Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the northern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 census. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Redding. Shasta County comprises the Redding, California

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. 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 Shasta Lake, also popularly known as Lake Shasta, is a reservoir in Shasta County, California, United States. It began to store water in 1944 due to the impounding of the Sacramento River by Shasta Dam, the ninth tallest dam in the United State ...

Lassen Peak Lassen Peak ( ), commonly referred to as Mount Lassen, is a lava dome volcano and the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range of the Western United States. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, it is part of the ...

, 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 Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades ...

; the name is derived from the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

equivalent for the

Shasta people The Shastan peoples are a group of linguistically related indigenous peoples from the Klamath Mountains. They traditionally inhabited portions of several regional waterways, including the Klamath, Salmon, Sacramento and McCloud rivers. Shastan ...

. 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. Originally Mt. Shasta was within the county, but it is now part of

Siskiyou County Siskiyou County (, ) is a county in the northernmost 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 ...

, to the north. Its 14,179-foot (4,322 m) peak is visible throughout most of Shasta County. Parts of the county's territory were transferred to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to

Tehama County Tehama County ( ; Wintun for "high water") is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff. Tehama County comprises th ...

in 1856.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water. Mountains line the county on the east, north and west. The

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento� ...

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 Willis Linn Jepson (August 19, 1867 – November 7, 1946) was an early California botanist, conservationist, and writer. Career Born at Little Oak Ranch near Vacaville, California, Jepson became interested in botany as a boy and explor ...

the biota of Shasta County were not explored in a scientific manner until just before the year 1900. Up until the 1920s the

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

Railroad Company owned vast tracts of natural grasslands; however, 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 ''Aesculus californica'', commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon. Description It is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, up to tall, with ...

Adjacent counties

– north *

Modoc County Modoc County () is a county in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 8,700 as of the 2020 census, down from 9,686 from the 2010 census. This makes it California's third-least populous county. The county seat ...

– northeast *

Lassen County Lassen County () is a county in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,730. The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville. Lassen County comprises the Susanville, Calif ...

– east *

Plumas County Plumas County () is a county in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,790. The county seat is Quincy, and the only incorporated city is Portola. The largest community in the county is ...

– southeast *

– 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 The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

reported that Shasta County had a population of 177,223. The racial makeup of Shasta County was 153,726 (86.7%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 1,548 (0.9%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 4,950 (2.8%) Native American, 4,391 (2.5%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 271 (0.2%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 4,501 (2.5%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 7,836 (4.4%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 14,878 persons (8.4%).

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 43 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 68,810 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.3%

, 0.8%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, 2.8% Native American, 1.9%

, 0.1%

, 1.7% from

, and 3.5% from two or more races. 5.5% of the population were

of any race. 15.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 12.3%

, 11.2%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 9.9%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and 5.2%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. 94.0% spoke

and 3.3%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as their first language. There were 63,426 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 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 non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 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 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,335, and the median income for a family was $40,491. Males had a median income of $35,959 versus $24,773 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $17,738. About 11.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, 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)

Politics

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Overview

Shasta at one time favored the Democratic Party in Presidential elections. It went Democratic in all but one presidential election from 1932 to 1976, and was one of the few counties in the state to be won by George McGovern. However, since 1980, it has become one of the most Republican counties in the state in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to carry the county in a presidential race was

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

in 1976. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Shasta County is in . In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, Shasta County is in , and .

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

State Route 36 * California 44

State Route 44 * California 89

State Route 89 * California 151

State Route 151 * California 273

State Route 273 * California 299

State Route 299

Public transportation

Redding Area Bus Authority The Redding Area Bus Authority, or RABA, is the operator of public transportation in Shasta County, California. RABA was formerly known as The Ride. Ten local routes serve the cities of Redding, Anderson, and Shasta Lake and their surrounding reg ...

(RABA) provides service in and around Redding. One route operates to Burney via State Route 299.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

's ''

Coast Starlight The ''Coast Starlight'' is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, which has operated continuously since Amtrak's format ...

'' serves Redding Station once a day in each direction.

Airports

Redding Municipal Airport Redding Regional Airport is 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Redding in Shasta County, California, United States. It is one of two airports in Redding, along with Benton Airpark. In addition to general aviation, the airport has scheduled pass ...

has scheduled passenger flights. Other (general aviation) airports within the county include

Benton Field Benton Field , also known as Benton Airpark, is a city-owned public-use airport located one mile (1.6 km) west of the central business district of Redding, a city in Shasta County, California, United States. It is one of two airports locat ...

(near Redding), Fall River Mills Airport, and Shingletown Airport.

Law enforcement

Shasta County Sheriff

The sheriff provides prison administration and coroner services for the entire county and patrol, investigative, and coroner services for the unincorporated portions of the county.

Municipal police

Redding and Anderson have municipal police departments.

Crime

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

School districts include: Unified: * Fall River Joint Unified School District * Gateway Unified School District Secondary: *

Anderson Union High School District Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson R ...

* Dunsmuir Joint Union High School District * Red Bluff Joint Union High School District *

Shasta Union High School District Shasta Union High School District is a high school district in Redding, California. It serves all the high schools in Redding and its surrounding areas. Shasta Union High School District was first established in 1899. On May 6, 2009, a county ...

Elementary: * Antelope Elementary School District *

Bella Vista Elementary School District Bella Vista Elementary School District is a public school district based in Shasta County, California Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 18 ...

* Black Butte Union Elementary School District *

Cascade Union Elementary School District Cascade Union Elementary School District is a public school district based in Shasta County, California Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is ...

