Humboldt County, California
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Humboldt County () 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 ...
located in 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 ...
of
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 ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. 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
Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...
, California Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the far North Coast, about 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 ...
. It has among the most diverse climates of United States counties, with very mild coastal summers and hot interior days. Similar to the greater region, summers are extremely dry and winters have substantial rainfall. Its primary population centers of Eureka, the site of
College of the Redwoods College of the Redwoods (CR) is a public community college with its main campus in Eureka, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and serves three counties and has two branch campuses, as well as three additional sit ...
main campus, and the smaller college town of
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
, site of
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...
, are located adjacent to Humboldt Bay, California's second largest natural bay. Area cities and towns are known for hundreds of ornate examples of
Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...
. Humboldt County is a densely forested mountainous and rural county with about of coastline (more than any other county in the state), situated along the
Pacific 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 contine ...
coast in Northern California's rugged Coast (Mountain) Ranges. With nearly of combined public and private forest in production, Humboldt County alone produces twenty percent of the total volume and thirty percent of the total value of all
forest product A forest product is any material derived from forestry for direct consumption or commercial use, such as lumber, paper, or fodder for livestock. Wood, by far the dominant product of forests, is used for many purposes, such as wood fuel (e.g. in fo ...
s produced in California. The county contains over forty percent of all remaining
old growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
Coast Redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...
forests, the vast majority of which is protected or strictly conserved within dozens of national, state, and local forests and parks, totaling approximately .


History

The original inhabitants of the area now known as Humboldt County include the Algic Wiyot,
Yurok The Yurok (Karuk language: Yurúkvaarar / Yuru Kyara - "downriver Indian; i.e. Yurok Indian") are an Indigenous people from along the Klamath River and Pacific coast, whose homelands are located in present-day California stretching from Trinidad ...
; the Hokan
Karuk The Karuk people are an indigenous people of California, and the Karuk Tribe is one of the largest tribes in California. Karuks are also enrolled in two other federally recognized tribes, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad ...
; and the Athapaskan Hupa, Chilula, Whilkut,
Tsnungwe The Tsnungwe (current Hupa-language orthography, own name: - "Tse:ning-din (Ironside Mountain) People") or ''Tsanunghwa'' are a Native American people indigenous to the modern areas of the lower South Fork Trinity River (), Willow Creek (), ...
as well as the
Eel River Athapaskan peoples The Eel River Athabaskans include the Wailaki, Lassik, Nongatl, and Sinkyone (Sinkine) groups of Native Americans that traditionally live in present-day Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt counties on or near the Eel River and Van Duzen River o ...
, including the Wailaki, Mattole and
Nongatl The Eel River Athabaskans include the Wailaki, Lassik, Nongatl, and Sinkyone (Sinkine) groups of Native Americans that traditionally live in present-day Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt counties on or near the Eel River and Van Duzen River o ...
.Van Kirk, Susie
Humboldt County: A Briefest of Histories
, Humboldt County Historical Society, May 1999
Spanish traders made unintended visits to California with the
Manila Galleons fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...
on their return trips from the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
beginning in 1565. Humboldt County was formed in 1853 from parts of Trinity County. The first recorded entry by people of European origin was a landing by the Spanish in 1775 in
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
. The first recorded entry of Humboldt Bay by non-natives was an 1806 visit from a sea otter hunting party from Sitka employed by the
Russian American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
. The hunting party included Captain Jonathan Winship, an American, and some
Aleut The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are politically divided between the ...
hunters.Humboldt County State Designated Historical Landmarks
. - California Historical Landmarks
The bay was not visited again by people of European origin until 1849 when Josiah Gregg's party visited. In 1850, Douglas Ottinger and Hans Buhne entered the bay, naming it Humboldt in honor of the great naturalist and explorer,
Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
, and the name was later applied to the county as a whole. The area around Humboldt Bay was once solely inhabited by the Wiyot
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
tribe. One of the largest Wiyot villages, Tolowot, was located on Indian Island in Humboldt Bay. Founded around 900 BC, it contains a shell midden in size and deep. It was the site of the February 26, 1860 massacre of the Wiyot people that was recorded by
Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...
, then living in Union, now called
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
. Between 60 and 200 Wiyot men, women, and children were murdered that night in the midst of religious ceremony. Tolowot is now a restricted site and a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
. In 2019, the island was restored to the Wiyot tribe, and is now known as Tuluwat or Duluwat island. State historic landmarks in Humboldt County include Arcata and Mad River Railroad, California's First Drilled Oil Wells in Petrolia,
Camp Curtis Camp Curtis, California State Historic Landmark #215, was located about one mile north of Arcata, California, and served as the headquarters and garrison of the 1st Battalion California Volunteer Mountaineers from 1862 to 1865. Before Camp Curt ...
, Centerville Beach Cross, the city of
Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
, the town of Ferndale, Fort Humboldt, Humboldt Harbor Historical District, the Jacoby Building, The Old Arrow Tree, Old Indian Village of Tsurai, the Town of Trinidad, and Trinidad Head. On February 5 and 6, 1885, Eureka's entire Chinese population of 300 men and 20 women were expelled after a gunfight between rival Chinese gangs (tongs) resulted in the wounding of a 12-year-old boy and the death of 56-year-old David Kendall, a Eureka City Councilman. After the shooting, an
angry mob Mob rule or ochlocracy ( el, ὀχλοκρατία, translit=okhlokratía; la, ochlocratia) is the rule of government by a mob or mass of people and the intimidation of legitimate authorities. Insofar as it represents a pejorative for majorit ...
of 600 Eureka residents met and informed the Chinese that they were no longer wanted in Eureka and would be
hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...
if they were to stay in town longer than 3 p.m. the next day. They were put on two steamships and shipped to
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 ...
. No one was killed in the expulsion. Another Chinese expulsion occurred during 1906 in a cannery on the Eel River, in which 23 Chinese cannery workers were expelled after objections to their presence. However, some Chinese remained in the Orleans area, where some white landowners sheltered and purchased food for the Chinese mineworkers until after racial tension passed. Chinese did not return to the coastal cities until the 1950s.


