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Siskiyou County, California

County

County of Siskiyou

Images, from top down, left to right: Mount Shasta, the historic West Miner Street in Yreka, Indian Tom Lake, Captain Jack's Stronghold in the Lava Beds National Monument, the McCloud River

Flag

Seal

Motto(s):

"Mountains of Opportunity"

Location in the state of California

Country

United States

State

California

Region

Shasta Cascade

1852

The Siskiyou Trail

Largest city

Yreka

Government

• Type

Council–Administrator

Area

• Total

6,347 sq mi (16,440 km²)

• Land

6,278 sq mi (16,260 km²)

• Water

69 sq mi (180 km²)

Highest elevation

14,162 ft (4,317 m)

Population

(April 1, 2020)

• Total

44,076

• Density

6.9444/sq mi (2.68124/km²)

Time zone

UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)

Area code

530

FIPS code

06-093

GNIS feature ID

277311

Congressional district

1st

Siskiyou County (ⁱ/ˈsɪskjuː/ SISK-yoo) is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta. It falls within the Cascadia bioregion.

Siskiyou County is in the Shasta Cascade region along the Oregon border. Because of its outdoor recreation, Mt. Shasta, McCloud River, and Gold Rush era history, it is an important tourist destination within the state.

History

Siskiyou County was created on March 22, 1852, from parts of Shasta and Klamath Counties, and named after the Siskiyou mountain range. Parts of the county's territory were given to Modoc County in 1855.

The county is the site of the central section of the Siskiyou Trail, which ran between California's Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest. The Siskiyou Trail followed indigenous footpaths, and was extended by Hudson's Bay Company trappers in the 1830s. Its length was increased by "Forty-Niners" during the California Gold Rush.

After the discovery of an important gold strike near today's Yreka, California, in 1851, prospectors flooded the area. This was described in detail by Joaquin Miller in his semi-autobiographical novel Life Amongst the Modocs.

In the mid-1880s, the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad along the Siskiyou Trail brought the first wave of tourism. Visitors were drawn by the county's many summer resorts, and to hunt or fish in the largely untouched region. The Southern Pacific railroad, the successor to the Central Pacific, called its rail line “The Road of A Thousand Wonders.”

In the early 1940s, Siskiyou County was home to the semi-serious State of Jefferson movement, which sought to create a new state from several counties of northern California and the adjoining counties of southern Oregon. The movement has seen a revival in recent years.

The origin of the word Siskiyou is not known. It may be a Chinook Jargon word for a "bob-tailed horse" (ultimately originating in Cree), or as was argued before the State Senate in 1852, from the French Six Cailloux (six stones), a name given to a ford on the Umpqua River by Michel Laframboise and his Hudson's Bay Company trappers in 1832. Others claim the Six Cailloux name was appropriated by Stephen Meek, another Hudson's Bay Company trapper who discovered Scott Valley, for a crossing on the Klamath River near Hornbrook.

The county is home to the Black Bear Ranch, a commune started in 1968 with the slogan "Free Land for free people."

On September 4, 2013, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to secede from the State of California.

Geography

Mossbrae Falls, near Dunsmuir, California

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,347 square miles (16,440 km²), of which 6,278 square miles (16,260 km²) is land and 69 square miles (180 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county by area in California.

Siskiyou County is geographically diverse. From towering Mount Shasta (elev. 14,179 ft (4,322 m)) near the center of the county, to lakes and dense forests, as well as desert, chaparral, and memorable waterfalls, the county is home to world-famous trout-fishing rivers and streams, such as the Sacramento and McCloud rivers. The county is dotted as well with lakes and reservoirs, such as Castle Lake and Lake Siskiyou. Mount Shasta itself has a winter sports center. Pastoral Scott Valley in the western part of the county has many wide, tree-lined meadows, supporting large cattle ranches. The basins of northeastern Siskiyou County, including Butte Valley, Lower Klamath and Tule Lake basins, have some of the deepest and richest soils in the state, producing alfalfa, potatoes, horseradish, and brewing barley. Butte Valley nurseries are the leading source of premium strawberry plants in North America. Much of the county is densely forested with pine, fir, incense-cedar, oak, and madrone; Siskiyou County is also home to the rare Baker's Cypress Tree, Cupressus bakeri, which grows in only eleven scattered locations in the world, five of which are in Siskiyou County. The county's natural resources are most often used these days for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and wilderness recreation, as historic logging practices have been largely discontinued due to Federal and State environmental regulations. The county's water is viewed as sufficiently pure and abundant that the county is a source of significant amounts of bottled water, distributed throughout the country. A large Crystal Geyser plant is at the base of Mt. Shasta, near Weed.