* Castle Rock Union Elementary School District *

Columbia Elementary School District Columbia Elementary School District, located in Redding, California, is a school district on Redding's far east side. It is home to one elementary school and one middle school. Administrative Team Clayton Ross is the superintendent and also th ...

Cottonwood Union Elementary School District Cottonwood may refer to: Plants * ''Celtis conferta'' subsp. ''amblyphylla'', a tree in the hemp and hackberry family * ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', a flowering shrub or tree in the mallow family * In the genus '' Populus'', a number of difficult-to ...

* Enterprise Elementary School District * French Gulch-Whiskeytown Elementary School District * Grant_Elementary_School_District;1;06089 *_Happy_Valley_Union_Elementary_School_District *_Igo,_Ono,_Platina_Union_Elementary_School_District.html" ;"title="Happy Valley Union Elementary School District">Grant Elementary School District;1;06089 * Happy Valley Union Elementary School District * Igo, Ono, Platina Union Elementary School District">Happy Valley Union Elementary School District">Grant Elementary School District;1;06089 * Happy Valley Union Elementary School District * Igo, Ono, Platina Union Elementary School District * Indian Springs Elementary School District * Junction Elementary School District * Millville Elementary School District * Mountain Union Elementary School District * North Cow Creek Elementary School District * Oak Run Elementary School District * Pacheco Union Elementary School District * Redding Elementary School District * Shasta Union Elementary School District *

Whitmore Union Elementary School District Whitmore may refer to: People *Whitmore (surname) Places ;In the United Kingdom: *Whitmore, Staffordshire, England *Whitmore High School, Harrow ;In the United States: *Whitmore, California *Whitmore, Ohio *Whitmore Village, Hawaii *Whitmore Lake ...

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 Shasta College is a public community college in Redding, California, with branch campuses in Burney, Weaverville, and Red Bluff. It was founded in 1950 and later moved to a much larger campus while the original campus became the new locati ...

, Redding: 2 year, fully accredited *

Simpson University Simpson University is a private, Christian university in Redding, California. Originally founded in 1921 in Seattle as Simpson Bible Institute, the institution relocated to San Francisco in 1955 and then to Redding in 1989. History Simpson U ...

, Redding: 4 year, fully accredited * National University, Redding: 4 year, fully accredited * Shasta Bible College: 4 year

Healthcare

The board of supervisors issued a declaration opposing state vaccine mandates and fired the health officer after an election brought changes to the board.

Housing

* Median price for a house is about $365,000 as reported by USA Today April 12, 2022. * Median rental rate for a 2 bedroom apartment is $1,255/month.

Points of interest

Shasta Dam Shasta Dam (called Kennett Dam before its construction) is a concrete arch-gravity dam across the Sacramento River in Northern California in the United States. At high, it is the List of tallest dams in the United States, eighth-tallest dam in ...

2nd largest dam in US *

Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park is an American national park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. Lassen Vol ...

Turtle Bay Exploration Park Turtle Bay Exploration Park, located in Redding, California, is a non-profit 300-acre gathering place featuring the Sundial Bridge, a museum, forestry and wildlife center, arboretum and botanical gardens. The park is located at gateway to the ...

* 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 Burney Falls is a waterfall on Burney Creek, within McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, in Shasta County, California. The water comes from underground springs above and at the falls, which are 129 feet high, and provides an almost consta ...

Whiskeytown Dam Whiskeytown Dam (officially Clair A. Hill Whiskeytown Dam) is an earthfill dam on Clear Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River of northern California in the United States. The dam is located about west of Redding, and impounds Whiskeytow ...

and Lake, with John F. Kennedy Memorial

Communities

Cities

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

* Redding *

Census-designated places

* Bella Vista * Big Bend * Burney *

Cassel Cassel may refer to: People * Cassel (surname) Places ;France * Cassel, Nord, a town and commune in northern France ** Battle of Cassel (1071) ** Battle of Cassel (1328) ** Battle of Cassel (1677) ;Germany * Cassel, Germany, a city in Hesse re ...

Castella is a kind of ''wagashi'' (a Japanese traditional confectionery) originally developed in Japan based on the "Nanban confectionery" (confectionery imported from abroad to Japan during the Azuchi–Momoyama period). The batter is poured into larg ...

* Centerville * Cottonwood * Fall River Mills * French Gulch * Happy Valley * Hat Creek * Igo * Johnson Park *

Jones Valley Jones Valley () is a snow-covered valley between West Prongs and Elliott Ridge in the southern Neptune Range of the Pensacola Mountains in Antarctica. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and from U.S. Navy air photo ...

* Keswick * Lakehead *

McArthur McArthur may refer to: People * McArthur (surname) Geography * McArthur, Arkansas, an unincorporated town in Desha County * McArthur, California, in Shasta County * McArthur, Modoc County, California * McArthur, Ohio * McArthur Basin, a large int ...

* Millville * Montgomery Creek * Mountain Gate * Oak Run *

Old Station Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, ...

* Ono * Palo Cedro *

Platina Platina is a municipality ''( município)'' in the state of São Paulo in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and ...

* Round Mountain * Shasta * Shingletown * Whitmore

Other unincorporated communities

* Beegum * Dana *

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

Ingot An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of sha ...

Motion In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and mea ...

* O'Brien * Pollard Flat *

Viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

Whiskeytown Whiskeytown was an American alternative country band formed in 1994 from Raleigh, North Carolina. Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000 wi ...

Population ranking

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

Notes

References

External links

*
Shasta Historical Society
– large database of historical Shasta County photographs
Shastasearch.com: Shasta Regional Travel and Resource Guide
* Hiking trails in Shasta County {{authority control 1850 establishments in California California counties Populated places established in 1850 Sacramento Valley Shasta Cascade