Geography

According to the
United States 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 t ...
, Humboldt County encompasses , of which is land and is water.
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 ...
is the westernmost point in California (
longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...
124 degrees, 24 minutes, 30 seconds). Humboldt Bay, the only deepwater port between San Francisco and
Coos Bay, Oregon Coos Bay ( Coos language: Atsixiis) is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one ent ...
, is located on the coast at the midpoint of the county. Humboldt County contains a diversity of plant and animal species, with significant forest and coastal habitats. In coastal areas there are extensive amounts of redwood forests. A prominent understory shrub is the
toyon ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' (; more commonly by Californian botanists), commonly known as toyon, is a common perennial shrub native to extreme southwest Oregon, California, and the Baja California Peninsula. It is the sole species in the genus ...
, whose northern range limit is in Humboldt County.


Rivers

Humboldt County's major rivers include (in order of flow-cubic meters per second-from largest to smallest): *
Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second large ...
* Eel River * Trinity River * Mad River The smaller rivers include Redwood Creek, significant due to amount of its flow; the Van Duzen; the Eel River syncline group composed of the South Fork, the North Fork, and the Salt River; the Mattole, Salmon, Elk, Bear, and Little rivers.


Seismic activity

Historically, Humboldt County and the entire far north coast have had many earthquakes over 6.0 magnitude. The
1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes The 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes (or 1992 Petrolia earthquakes) occurred along the Lost Coast of Northern California on April 25 and 26. The three largest events were the M7.2 thrust mainshock that struck near the unincorporated community of ...
were a series of three major earthquakes that occurred off the coast of Cape Mendocino, California on April 25 and 26, 1992, the largest being a 7.2. Ninety-five people were injured and property in the county sustained considerable damage. In 2010, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck offshore, west of
Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
, resulting in only minor injuries and some structural damage to houses and utilities, and no fatalities reported. The town of Arcata is built on top of an
accretionary wedge An accretionary wedge or accretionary prism forms from sediments accreted onto the non- subducting tectonic plate at a convergent plate boundary. Most of the material in the accretionary wedge consists of marine sediments scraped off from the d ...
. This was formed by the subduction of the Gorda plate underneath the North American plate.


Climate

The coastal zone of the county experiences very wet, cool winters and dry, mild foggy summers. In the winter, temperatures range from highs of to lows of . Coastal summers are cool to mild, with average highs of and frequent fogs. Coastal summer temperatures range from highs of to lows of . In the populated areas and cities near the coast, the highest temperatures tend to occur at locations just a few miles inland from Eureka and Arcata, in towns like Fortuna, Rio Dell, and smaller unincorporated communities located somewhat further away from Humboldt Bay. In these locations summer highs are . The coastal zone experiences a number of frosty nights in winter and early spring, though snowfall and hard freezes are rare. Coastal winters are cool and wet. Winter rainstorms are frequent, with averages from a year, depending upon elevation. Inland areas of the county also experience wet, cool winters. Snowfall is common at elevations over throughout the winter months, and is even deep enough at higher elevations to have inspired the opening of a small ski lift operation (now defunct) on Horse Mountain, near Willow Creek, for several decades in the late 20th century. Summer displays the sharpest difference between the coastal and inland climates. Inland regions of Humboldt County experience highs of depending on the elevation and distance from the ocean. Occasional summer highs of are common in eastern and southern parts of the county including Orleans, Hoopa, Willow Creek, Garberville, Honeydew, and inland river valleys.


Demographics


2000

As of the 2000 census, the population of Humboldt County was 126,518. As of that census, there were 51,238 households in Humboldt County, and the
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
was 35 people per square mile (14/km2). By 2006, the population was projected to have increased to 131,361 by the California Department of Finance. There were 55,912 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.7%
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 ...
, 0.9%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 5.7% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 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 ...
, 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 4.4% from two or more races. In 2017, 11.7% of the population were
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 ...
or Latino according to the United States Census Bureau. 13.3% were of German, 10.7%
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 ...
, 10.3%
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 ...
, 7.4% American and 5.7%
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 ...
. 92.1% spoke
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 ...
and 4.6% spoke
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 51,238 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,226, and the median income for a family was $39,370. Males had a median income of $32,210 versus $23,942 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 $17,203. About 12.9% of families and 19.5% 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 22.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.


