Shasta County, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shasta County
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
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sacramento Valley/Cascade Range
Incorporated	1850
Named for	Mount Shasta, which was named after the Shasta people
County seat	Redding
Largest city	Redding
Government
• Type	Council–CEO
Area
• Total	3,847 sq mi (9,960 km2)
• Land	3,775 sq mi (9,780 km2)
• Water	72 sq mi (190 km2)
Highest elevation	10,457 ft (3,187 m)
Population  (April 1, 2020)
• Total	182,155
• Density	47.350/sq mi (18.2819/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.shastacounty.gov

Shasta County (ⁱ/ˈʃæstə/), 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 14,179-foot (4,322 m) 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.

In 1992, the Fountain Fire burned more than 63,000 acres (25,000 ha) and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures, including large parts of Round Mountain and Montgomery Creek. More than 7,000 people were forced to evacuate. Estimated losses totaled $105.6 million (equivalent to about $185.6 million in 2021).

The Fountain Wind project, proposed by energy firm ConnectGEN LLC, includes up to 71 wind turbines, 679 feet (207 m) 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 3,847 square miles (9,960 km²), of which 72 square miles (190 km²) (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 43 people per square mile (17 people/km²). The 68,810 housing units had an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9 units/km²). 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)

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.

Amtrak Thruway provides twice daily service from Redding to/from Stockton or Sacramento for connections to the San Joaquins, which serve the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and the Los Angeles area via rail and bus connections.

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.

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:

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

Bailey Cove Campground near Lake Shasta within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

• 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

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Shasta County. † county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Shasta para niños