Lassen County, California Facts for Kids

Lassen County (pronounced LASS-ən) is a county in the northeastern part of California. As of 2020, about 32,730 people live there. The main city and county seat is Susanville.

Lassen County used to be known for farming, mining, and lumber. Today, many jobs come from three large prisons: one federal prison in Herlong and two state prisons in Susanville. In 2007, about half the adults in Susanville worked at one of these facilities.

History of Lassen County
Education in Lassen County
Geography and Natural Areas
- Neighboring Counties
- Protected Natural Areas
Population and People
- Population Changes Over Time
Transportation and Utilities
Towns and Communities
Images for kids
See also

History of Lassen County

Lassen County was officially created on April 1, 1864. It was formed from parts of Plumas and Shasta counties. Before this, the area was part of an unofficial territory called Nataqua Territory and Roop County, Nevada. There was even a small conflict called the Sagebrush War in 1863 over the California border.

The county is named after Peter Lassen, a famous explorer and guide. He helped General John C. Fremont and was known as a trapper and frontiersman. Lassen Peak, a volcano in a nearby county, is also named after him. Peter Lassen was killed in 1859, and his murder was never solved.

By the 1880s, small towns started to appear in Lassen County. Bieber grew in a rich farming area. Gold was found at Hayden Hill, and a town grew there to support the miners. However, Hayden Hill no longer exists because people left when the mining stopped. Madeline was another town that formed near farming valleys and railroad tracks. About 50 people still live there today.

In the 1890s, many families moved to Lassen County from places like England and Serbia. Some settlers also came from Maine in the United States.

A narrow gauge railroad, the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway, ran through Lassen County from 1880 to 1927. It was meant to connect Reno, Nevada, to the Columbia River, but only 238 miles (383 km) of track were built.

In 1913, the Fernley & Lassen Railroad was built to transport timber from the county's large forests. The Red River Lumber Company built the town of Westwood, California, for its huge logging operations. Two other lumber mills, Lassen Lumber and Box Company and Fruit Growers Company, also operated in Susanville for many years.

However, in 2003, the last lumber mill in Susanville closed. This happened because there wasn't enough large timber for the mill to process.

Since the late 1900s, three prisons have opened in or near Susanville. These include the California Correctional Center (opened 1963) and High Desert State Prison (California) (opened 1995) in Susanville, and the Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong (opened 2007) nearby. These prisons became a major source of jobs for the area.

Education in Lassen County

Lassen County has several schools and a college. Students can attend Lassen Community College. There are also schools like Lassen High School, Diamond View Middle School, and various charter schools such as Mt. Lassen Charter School. Other schools include Herlong High School and Westwood Junior Senior High School.

Geography and Natural Areas

Hog Flat Reservoir covered in snow during early April

Lassen County covers a total area of 4,720 square miles (12,220 km²). Most of this is land, with 179 square miles (460 km²) being water. A part of Lassen Volcanic National Park is located in the western corner of the county.

Neighboring Counties

Lassen County shares borders with several other counties:

Modoc County, California - to the north
Washoe County, Nevada - to the east
Sierra County, California - to the southeast
Plumas County, California - to the south
Shasta County, California - to the west

Protected Natural Areas

Parts of several national forests and parks are found in Lassen County:

Lassen National Forest
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Modoc National Forest
Plumas National Forest
Toiyabe National Forest

Population and People

As of the 2020 census, Lassen County had a population of 32,730 people.

Population Changes Over Time

The population of Lassen County has changed quite a bit over the years.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	1,327	—
1880	3,340	151.7%
1890	4,239	26.9%
1900	4,511	6.4%
1910	4,802	6.5%
1920	8,507	77.2%
1930	12,589	48.0%
1940	14,479	15.0%
1950	18,474	27.6%
1960	13,597	−26.4%
1970	14,960	10.0%
1980	21,661	44.8%
1990	27,598	27.4%
2000	33,828	22.6%
2010	34,895	3.2%
2020	32,730	−6.2%
2023 (est.)	28,861	−17.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2015

In 2010, the county had 34,895 people. Most residents were White (73.2%). Other groups included African American (8.1%), Native American (3.5%), and Asian (1.0%). About 17.5% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Transportation and Utilities

Airports

Lassen County has a few small airports for general aviation, like Susanville Municipal Airport, Herlong Airport, and Westwood Airport. The closest large airport is Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Nevada.

Main Roads

Several important highways pass through Lassen County:

U.S. Route 395
State Route 36
State Route 44
State Route 139
State Route 299

Public Transport

The Lassen Rural Bus (LRB) provides local bus service in Susanville. It also has longer routes to towns like Westwood and Doyle.

Electricity and Power

The Lassen Municipal Utility District (LMUD) provides electricity to the county. It was started in 1986. Part of its power comes from the Honey Lake biomass power plant, which uses wood waste from the nearby Lassen National Forest.

Towns and Communities

City

Susanville (This is the main city and county seat)

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

Other Communities

These are smaller areas that are not officially cities or CDPs.

Largest Communities by Population (2020)

Here are the largest communities in Lassen County based on the 2020 census:

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Susanville	City	16,728
2	Janesville	CDP	2,461
3	Westwood	CDP	1,541
4	Johnstonville	CDP	973
5	Patton Village	CDP	632
6	Susanville Indian Rancheria	AIAN	570
7	Doyle	CDP	536
8	Bieber	CDP	266
9	Herlong	CDP	237
10	Spaulding	CDP	206
11	Clear Creek	CDP	175
12	Litchfield	CDP	160
13	Milford	CDP	147
14	Stones Landing	CDP	86
15	Little Valley	CDP	84
16	Madeline	CDP	21
17	Nubieber	CDP	19

Images for kids

Lassen County Courthouse
Seal of Lassen County, California
Location of Lassen County in California

Lassen County, California facts for kids

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