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 servi ...
reported that Humboldt County had a population of 134,623. The racial makeup of Humboldt County was 109,920 (81.7%)
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 ...
, 1,505 (1.1%)
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 ...
, 7,726 (5.7%) Native American, 2,944 (2.2%) Asian, 352 (0.3%)
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 ...
, 5,003 (3.7%) 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 7,173 (5.3%) 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 ...
or Latino of any race were 13,211 persons (9.8%).


2011


Places by population, race, and income


Lead (2017-18)

Humboldt County children are at greater risk of dangerously elevated blood lead levels than Flint, Michigan's - and almost double that of any other California county measured. The cases are concentrated in Eureka's Old Town and downtown areas.


Economy

Humboldt County is known for its impressive redwood trees, and many acres of private redwood timberland make Humboldt the top timber producer in California. The lush river bottoms adjacent to the ocean are for producing rich, high-quality dairy products. Somewhat further inland, the warmer valleys have historically produced abundant apples and other fruit. More recently vineyards have been planted in the Trinity, Klamath, Mattole and upper Eel river.


Locally based companies


Dairy

Humboldt County is known for its family-operated dairy farms. The Humboldt Creamery, a significant producer of high-grade
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
and other
dairy products Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in ...
, still operates from the original headquarters located at Fernbridge adjacent to the Eel River.


Cannabis

As part of the
Emerald Triangle The Emerald Triangle is a region in Northern California, named as such due to it being the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. The region includes three counties in an upside-down triangular configuration: * Humboldt County, ...
, Humboldt County is known for its cultivation of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
Proposition 215 Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law permitting the use of medical cannabis despite marijuana's lack of the normal Food and Drug Administration testing for safety and efficacy. It was enacted, on November ...
allows patients and caregivers who are given a doctor's recommendation to legally (State level only) grow up to 99 plants in Humboldt County.Samuels, David. - A Reporter at Large
"Dr. Kush: How medical marijuana is transforming the weed industry"
''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', July 28, 2008.
However, in the years before Prop 215 (early 1970s – late 1980s), Humboldt County saw a large migration of the Bay Area
counter-culture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...
to the region. Many came looking to purchase cheap land, and ended up growing marijuana to pay for their land. Especially around Garberville and Redway, the rural culture and hippie scene eventually collaborated to create a rural hippie community in which marijuana became the center of the economy and the culture. Many people prospered by producing marijuana for California and other states because of its reputation for quality. A Redway radio station, KMUD, in the past has issued warnings and alerts to the region with information on whereabouts of law enforcement on their way to raid marijuana gardens. The
Campaign Against Marijuana Planting The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) is a multi-agency law enforcement task force managed by the California Department of Justice and composed of local, state and federal agencies organized expressly to eradicate illegal cannabis cult ...
is the multi-agency law enforcement task force managed by the California Department of Justice, formed with the prime purpose of eradicating illegal cannabis production in California. The operations began in the late 1970s, named the Northern California Sinsemilla Strike Force in 1979, but the name CAMP became used after its official establishment in 1983. While the influence of CAMP in Humboldt County has waned with decriminalization of marijuana, there is a renewed interest at the state level regarding valid growing permits and environmental concerns. As a result, CAMP is today still utilized as a policing body, in accordance with the DEA. Yearly CAMP reports, published by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) are available online through Cal Poly Humboldt's Special Collections. Starting in 1983, the annual reports detail the organizational structure and names of individual participants, a summary of the season's activities, tactics, and mention of special successes, trends and hazards. County officials and the industry have encountered challenges in the transition from an illegal, underground economy to legal recreational cannabis sales that began in California in 2018.


Parks and recreation


National protected areas

;National Park *
Redwood National and State Parks The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
;Conservation area *
King Range National Conservation Area The King Range is a mountain range of the Outer Northern California Coast Ranges System, located entirely within Humboldt County on the North Coast of California. Geography Much of the mountain range's area is protected within the King Range N ...
and The Lost CoastBureau of Land Management ;Recreation area * Samoa Dunes Recreation Area – Bureau of Land Management ;Forests *
Headwaters Forest Reserve The Headwaters Forest Reserve is a group of old growth coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') groves in the Northern California coastal forests ecoregion near Humboldt Bay of the U.S. state of California. Comprising about , it is managed by t ...
– Bureau of Land Management *
Six Rivers National Forest The Six Rivers National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the northwestern corner of California. It was established on June 3, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman from portions of Klamath, Siskiyou and Trinity National Forests. It ...
U.S. Forest Service * Trinity National Forest – U.S. Forest Service ;Wildlife refuge * Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge – Bureau of Land Management and
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...


