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

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located 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 so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Redding. The county borders Modoc County, Lassen County, Siskiyou County, Plumas County, Tehama County and Trinity County. Shasta County comprises the Redding, California metropolitan statistical area. The county occupies the northern reaches of the

Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River. It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California ...

, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

. Points of interest in Shasta County include Shasta Lake, Lassen Peak, and the Sundial Bridge.

Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( ; Shasta people, Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk language, Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a Volcano#Volcanic activity, potentially active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. A ...

is in adjacent Siskiyou County to the north.

History

Shasta County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. The county was named after

; the name is derived from the English equivalent for the Shasta people. Their population declined in the 1850s due to disease, low birth rates, starvation, killings, and massacres, as White settlers moved in. The name of the tribe was spelled in various ways until the present version was used when the county was established. The peak of Mount Shasta in adjacent Siskiyou County to the north is visible throughout most of Shasta County. Originally within the county, it is now part of Siskiyou County, to the north. Parts of the county's territory were transferred to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to Tehama County in 1856. In 1992, the Fountain Fire burned more than and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures, including large parts of Round Mountain and Montgomery Creek. More than 7,000 people were forced to evacuate. Estimated losses totaled $105.6 million (equivalent to about $ million in ). Shasta has served as the epicenter of the revived Jefferson State proposal since 2016 which wants to have Northern California and Southern Oregon form a new State. The movement is associated with the Republican Party as its supporters argue that the Democratic controlled legislatures of both states have ignored the needs of the rural parts of their states. The Fountain Wind project, proposed by energy firm ConnectGEN LLC, includes up to 71 wind turbines, tall, with the capacity to generate 216 megawatts of electricity. In 2021, the Shasta County Planning Commission voted unanimously to reject the project's use permit, followed by an appeal to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors that similarly resulted in a 4–1 vote to deny the appeal. Wildfire risks and firefighting challenges, among other issues, were given as a primary reason for the rejection of the project. In early 2023, ConnectGen resubmitted its application to the California Energy Commission under Assembly Bill 205 which established a new certification program for non-fossil-fuel powered plants of 50 megawatts or more and related facilities.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.9%) are covered by water. Mountains line the county on the east, north, and west. The

Sacramento River The Sacramento River () 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–San Joaquin River D ...

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 early California botanist and conservationist Willis Linn Jepson, the biota of Shasta County was not explored in a scientific manner until just before 1900. Until the 1920s, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company owned vast tracts of natural grasslands, but during the 1920s, the railroad sold off much of its grassland holdings, leading to the rapid clearing of brush and large-scale conversion from habitat to agricultural uses. Shasta County has extensive forests, which cover over one half the land area with commercially productive forest systems. Common forest alliances include mixed-oak woodland and mixed conifer-oak woodland, as well as Douglas fir forest. Common trees found include white-bark pine, California black oak, and

California buckeye ''Aesculus californica'', commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon. Description Aesculus californica is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, u ...

Adjacent counties

* Siskiyou County – north * Modoc County – northeast * Lassen County – east * Plumas County – southeast * Tehama County – south * Trinity County – west

National protected areas

* Shasta-Trinity National Forest (part) *

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area 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 wit ...

(part)

Demographics

2020 census

2011

Places by population, race, and income

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Shasta County had a population of 177,223. The racial makeup of Shasta County was 153,726 (86.7%) White, 1,548 (0.9%) African American, 4,950 (2.8%) Native American, 4,391 (2.5%) Asian, 271 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 4,501 (2.5%) from other races, and 7,836 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 14,878 persons (8.4%).

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

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

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . The 68,810 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% White, 0.8% African American, 2.8% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. About 5.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. About 15.7% were of German, 12.3% English, 11.2% Irish, 9.9% American, and 5.2%

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

ancestry according to Census 2000; 94.0% spoke English and 3.3% Spanish as their first language. Of the 63,426 households, 31.7% had children under 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, theage distribution was 26.1% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,335, and for a family was $40,491. Males had a median income of $35,959 versus $24,773 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Shasta County is in . In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Shasta County is in , and . Shasta at one time favored the Democratic Party in

Presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

elections. The economy was shaped by the construction of Shasta Dam and some 60 percent of its registered voters were pro-labor Democrats. 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 George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

. 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. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

. A 2022 successful recall unseated supervisor, Leonard Moty, Redding's ex-police chief who describes himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, after enough signatures were collected to have the election. The county's Board of Supervisors shifted to a conservative supermajority in subsequent elections. The board issued a declaration opposing state vaccine mandates and fired the health officer after the change in the makeup of the all Republican board. The Board cancelled its contract with

Dominion Voting Systems Dominion Voting Systems Corporation is a North American company that produces and sells electronic voting hardware and software, including voting machines and tabulators, in Canada and the United States. The company's headquarters are in Toro ...

in 2023 to pursue other options including the possibility of counting votes by hand. The county's contract with Dominion was not up for renewal until 2025. County supervisor Kevin Crye met privately with Mike Lindell in Minnesota before the vote. According to Lindell, they discussed how to run elections without voting machines. State and federal law require that voters with disabilities have access to an electronic voting system. The county selected Hart InterCivic as the new provider of voting equipment.

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, 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 thro ...

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 is a joint-powers agency between the City of Redding, the City of Shasta Lake, the City of Anderson, and the County of Shasta an ...

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

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Coast Starlight The ''Coast Starlight'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland, Oregon, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, ...

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

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

provides twice daily service from Redding to/from Stockton or

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

for connections to the '' San Joaquins'', which serve the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

and the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

area via rail and bus connections.

Airports

Redding Municipal Airport has scheduled passenger flights. Other (general aviation) airports within the county include Benton Field (near Redding), Fall River Mills Airport, and Shingletown Airport.

Law enforcement

The Shasta County sheriff provides prison administration and coroner services for the entire county, and patrol, investigative, and coroner services for the unincorporated portions of the county. Redding and Anderson have municipal police departments.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Education

High schools and below

* 43 elementary schools * 10 junior high schools * 8 high schools * 35 private schools

Colleges and universities

Shasta County has four colleges and universities: * Shasta College, Redding: 2-year, fully accredited * Simpson University, Redding: 4-year, fully accredited *

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

, Redding: 4-year, fully accredited * Shasta Bible College: 4-year

Points of interest

* Shasta Dam - second-largest dam in US * Lassen Peak *

Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest lava dome, plug dome volcano in the wo ...

* Shasta Lake * Turtle Bay Exploration Park * Hat Creek Radio Observatory * Iron Mountain Mine - one of the nation's most toxic waste sites * Sundial Bridge/Turtle Bay, an architectural beauty and a natural habitat area surrounded by urbanization * Burney Falls * Whiskeytown Dam and Lake, with John F. Kennedy Memorial

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)

Communities

Cities

* Anderson * Redding * Shasta Lake

Unincorporated communities

* Beegum * Bella Vista * Big Bend * Burney * Cassel * Castella * Centerville * Cottonwood * 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 ...

* Fall River Mills * French Gulch * Happy Valley * Hat Creek * Igo *

Ingot An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is Casting, 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 procedu ...

* Johnson Park * Jones Valley * Keswick * Lakehead * McArthur * Millville * Montgomery Creek * Motion * Mountain Gate * Oak Run * O'Brien * Old Station * Ono * Palo Cedro *

Platina Platina is a municipality ''( município)'' in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. As of 2020 the population is estimated to be 3,578 inside an area of 326.73 km². The elevation of the municipality is 466 meters. Media In telecommunications, th ...

* Pollard Flat * Round Mountain * Shasta * Shingletown *

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

* Whiskeytown * Whitmore

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