Flora and fauna

Substantial amounts of the county are forested within the Siskiyou and Cascade Ranges, including significant oak woodland and mixed conifer forests. Siskiyou County is the northern extent of the range for California Buckeye, a widespread California endemic. The Klamath National Forest occupies 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km²) of land which includes elements in Siskiyou County as well as Jackson County, Oregon.

Adjacent counties

Josephine County, Oregon - northwest
Jackson County, Oregon - north
Klamath County, Oregon - northeast
Modoc County - east
Shasta County - southeast
Trinity County - south
Humboldt County - southwest
Del Norte County - west

National protected areas

Cristobalite on obsidian, found near Lava Beds National Monument.

Butte Valley National Grassland
Klamath National Forest (part)
Lava Beds National Monument (part)
Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Modoc National Forest (part)
Rogue River National Forest (part)
Shasta National Forest (part)
Six Rivers National Forest (part)
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Tule Lake Unit, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (part)

Transportation

Southern Pacific 4449 at Bray, en route to Railfair 1981.

Major highways

Interstate 5
U.S. Route 97
State Route 3
State Route 89
State Route 96
State Route 139
State Route 161
State Route 263
State Route 265

Public transportation

Siskiyou Transit And General Express (STAGE) operates buses connecting the more populated areas of the county. Amtrak trains stop in Dunsmuir. Amtrak Thruway formerly operated between Sacramento and Medford, OR, with stops in Yreka, Weed, Mount Shasta, and Dunsmuir, for passengers connecting to and from Amtrak trains in Sacramento or Stockton; this service was discontinued in 2009. Greyhound buses pass through the county on Interstate 5 with a stop in Weed.

Airports

Siskiyou County owns and operates Butte Valley Airport, Happy Camp Airport, Scott Valley Airport, Siskiyou County Airport and Weed Airport (all general aviation). Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport and Montague-Yreka Rohrer Field are also within the county.

The closest airports for commercial domestic plane departures are Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport north of the county in Medford, Oregon, Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport, northeast of the county in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Redding Municipal Airport south of the county in Redding, California.

Demographics

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population	44,687
White	38,919	87.1%
Black or African American	519	1.2%
Native American or Alaska Native	1,287	2.9%
Asian	588	1.3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	142	0.3%
Some other race	516	1.2%
Two or more races	2,716	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	4,544	10.2%
Per capita income	$22,335
Median household income	$37,865
Median family income	$47,632

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type	Population	White	Other	Asian	Black or African American	Native American	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Carrick	CDP	123	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Dorris	City	872	83.9%	11.6%	1.0%	0.0%	3.4%	25.1%
Dunsmuir	City	1,663	85.9%	8.5%	1.5%	1.6%	2.4%	7.5%
Edgewood	CDP	49	85.7%	14.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	14.3%
Etna	City	721	86.8%	10.1%	0.6%	0.0%	2.5%	9.3%
Fort Jones	City	595	91.8%	3.2%	0.2%	2.4%	2.5%	6.6%
Gazelle	CDP	153	71.2%	24.8%	0.0%	0.0%	3.9%	22.2%
Greenview	CDP	376	89.4%	10.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Grenada	CDP	322	81.4%	8.7%	0.0%	0.0%	9.9%	2.8%
Happy Camp	CDP	1,170	61.3%	12.2%	6.9%	0.8%	18.8%	4.6%
Hornbrook	CDP	334	89.8%	1.5%	2.4%	0.0%	6.3%	5.7%
McCloud	CDP	1,288	94.5%	1.6%	2.2%	0.8%	1.0%	5.1%
Macdoel	CDP	108	38.0%	62.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	72.2%
Montague	City	1,510	80.7%	12.5%	0.6%	0.2%	6.0%	16.9%
Mount Hebron	CDP	72	94.4%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	5.6%	31.9%
Mount Shasta	City	3,411	93.3%	6.5%	0.0%	0.2%	0.0%	8.6%
Tennant	CDP	55	65.5%	5.5%	29.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Tulelake	City	981	83.1%	8.1%	1.0%	5.2%	2.7%	55.2%
Weed	City	2,947	87.8%	5.0%	1.1%	3.7%	2.5%	15.8%
Yreka	City	7,696	84.6%	8.9%	1.9%	1.3%	3.4%	10.3%