State protected areas

;Beaches * Little River State Beach * Trinidad State Beach ;Parks * Fort Humboldt State Historic Park * Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park * Humboldt Lagoons State Park * Humboldt Redwoods State Park * Sue-meg State Park *
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a state park, located in Humboldt County, California, near the town of Orick and 50 miles (80 km) north of Eureka. The 14,000 acre (57 km²) park is a coastal sanctuary for old-growth Coast Redw ...
*
Richardson Grove State Park Richardson Grove State Park is located at the southernmost border of Humboldt County, south of Eureka, California, United States, and north of San Francisco. The year-round park, which has approximately , straddles US 101, causing the narrowe ...
* Sinkyone Wilderness State Park ;Tide pools * Sue-meg State Park *
Moonstone Beach Moonstone Beach was a tourist attraction in the beach community of Redondo Beach, California from the late 1880s to the early 1920s. Historical attraction Storms had deposited the moonstones along the beach from the Hermosa Beach city boundary ...
* Indian Beach (also known as
Old Home Beach 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, Ma ...
) ;Recreation areas *
Benbow State Recreation Area Benbow State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California in the United States. It is located in Humboldt County south of Garberville on U.S. Route 101 on the South Fork Eel River. Benbow dam was constructed across the South Fork Eel Ri ...
*
Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
;Reserves * Azalea State Reserve *
John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Reserve John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...


County parks

* A. W. Way * Big Lagoon County Park * Centerville Beach * Clam Beach * Crab Park * Freshwater County Park * Hammond Trail * Luffenholtz Beach * Mad River, California * Margarite Lockwood * Moonstone Beach * Van Duzen Pamplin Grove


Arts and culture

* The Sequoia Park Zoo is the oldest zoo in California operating on a facility operated by the City of Eureka in Sequoia Park. * The
Clarke Historical Museum The Clarke Historical Museum (formerly the Clarke Memorial Museum) in Eureka, California contains the area's premier collection of California North Coast regional and cultural history. The facility houses a Native American wing, Nealis Hall, whic ...
in Eureka, displays North Coast regional and cultural history in the repurposed Historic Register Bank of Eureka building. * The Morris Graves Museum of Art conserves and displays the works of local artists in a restored Carnegie Library building. * The Ferndale Repertory Theatre is the county's oldest theater company; it has been in operation since 1972 at the Hart Theater building in Ferndale. * The
Humboldt Crabs The Humboldt Crabs are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Arcata, California. Playing in every season since they were founded in 1945 by Lou Bonomini, later joined by Ned Barsuglia, the Crabs are the oldest continually-operated summer co ...
, founded in 1945, are the oldest continuously operated summer collegiate, wood-bat baseball team in the country. * ''See also the List of museums in the North Coast (California).''


Government


Overview

Humboldt County is in . In the state legislature, Humboldt is part of , and . Election audits in the county since 2008 have used a distinctive system which has spread elsewhere. They scan all ballots and release a file of the images with a digital signature, so candidates and the public can recount to find if the official totals are correct. They also release software to let the public tally the images electronically."Trachtenberg Election Verification Software" (TEVS). The first time they did this they found the official software omitted 200 ballots.


Voter registration


Cities by population and voter registration


Party preferences

From 1920 to 1984, the county was a noted bellwether area, voting for the national winner of every Presidential election. Since 1988, Humboldt has swung heavily to the Democratic Party at the Presidential and congressional levels, and is now one of the most Democratic areas in the state outside the Bay Area and Southern California. The last Republican presidential candidate to win a majority in the county was Ronald Reagan, a Californian, in
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
.United States Historical Election Returns Series
, University of Michigan, 2013
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Humboldt also had a substantial number of people affiliated with the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
, but that number has declined in recent years; however, the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
has had its best performance by presidential and gubernatorial candidates of any county in the United States in Humboldt County, with
Jill Stein Jill Ellen Stein (born May 14, 1950) is an American physician, activist, and former political candidate. She was the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 and 2016 elections and the Green-Rainbow Party's candidat ...
gaining her largest county-level number of votes in Humboldt in 2016.


Crime

Humboldt County is known for an unusual number of missing person cases. It was highlighted as part of the 2018 Netflix documentary '' Murder Mountain.'' 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

The List of schools in Humboldt County, California shows the many school districts, including charter and private schools, at the elementary and high school level. Post-secondary education is offered locally at the
College of the Redwoods College of the Redwoods (CR) is a public community college with its main campus in Eureka, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and serves three counties and has two branch campuses, as well as three additional sit ...
and
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...
(Cal Poly Humboldt). Blue Lake's
Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre The Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre is a private school in Blue Lake, California. It offers a NAST-accredited three-year MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre, a one-year professional training program, summer workshops, and a ...
offers accredited three-year Masters of Fine Arts in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre. Humboldt County has the lowest starting teacher pay scale in the whole state of California.


