The port enjoys a fine reputation for production and safety. An historic seaport of 30,000, Eureka is the largest city in the area and the central location for essential port services and supplies. Transportation inland is by highway, rail, and air. The North Coast Railroad Authority provides rail connections with Southern Pacific into the San Francisco Bay Area. The Past, the Present, the Future Historically, forest products have been the principal cargoes handled - primarily wood pulp, wood chips, lumber, particle board, and logs.
Commodities currently move across five general purpose and one specialty dock.
One of the least developed natural resources is the bay itself. This is changing. Forces are at work to increase the bay's commerce potential while maintaining its natural beauty and ecology. A harbor-deepening project started in 1986 will allow vessels drawing 38' to use the port by 1998. Broad-based private and public efforts are underway to upgrade the bay's facilities and to diversify the cargo base.