schools in Humboldt County, California shows the many school districts, including charter and private schools, at the elementary and high school level. Post-secondary education is offered locally at the College of the Redwoods and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt). Blue Lake's Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre offers accredited three-year Masters of Fine Arts degrees in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre. Humboldt County has the lowest starting teacher pay scale in the whole state of California.
Media
Print
The Times-Standard is the only daily newspaper in the region; in continuous publication since 1854, and owned by Media News Group since 1996, They also print three weeklies: the Redwood Times, the Tri-City Weekly, and Northcoast 101. Other local publications include The Independent, the North Coast Journal, the Ferndale Enterprise, the Two Rivers Tribune, the Isis Scrolls, and The Lumberjack. The Arcata Eye and the McKinleyville Press merged in August 2013 to form the Mad River Union.
Television
Humboldt County's locally produced television stations, NBC station KIEM and PBS station KEET, are based in Eureka. KIEM produces the only local TV newscast and KEET is the only PBS station in the region. Since 2017, CBS affiliate KVIQ has been a low-powered station operated as part of a duopoly with KIEM, sharing the same studios.
Fox affiliate KBVU, a semi-satellite of KCVU, is based in Chico and ABC affiliate KAEF, a semi-satellite of KRCR-TV, is based in Redding. In previous decades all major networks had production capacity in Eureka.
Radio
For-profit
KATA
KEKA,
KFMI
KEJB
KHUM
KINS-FM
KISS
KKHB
KLGE
KRED
KSLG-FM
KWPT
KWSW
Non-profit
KIDE
KHSU
KKDS-LP
KMUD
KMUE
KNHM
KNHT
KRFH-LP
Community media
Community broadband networks and public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV channels provide air time for local voices on Access Humboldt. Cable TV channels are carried by Suddenlink Communications and local programs are provided online through the Community Media Archive. The Digital Redwoods initiative of Access Humboldt is developing local networks to meet comprehensive community needs, including public, education and government purposes.
Transportation
Major highways
U.S. Route 101
State Route 36
State Route 96
State Route 169
State Route 200
State Route 211
State Route 254 – Avenue of the Giants
State Route 255
State Route 271
State Route 283
State Route 299
Public transportation
Humboldt Transit Authority operates two fixed route transit bus systems:
Redwood Transit System provides intercity service to and within communities between Trinidad and Garberville, including Manila, King Salmon, Field's Landing, Loleta, Fernbridge and Fortuna. HTA also offers service between McKinleyville or Arcata and Willow Creek and an express bus between Arcata and College of the Redwoods when classes are in session.
Eureka Transit Service, operated in the City of Eureka, provides local service on four scheduled routes (one hour headway) in Eureka and its adjacent unincorporated communities. Connections can be made to the Redwood Transit System at several places in Eureka.
Arcata and Mad River Transit System, operated by the City of Arcata with funding from Cal Poly Humboldt. A&MRTS provides fixed route local bus service on two scheduled routes (one hour headway) in Arcata and an additional route between the Valley West Neighborhood and the university when classes are in session.
The city of Blue Lake and the Blue Lake Rancheria operates the Blue Lake Rancheria Transit Authority. This provides fixed route intercity transit bus service (one hour headway) between Arcata and the Blue Lake Rancheria Indian Reservation and casino and local service within the city of Blue Lake.
Del Norte County's Redwood Coast Transit operates fixed route intercity transit bus service between Arcata and Crescent City or Smith River.
Amtrak Thruway bus has stops in many towns in the region, including Eureka, Arcata, and Fortuna. These stops are not managed by Amtrak and therefore have no services beyond serving passengers. Full service is only provided at the train station in Martinez, near San Francisco.
Airports
Arcata-Eureka Airport is located in McKinleyville (north of Arcata). Commercial flights are available. Other general aviation airports are located at Dinsmore, Garberville, Kneeland, Murray Field (Eureka), Samoa Field and Rohnerville (Fortuna).
Seaport
The Port of Humboldt Bay is on Humboldt Bay, California's second largest natural bay.
Events
In popular culture
Filming location
Ferndale, in southern Humboldt county, has been featured in such movies as The Majestic and Outbreak. It has appeared in made-for-television movies including Salem's Lot, A Death in Canaan, and Joe Dirt. It was also the location of the iconic "I'm a Pepper" commercial for Dr. Pepper.
Additionally the following films were shot in Ferndale: the science fiction horror cult film She Demons (1958), the award-winning short film Nonnie & Alex (1995), and the comedy-drama Kingdom Come (2001).