Media


Print

The ''
Times-Standard The ''Times-Standard'' is the only major local daily newspaper covering the far North Coast of California. Headquartered in Eureka, the paper provides coverage of international, national, state and local news in addition to entertainment, sports, ...
'' is the only daily newspaper in the region; in continuous publication since 1854, and owned by
Media News Group MNG Enterprises, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado-based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. The company has been growing its portfolio and as of May 2021, owns ove ...
since 1996,Honoring the 150th Anniversary of the Times-Standard
'' Congressional Record'', November 18, 2004
they also print three weeklies: the ''Redwood Times'', the ''Tri-City Weekly'', and ''Northcoast 101''. Other local publications include ''The Independent'', the ''
North Coast Journal The ''North Coast Journal'' ("The Journal") is an alternative weekly newspaper serving Humboldt County, California. ''The Journal'' is published in Eureka, California and includes coverage of the arts, news, personages, and politics of the regi ...
'', the ''Ferndale Enterprise'', the ''Two Rivers Tribune'', the ''Isis Scrolls'', and '' The Lumberjack''. The ''Arcata Eye'' and the ''McKinleyville Press'' merged in August 2013 to form the ''Mad River Union''.


Television

Humboldt County's locally produced television stations, NBC station KIEM and PBS station
KEET Keet may refer to: * Keet, a name for some types of parakeet * Keet, a young guineafowl Guineafowl (; sometimes called "pet speckled hens" or "original fowl") are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to A ...
, are based in Eureka. KIEM produces the only local TV newscast and KEET is the only PBS station in the region. Since 2017, CBS affiliate KVIQ has been a low-powered station operated as part of a duopoly with KIEM, sharing the same studios. Fox affiliate KBVU, a semi-satellite of
KCVU KCVU (channel 20) is a television station licensed to Paradise, California, United States, serving the Chico– Redding market as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreem ...
, is based in Chico and ABC affiliate
KAEF KAEF-TV (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Arcata, California, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Eureka area. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside two low-power stations: dual CW/MyNetworkTV affilia ...
, a semi-satellite of
KRCR-TV KRCR-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Redding, California, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Chico–Redding market. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside five low-power stations: Chico-licens ...
, is based in Redding. In previous decades all major networks had production capacity in Eureka.


Local internet media

Locally internet based media include: *Lost Coast Outpost *Red Headed Black Belt


Radio


For-profit

* KATA * KEKA, *
KFMI KFMI (96.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station in Eureka, California. KFMI airs a Top 40 radio format, music format. It also airs ''Rick Dees Weekly Top 40'', ''Party Playhouse'', ''Open House Party'', and ''Out of Order''. Extern ...
*
KGOE KEJB (1480 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting an oldies radio format, format. Licensed to Eureka, California, United States, it serves the Eureka area. The station is currently owned by Bicoastal Media Licenses II, LLC. The s ...
*
KHUM Administrative divisions of Cambodia have several levels. Cambodia is divided into 24 provinces (''Khaet''; km, ខេត្ត, ) and the special administrative unit Phnom Penh. Though a different administrative unit, Phnom Penh is at provin ...
*
KINS-FM KINS-FM (106.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Blue Lake, California, United States, the station is currently owned by Eureka Broadcasting Co., Inc. and features programming from CBS Radio Network CBS News Ra ...
*
KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
* KKHB *
KLGE KLGE (94.1 FM) is a radio station in Hydesville, California, serving the Eureka, California, Eureka area. KLGE broadcasts an original format blending vintage vocal jazz with contemporary electronica and swing. The station is owned by Lost Coast Co ...
* KRED * KSLG-FM *
KWPT KWPT is a commercial classic rock/hits music radio station licensed to Fortuna, California, broadcasting to the Eureka, California area on 100.3 FM. It is owned by KWPT, Inc. KWPT also serves Eureka, California, on translator Translat ...
*
KWSW KWSW (980 AM) is a radio station licensed to Eureka, California, United States. The station airs an adult contemporary format (with a few adult standards formatted songs being added) and serves the Eureka area. The station is currently owned ...


Non-profit

* KIDE * KHSU * KKDS-LP *
KMUD KMUD (91.1 FM) is a community radio station broadcasting a variety format. Licensed to Garberville, California, the station serves Humboldt, Northern Mendocino, and western Trinity counties in the North Coast region. KMUD is owned by Redwood ...
*
KMUE KMUE (88.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Eureka, California, United States, it serves the Eureka area. The station is owned by Redwood Community Radio, Inc. KMUE is a repeater for KMUD. On March 22, 2012, KMU ...
*
KNHM KNHM (91.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Bayside, California. The station is owned by Southern Oregon University, and is an affiliate of Jefferson Public Radio Jefferson Public Radio (JPR) is a regional public radio broadcasting network ...
* KNHT * KRFH-LP


Community media

Community broadband networks and
public, educational, and government access Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...
(PEG) cable TV channels provide air time for local voices on Access Humboldt. Cable TV channels are carried by Suddenlink Communications and local programs are provided online through the Community Media Archive. The Digital Redwoods initiative of Access Humboldt is developing local networks to meet comprehensive community needs, including public, education and government purposes.


