Shelter Cove is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

in Humboldt County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It lies at an elevation of 138 feet (42 m). Shelter Cove is on California's

Lost Coast The Lost Coast is a mostly natural and undeveloped area of the California North Coast in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s. In ad ...

where the King Range meets the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. A nine-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

surrounds the one-runway

Shelter Cove Airport Shelter Cove Airport is a public airport located in Shelter Cove, serving Humboldt County, California, USA. This general aviation airport covers 50 acres and has one runway. The proximity to the ocean and on-field restaurant make the Shelter ...

at the center of Shelter Cove's commercial district. Utilities are provided by the Humboldt County Resort Improvement District #1 and boating access to the sea is managed by the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District. The population was 803 at the 2020 census. Shelter Cove shares a ZIP code (95589) with the hamlet of Whitethorn, California, located to the southeast. The community is inside

area code 707 Area code 707 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northwestern part of the U.S. state of California. It was created by a split of area code 415 on March 1, 1959. It serves part of the northern San Francis ...

. Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is about south of Shelter Cove on the coast. There are also parks such as Black Sands Beach, Mal Coombs Park, Seal Rock Picnic Area and Abalone Point. Much of the land around Shelter Cove is in the King Range National Conservation Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Cove amenities include hiking trails, a community center, deli, coffee shop, restaurants, multiple inns, a general store, and several gift shops. Other amenities in Shelter Cove include a small aircraft airstrip, a boat launch, and RV parking. Some services not available in Shelter Cove are in the towns of Redway and Garberville on the

U.S. 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

corridor, about of winding county road to the east.

History

The area around Shelter Cove was originally home to Native Americans known as the Sinkyone people. Near Shelter Cove on July 21, 1907, the coastal passenger steamer '' Columbia'' collided with the steam schooner '' San Pedro'' amidst dense fog. The ''Columbia'' subsequently sank, killing 88 people. Although badly damaged, ''San Pedro'' stayed afloat and helped to rescue ''Columbias survivors.Dalton, Anthon
A long, dangerous coastline : shipwreck tales from Alaska to California
Heritage House Publishing Company, 1 Feb 2011 - 128 pages Because of the very steep terrain on the coastal areas surrounding Shelter Cove, the highway builders constructing State Route 1 (the "Shoreline Highway") decided it was too difficult to build the coastal highway along a long stretch of what is now the Lost Coast. As a result, the small fishing village of Shelter Cove remained very secluded from the rest of the populous state, despite being only north of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, and is accessible by boat, via small mountain road, or by the small

. As a result of its seclusion, the Shelter Cove area has become a popular spot for those seeking quiet vacation respite or retirement area. Popular activities in the area include

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

, hiking, diving for abalone, and other outdoor activities. The Cape Mendocino Light, a lighthouse from

Cape Mendocino Cape Mendocino (Spanish: ''Cabo Mendocino'', meaning "Cape of Mendoza"), which is located approximately north of San Francisco, is located on the Lost Coast entirely within Humboldt County, California, United States. At 124° 24' 34" W longitude ...

, was moved by helicopter to Mal Coombs Park in 1998. A post office operated at Shelter Cove from 1892 to 1933, moving in 1898.

Demographics

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 servi ...

reported that Shelter Cove had a population of 693. The population density was . The racial makeup of Shelter Cove was 630 (90.9%)

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 ...

, 3 (0.4%)

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 ...

, 5 (0.7%) Native American, 7 (1.0%) Asian, 1 (0.1%)

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 ...

, 13 (1.9%) 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 34 (4.9%) 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 47 persons (6.8%). The Census reported that 693 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 348 households, out of which 76 (21.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 127 (36.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 28 (8.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 26 (7.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 47 (13.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 132 households (37.9%) were made up of individuals, and 32 (9.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99. There were 181

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

(52.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.48. The population was spread out, with 118 people (17.0%) under the age of 18, 25 people (3.6%) aged 18 to 24, 214 people (30.9%) aged 25 to 44, 234 people (33.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 102 people (14.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.6 males. There were 631 housing units at an average density of , of which 348 were occupied, of which 248 (71.3%) were owner-occupied, and 100 (28.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 10.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 13.8%. 499 people (72.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 194 people (28.0%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the state legislature, Shelter Cove is in , and . Federally, Shelter Cove is in .

Climate

Shelter Cove has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csb'') typical of the North Coast, that is characterized by warm (but not hot), dry summers, and mild to chilly rainy winters. In Shelter Cove's case, the climate is moderated by the proximity to the

, with small temperature variations on average throughout the year, which results in mild year-round temperatures, although some winter months can get quite cool at times. Average high temperatures range from in January to in September. Shelter Cove on average has very wet winters and dry summers, also representative for the region. Temperatures of above are very rare, happening on average 1-2 times per season, but temperatures approaching or above have still been measured over such a wide time period as from April to October.Shelter Cove Airport, Weatherbase For being a coastal community north of the Bay Area, Shelter Cove has quite mild winter temperatures and warm summers.

References

External links