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Carrick	CDP	123	$13,418	$12,269	$37,386
Dorris	City	872	$15,058	$32,500	$37,880
Dunsmuir	City	1,663	$21,465	$36,813	$47,958
Edgewood	CDP	49	$26,247	$44,063	$43,438
Etna	City	721	$16,854	$30,455	$31,875
Fort Jones	City	595	$15,363	$26,875	$38,947
Gazelle	CDP	153	$13,808	$19,333	$27,344
Greenview	CDP	376	$19,574	$45,640	$45,640
Grenada	CDP	322	$21,354	$27,955	$40,417
Happy Camp	CDP	1,170	$13,909	$23,438	$30,500
Hornbrook	CDP	334	$13,494	$27,143	$36,528
McCloud	CDP	1,288	$19,543	$31,630	$49,922
Macdoel	CDP	108	$17,961	$51,534	$53,750
Montague	City	1,510	$15,971	$33,438	$44,875
Mount Hebron	CDP	72	$18,090	$25,875	$24,464
Mount Shasta	City	3,411	$24,705	$39,575	$62,500
Tennant	CDP	55	$13,035	$18,365	$18,250
Tulelake	City	981	$13,174	$26,389	$36,500
Weed	City	2,947	$15,124	$25,659	$37,917
Yreka	City	7,696	$21,169	$31,151	$41,750

2010

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	7,629	—
1870	6,848	−10.2%
1880	8,610	25.7%
1890	12,163	41.3%
1900	16,962	39.5%
1910	18,801	10.8%
1920	18,545	−1.4%
1930	25,480	37.4%
1940	28,598	12.2%
1950	30,733	7.5%
1960	32,885	7.0%
1970	33,225	1.0%
1980	39,732	19.6%
1990	43,531	9.6%
2000	44,301	1.8%
2010	44,900	1.4%
2020	44,076	−1.8%
2023 (est.)	42,905	−4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

The 2010 United States Census reported Siskiyou County had a population of 44,900. The racial makeup of Siskiyou County was 38,030 (84.7%) White, 571 (1.3%) African American, 1,814 (4.0%) Native American, 540 (1.2%) Asian, 80 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,491 (3.3%) from other races, and 2,374 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,615 persons (10.3%).

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Siskiyou County	44,900	38,030	571	1,814	540	80	1,491	2,374	4,615
Incorporated cities and towns	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Dorris	939	764	19	18	5	8	77	48	197
Dunsmuir	1,650	1,443	32	17	15	4	30	109	167
Etna	737	627	0	28	1	1	6	74	26
Fort Jones	839	650	33	61	8	0	23	64	103
Montague	1,443	1,251	4	67	8	1	17	95	107
Mount Shasta	3,394	3,041	61	19	56	2	51	164	277
Tulelake	1,010	563	1	15	1	0	365	65	601
Weed	2,967	2,221	206	70	121	27	132	190	475
Yreka	7,765	6,495	57	491	94	9	168	451	753
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Carrick	131	110	7	2	2	0	1	9	8
Edgewood	43	41	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
Gazelle	70	65	0	4	0	0	1	0	5
Greenview	201	161	0	10	1	0	8	21	19
Grenada	367	307	2	35	1	0	3	19	12
Happy Camp	1,190	814	2	277	7	1	18	71	95
Hornbrook	248	195	0	15	0	0	10	28	19
Macdoel	133	57	0	6	0	0	69	1	78
McCloud	1,101	1,039	8	10	6	0	5	33	65
Mount Hebron	95	73	0	1	0	0	18	3	41
Tennant	41	36	0	2	0	0	1	2	4
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	20,536	18,077	139	666	214	27	487	926	1,561

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 44,301 people, 18,556 households, and 12,228 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 per square mile (2.7/km²). There were 21,947 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 3.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. 7.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.5% were of German, 12.0% English, 9.8% Irish, 9.5% American and 7.1% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.7% spoke English and 5.7% Spanish as their first language. As of March 2012, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Siskiyou County are 15% German, 13% English, 12% Irish and 6% Italian.

There were 18,556 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,530, and the median income for a family was $36,890. Males had a median income of $31,936 versus $22,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,570. About 14.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Siskiyou County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Yreka	City	7,807
2	Mount Shasta	City	3,223
3	Weed	City	2,862
4	Lake Shastina	CDP	2,401
5	Dunsmuir	City	1,707
6	Montague	City	1,226
7	McCloud	CDP	945
8	Happy Camp	CDP	905
9	Tulelake	City	902
10	Dorris	City	860
11	Fort Jones	City	695
12	Etna	City	678
13	Karuk Reservation	AIAN	578
14	Grenada	CDP	314
15	Hornbrook	CDP	266
16	Greenview	CDP	208
17	Quartz Valley Reservation	AIAN	202
18	Carrick	CDP	143
19	Mount Hebron	CDP	103
20	Gazelle	CDP	95
21	Macdoel	CDP	86
22	Edgewood	CDP	72
23	Tennant	CDP	63