Transportation


Major highways

* U.S. Route 101 * State Route 36 * State Route 96 * State Route 169 * State Route 200 * State Route 211 * State Route 254 -
Avenue of the Giants The Avenue of the Giants is a scenic highway in northern California, United States, running through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is named after the coastal redwoods that tower over the route. The road is a former alignment of U.S. Route 101, ...
* State Route 255 * State Route 271 * State Route 283 * State Route 299


Public transportation

* Humboldt Transit Authority operates two fixed route
transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
systems: ** Redwood Transit System provides
intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
service to and within communities between Trinidad and Garberville, including Manila, King Salmon, Field's Landing, Loleta, Fernbridge and Fortuna. HTA also offers service between McKinleyville or Arcata and Willow Creek and an
express bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...
between Arcata and College of the Redwoods when classes are in session. **
Eureka Transit Service The Eureka Transit Service is the city fixed-route bus system in Eureka, California. ETS operates four weekday routes between downtown Eureka, Bayshore Mall, Henderson Center, Myrtletown, Cutten, and Pine Hill. Three routes operate on Saturdays. B ...
, operated in the City of Eureka, provides local service on four scheduled routes (one hour headway) in Eureka and its adjacent unincorporated communities. Connections can be made to the Redwood Transit System at several places in Eureka. *
Arcata and Mad River Transit System Arcata and Mad River Transit System (AMRTS) is a fixed-route bus service for Arcata, California Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County ...
, operated by the City of Arcata with funding from Cal Poly Humboldt. A&MRTS provides fixed route local bus service on two scheduled routes (one hour headway) in Arcata and an additional route between the Valley West Neighborhood and the university when classes are in session. * The city of Blue Lake and the
Blue Lake Rancheria The Blue Lake Rancheria of the Wiyot, Yurok, and Hupa Indians is located northwest of the city of Blue Lake in Humboldt County, California on approximately .
operates the Blue Lake Rancheria Transit Authority. This provides fixed route intercity transit bus service (one hour headway) between Arcata and the Blue Lake Rancheria Indian Reservation and
casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
and local service within the city of Blue Lake. * Del Norte County's
Redwood Coast Transit Redwood Coast Transit (RCT) provides bus service in Del Norte County, CA. The service offers 4 City Routes that operate in Crescent City, 2 regional routes that provide connections to Gasquet and Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Y ...
operates fixed route intercity transit bus service between Arcata and Crescent City or Smith River. * Amtrak Thruway bus has stops in many towns in the region, including Eureka, Arcata, and Fortuna. These stops are not managed by Amtrak and therefore have no services beyond serving passengers. Full service is only provided at the train station in Martinez, near San Francisco.


Airports

Arcata-Eureka Airport is located in McKinleyville (north of Arcata). Commercial flights are available. Other general aviation airports are located at Dinsmore, Garberville, Kneeland, Murray Field (Eureka), Samoa Field and Rohnerville (Fortuna).


Seaport

Port of Humboldt Bay is on Humboldt Bay, California's second largest natural bay.


Events


In popular culture


TV shows

Much of
The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...
's '' Hyperion Bay'' and the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
show '' Blue Skies'' as well as an episode of '' Moonlighting'' were filmed in Humboldt County. The infamous '' Patterson-Gimlin film'' was filmed on Bluff Creek near
Orleans, California Orleans (formerly New Orleans Bar and Orleans Bar) (Karuk: Panamnik), is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California. It is located northeast of Weitchpec along State Route 96 (the "Bigfoot Scenic Byway"), at an elevation of ...
. Humboldt County has also been the subject of multiple documentary miniseries including Discovery Channel's ''
Pot Cops ''Pot Cops'' is an American reality television series that aired on the Discovery Channel. The show premiered on February 20, 2013, during Discovery Channel's programming block titled "Weed Wednesdays", along with ''Weed Country''. The series fol ...
'' and
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
's '' Murder Mountain''. Humboldt County has also been featured in episodes of '' On the Case with Paula Zahn'', '' The Profit'', '' Hamilton's Pharmacopeia'', ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...
'', '' Survivorman'', '' Diners, Drive-ins and Dives'', '' Finding Bigfoot'', '' Treehouse Masters'', ''
Rescue 911 ''Rescue 911'' is an American informational docudrama television series that premiered on CBS on April 18, 1989, and ended on August 27, 1996. The series was hosted by William Shatner and featured reenactments (and occasionally real footage) of e ...
'', ''
Walking With Dinosaurs ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide, in association with TV Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. Envi ...
'', '' Somebody's Gotta Do It'', ''
Monsters Resurrected ''Monsters Resurrected'' is an American documentary television series that premiered on September 13, 2009, on the Discovery Channel. The program reconstructs extinct animals of both Mesozoic and Cenozoic. It is also called ''Mega Beasts''. Fe ...
'', ''
Weediquette ''Weediquette'' is a documentary television series following Vice Media correspondent Krishna Andavolu as he chronicles the science, culture, and economics of the legalization of marijuana. History ''Weediquette'' started in 2012 as a weekly col ...
'', '' Dan Rather Reports'', ''Monster Fish'', ''Beachfront Bargain Hunt'', and many more. Humboldt County has also been the filming location for countless national television advertisements, including many major car commercials. The Tv show Virgin River is set in Humboldt County.