TV shows
Much of The WB's Hyperion Bay and the CBS show Blue Skies as well as an episode of Moonlighting were filmed in Humboldt County. The infamous Patterson-Gimlin film was filmed on Bluff Creek near Orleans, California.
Humboldt County has also been the subject of multiple documentary miniseries including Discovery Channel's Pot Cops and Netflix's Murder Mountain.
Humboldt County has also been featured in episodes of On the Case with Paula Zahn, The Profit, Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, Top Gear, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Survivorman, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Finding Bigfoot, Treehouse Masters, Rescue 911, Walking With Dinosaurs, Somebody's Gotta Do It, Monsters Resurrected, Weediquette, Dan Rather Reports, Monster Fish, Beachfront Bargain Hunt, and many more.
Ferndale was featured by Huell Howser in Road Trip Episode 149.
Humboldt County has also been the filming location for countless national television advertisements, including many major car commercials.
The Netflix series Virgin River is set in Humboldt County.
Books
In the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov there is a possible pun using the county's name (Humboldt) in connection to the main character's name (Humbert Humbert). This appears on page 108: "With the help of a guidebook I located [The Enchanted Hunters inn] in the secluded town of Briceland." This 'secluded town' could very well be a reference to the unincorporated Briceland of Humboldt County, making The Enchanted Hunters in 'Humboldt Land', continuing the novel's grotesque fairy-tale veneer.
Communities
Cities
Arcata
Blue Lake
Eureka (county seat)
Ferndale
Fortuna
Rio Dell
Trinidad
Census-designated places
Alderpoint
Bayview
Benbow
Big Lagoon
Cutten
Fairhaven
Fieldbrook
Fields Landing
Garberville
Hoopa
Humboldt Hill
Hydesville
Indianola
Loleta
McKinleyville
Manila
Miranda
Myers Flat
Myrtletown
Orick
Phillipsville
Pine Hills
Redcrest
Redway
Samoa
Scotia
Shelter Cove
Wautec
Weitchpec
Weott
Westhaven-Moonstone
Willow Creek
Other unincorporated communities
Alton
Bayside
Blocksburg
Briceland
Bridgeville
Carlotta
Cooks Valley
Dinsmore
Dyerville
Elk River
Englewood
Fernbridge
Fort Seward
Freshwater
Freshwater Corners
Fruitland
Glendale
Holmes
Honeydew
Johnsons
King Salmon
Kneeland
Korbel
Maple Creek
Moonstone
Orleans
Patricks Point
Pepperwood
Petrolia
Pine Hill
Port Kenyon
Ridgewood Heights
Riverside Park
Rohnerville
Rosewood
Shively
Stafford
Sunny Brae
Westhaven
Whitethorn
Indian reservations
Humboldt County has eight Indian reservations lying within its borders. Only four other counties in the United States have more: San Diego County, California; Sandoval County, New Mexico; Riverside County, California; and Mendocino County, California. The Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation is the largest in the state of California, a state that generally has small reservations (although numerous) relative to those in other states.
Big Lagoon Rancheria
Blue Lake Rancheria
Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation
Karuk Indian Reservation (partly in Siskiyou County)
Rohnerville Rancheria
Table Bluff Rancheria
Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria
Yurok Indian Reservation (partly in Del Norte County)
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Humboldt County.
† county seat
Notable people
Sara Bareilles
Lloyd Bridges
Hobart Brown
Becky Chambers
Wesley Chesbro
David Cobb
Alexander Cockburn
Trevor Dunn
Guy Fieri
Michael John Fles
Brendan Fraser
Robert A. Gearheart
James Gillett
Ulysses S. Grant
Steven Hackett
Bret Harte
Dan Hauser
El Hefe
Julia Butterfly Hill
Christa Johnson
Howard B. Keck
Seth Kinman
Naomi Lang
Rey Maualuga
Pamela McGee
Tim McKay
Mike Patton
Maurice Purify
Nate Quarry
Eric Rofes
Stephen W. Shaw
Steve Sillett
Trey Spruance
Greg Stafford
Robert M. Viale
Don Van Vliet
Stephen Girard Whipple
Ned Yost
See also
Arcata and Eureka Community Recycling Centers
Arcata Jacoby Creek Community Forest
Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary
HSU First Street Gallery
Humboldt Arts Council
Humboldt County Historical Society
Humboldt Crabs
National Register of Historic Places listings in Humboldt County, California
Operation Green Sweep
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
Lost Man Creek Dam
Sequoia County, California
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
Humboldt Economic Index
All About Living in Humboldt County
General Guide to Humboldt County
1853 establishments in California
Alexander von Humboldt
California counties
Populated places established in 1853