Books

In the book ''Lolita'' by Vladimir Nabokov there is a possible pun using the county's name (Humboldt) in connection to the main character's name (Humbert Humbert). This appears on page 108: "With the help of a guidebook I located he Enchanted Hunters innin the secluded town of Briceland." This 'secluded town' could very well be a reference to the unincorporated Briceland of Humboldt County, making The Enchanted Hunters in 'Humboldt Land', continuing the novel's grotesque fairy-tale veneer.


Communities


Cities

*
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
* Blue Lake *
Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
(county seat) * Ferndale *
Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...
*
Rio Dell Rio Dell (Spanish: ''Río Dell'', meaning "Dell River") is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located on the west bank of the Eel River north of Scotia at an elevation of 161 feet (49 m). The population was 3,363 at t ...
*
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...


Census-designated places

* Alderpoint * Bayview * Benbow * Big Lagoon * Cutten * Fairhaven * Fieldbrook * Fields Landing * Garberville * Hoopa * Humboldt Hill *
Hydesville Hydesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Humboldt County, California, United States. Hydesville is located southeast of Fortuna, at an elevation of . The population was 1,237 at the 2010 census, up from 1,209 at the 2000 census. Geograph ...
* Indianola * Loleta * McKinleyville *
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
* Miranda * Myers Flat * Myrtletown * Orick * Phillipsville * Pine Hills * Redcrest * Redway *
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
*
Scotia Scotia is a Latin placename derived from ''Scoti'', a Latin name for the Gaels, first attested in the late 3rd century.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. p.698 The Romans referred to Ireland as "Scotia" around ...
* Shelter Cove * Wautec * Weitchpec * Weott * Westhaven-Moonstone * Willow Creek


Other unincorporated communities

*
Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...
* Bayside * Blocksburg * Briceland * Bridgeville * Carlotta * Cooks Valley * Dinsmore * Dyerville * Elk River * Englewood * Fernbridge * Fort Seward * Freshwater * Freshwater Corners * Fruitland * Glendale *
Holmes Holmes may refer to: Name * Holmes (surname) * Holmes (given name) * Baron Holmes, noble title created twice in the Peerage of Ireland * Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond (born 1971), British former swimmer and life peer Places In the Uni ...
* Honeydew * Johnsons *
King Salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other v ...
* Kneeland * Korbel * Maple Creek * Moonstone * Orleans * Patricks Point * Pepperwood * Petrolia * Pine Hill * Port Kenyon * Ridgewood Heights * Riverside Park * Rohnerville *
Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated ...
* Shively * Stafford * Sunny Brae * Westhaven * Whitethorn


Indian reservations

Humboldt County has eight Indian reservations lying within its borders. Only four other counties in the United States have more: San Diego County, California;
Sandoval County, New Mexico Sandoval County is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,561, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo. Sandoval County is part of the Albuquerque ...
; Riverside County, California; and
Mendocino County, California Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists whol ...
. The Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation is the largest in the state of California, a state that generally has very small reservations (although very numerous) relative to those in other states. *
Big Lagoon Rancheria The Big Lagoon Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Yurok and Tolowa Indians. They are located in Humboldt County, California, and their tribal headquarters is in Arcata, California. Government The tribe was first recognized by the US f ...
*
Blue Lake Rancheria The Blue Lake Rancheria of the Wiyot, Yurok, and Hupa Indians is located northwest of the city of Blue Lake in Humboldt County, California on approximately .
* Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation * Karuk Indian Reservation (partly in
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 ...
) *
Rohnerville Rancheria Rohnerville may refer to: *Rohnerville, California *Rohnerville Airport Rohnerville Airport is a public airport located southeast of Fortuna in Humboldt County, California. It is owned by the County of Humboldt. Although most U.S. airports u ...
*
Table Bluff Rancheria The Wiyot Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Wiyot people. They are the aboriginal people of Humboldt Bay, Mad River and lower Eel River. ''Four Directions Institute.'' Retrieved 29 Sept 2013.Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria The Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe with members who are descendants of Chetco, Hupa, Karuk, Tolowa, Wiyot, and Yurok people in Humboldt County, California. As of the 2010 Census the ...
* Yurok Indian Reservation (partly in Del Norte County)


Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Humboldt County. † ''county seat''


Notable people

* Sara Bareilles *
Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
* Hobart Brown *
Wesley Chesbro Wesley P. Chesbro (born August 20, 1951) is an American Democratic politician from California. He was an assemblymember for the 2nd district, encompassing the North Coast. Previously, Chesbro served as the Assembly member from California's 1 ...
* David Cobb * Alexander Cockburn * Trevor Dunn *
Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in California, licenses his name to restaurants in New York City, Las ...
*
Michael John Fles Michael John Fles (born 11 November 1936), known both as John Fles and Michael Fles, is an American poet, editor, musician and film personality. Professor David James referred to him as "the single most important promoter of underground film" i ...
*
Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...
* Robert A. Gearheart *
James Gillett James Norris Gillett (September 20, 1860 – April 20, 1937) was an American lawyer and politician. A Republican involved in federal and state politics, Gillett was elected both a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California fr ...
* Ulysses S. Grant *
Steven Hackett Steven C. Hackett (born 1960) is an American economist, and Professor Emeritus of Economics at Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University), known for his contributions to the fields of environmental and natural resources economics. ...
*
Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...
*
Dan Hauser Daniel E. Hauser (June 18, 1942) served in the California State Assembly from 1982 until 1996. After graduating from Humboldt State University, Hauser served two terms on the Arcata City Council from 1974 to 1982. He served as Mayor of Arcata, ...
*
El Hefe Aaron Abeyta (born August 8, 1965), better known as El Hefe or simply Hefe, from ''el Jefe'' (Spanish for "the boss"), is an American musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist and trumpet player for the California punk band NOFX. H ...
* Julia Butterfly Hill *
Christa Johnson Christa Johnson (born April 25, 1958) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1980 and won nine LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. Amateur career Born in Arcata, Califor ...
* Howard B. Keck * Seth Kinman *
Naomi Lang Naomi Lang (born December 18, 1978) is an American former competitive ice dancer. With skating partner Peter Tchernyshev, she is a two-time Four Continents champion (2000 and 2002), a five-time U.S. national champion (1999–2003), and compete ...
* Rey Maualuga * Pamela McGee *
Tim McKay Timothy J. McKay (1947 – July 30, 2006) was an environmentalist and executive director of the non-profit Northcoast Environmental Center, a transportation advocacy organization, in Arcata, California. Education McKay graduated from Humbol ...
*
Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
*
Maurice Purify Maurice "Mo" Purify (born January 17, 1986) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Nebraska. Purify also play ...
*
Nate Quarry Nathan Parker "Nate" Quarry (born March 19, 1972) is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter who is most notable for his appearance in '' The Ultimate Fighter'', a reality show from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as co-hostin ...
*
Eric Rofes Eric Rofes (August 31, 1954 – June 26, 2006) was a gay activist, educator, and author. He was a director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center in the 1980s. In 1989, he became executive director of the Shanti Project, a nonprofit AIDS se ...
* Stephen W. Shaw * Steve Sillett *
Trey Spruance Preston Lea "Trey" Spruance III (born August 14, 1969) is an American composer, producer, and musician who co-founded the experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. He is also leader of the multi-genre outfit Secret Chiefs 3. Originally a guitarist an ...
*
Greg Stafford Francis Gregory Stafford (February 9, 1948 – October 10, 2018), usually known as Greg Stafford, was an American game designer, publisher, and practitioner of shamanism. Stafford is most famous as the creator of the fantasy world of Gloranth ...
* Robert M. Viale * Don Van Vliet * Stephen Girard WhippleCalifornia. Adjutant General's Office, Records of California men in the war of the rebellion 1861 to 1867, SACRAMENTO: State Office, J. D. Young, Supt. State Printing, 1890, pp. 11, 826-831
/ref> *
Ned Yost Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos. Early life Yost was born o ...


See also

* Arcata and Eureka Community Recycling Centers * Arcata - Jacoby Creek Community Forests *
Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant and Wildlife Sanctuary is an innovative sewer management system employed by the city of Arcata, California. A series of oxidation ponds, treatment wetlands and enhancement marshes are used to filter sewage waste ...
*
HSU First Street Gallery HSU First Street Gallery (later known as the HSU Third Street Gallery) was a contemporary, fine arts gallery located in the E. Janssen Building at 422 1st Street (later moved to 416 3rd Street) in the historic Old Town district of Eureka, Calif ...
* Humboldt Arts Council *
Humboldt County Historical Society The Humboldt County Historical Society (HCHS) is a regional historical society, primarily focused on the history of Humboldt County, California. Offices, bookstore, collections, and research staff are located in Eureka Eureka (often abbrevi ...
*
Humboldt Crabs The Humboldt Crabs are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Arcata, California. Playing in every season since they were founded in 1945 by Lou Bonomini, later joined by Ned Barsuglia, the Crabs are the oldest continually-operated summer co ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Humboldt County, California __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Humboldt County, California. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Humboldt County, ...
*
Operation Green Sweep Operation Green Sweep was a series of drug raids conducted by over 200 United States Army soldiers, National Guardsmen, and federal agents in Humboldt County, California. The operation was the first time active-duty troops were used to combat ma ...
*
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...
*
Lost Man Creek Dam Lost Man Creek Dam was a gravity dam used by the Prairie Creek Fish Hatchery in Humboldt County, California from 1936 to 1955. Location and description The Lost Man Creek Dam was located inside the Redwood National and State Parks, in Humbold ...
* Sequoia County, California


Notes


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
Humboldt Economic Index

All About Living in Humboldt County

General Guide to Humboldt County
{{authority control 1853 establishments in California Alexander von Humboldt California counties Populated places established in 1853