Shasta County, California

Shasta County (/ˈʃæstə/ (listen)), officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 census. The county seat is Redding.

Shasta County comprises the Redding, California Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range.

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

History

Shasta County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county’s territory were given to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to Tehama County in 1856.

The county was named after Mount Shasta; the name is derived from the English equivalent for the Shasta people, the name of a Native American tribe that once lived in the area, but they were ethnically cleansed from the area in the 1850s. The name of the tribe was spelled in various ways until the present version was used when the county was established. Originally Mt. Shasta was within the county, but it is now part of Siskiyou County, to the north. Its 14,179-foot (4,322 m) peak is visible throughout most of Shasta County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,847 square miles (9,960 km²), of which 3,775 square miles (9,780 km²) is land and 72 square miles (190 km²) (1.9%) is water. Mountains line the county on the east, north and west. The Sacramento River flows out of the mountains to the north, through the center of the county, and toward the Sacramento Valley to the south.

Flora and fauna

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

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 (part)

Politics

Voter registration statistics

showPopulation and registered voters

Cities by population and voter registration

showCities by population and voter registration

Overview

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

In the United States House of Representatives, Shasta County is in California’s 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.

In the California State Legislature, Shasta County is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Brian Dahle, and the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican Megan Dahle.

Transportation

Major highways

•  Interstate 5
•  State Route 36
•  State Route 44
•  State Route 89
•  State Route 151
•  State Route 273
•  State Route 299

Public transportation

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

Amtrak’s Coast Starlight serves Redding Station once a day in each direction.

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.

Crime

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

showPopulation and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates

showCities by population and crime rates

Demographics

2011

showPopulation, race, and income

Places by population, race, and income

showPlaces by population and race

showPlaces by population 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,878 persons (8.4%).

showPopulation reported at 2010 United States Census

2000

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	378		—
1860	4,360		1,053.4%
1870	4,173		−4.3%
1880	9,492		127.5%
1890	12,133		27.8%
1900	17,318		42.7%
1910	18,920		9.3%
1920	13,361		−29.4%
1930	13,927		4.2%
1940	28,800		106.8%
1950	36,413		26.4%
1960	59,468		63.3%
1970	77,640		30.6%
1980	115,715		49.0%
1990	147,036		27.1%
2000	163,256		11.0%
2010	177,223		8.6%
2020	182,155		2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900–1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

As of the census of 2000, there were 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 68,810 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% White, 0.8% Black or 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. 5.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.7% were of German, 12.3% English, 11.2% Irish, 9.9% American and 5.2% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.0% spoke English and 3.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 63,426 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,335, and the median income for a family was $40,491. Males had a median income of $35,959 versus $24,773 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,738. About 11.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and policing

Shasta County government

Shasta County Sheriff

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

Municipal police

Redding and Anderson have municipal police departments.

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)

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, Redding: 4 year, fully accredited
• Shasta Bible College: 4 year

Housing

• Median price for a house is about $183,000 as of early 2014.
• Median rental rate is $700/month.

Points of interest

• Shasta Dam 2nd largest dam in US
• Lassen Peak
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• 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

Communities

Cities

• Anderson
• Redding
• Shasta Lake

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Population ranking

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

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Redding	City	93,611
2	Anderson	City	11,323
3	Shasta Lake	City	10,371
4	Cottonwood	CDP	6,268
5	Happy Valley	CDP	4,949
6	Bella Vista	CDP	3,641
7	Burney	CDP	3,000
8	Palo Cedro	CDP	2,931
9	Shingletown	CDP	2,442
10	Jones Valley	CDP	1,160
11	Shasta	CDP	1,043
12	Mountain Gate	CDP	815
13	Millville	CDP	724
14	Johnson Park	CDP	686
15	Fall River Mills	CDP	616
16	Lakehead	CDP	469
17	French Gulch	CDP	373
18	McArthur	CDP	334
19	Whitmore	CDP	311
20	Hat Creek	CDP	266
21	Castella	CDP	214
22	Cassel	CDP	207
23	Keswick	CDP	188
24	Montgomery Creek	CDP	176
25	Round Mountain	CDP	160
26	Oak Run	CDP	158
27	Igo	CDP	103
28	Ono	CDP	93
29	Big Bend	CDP	79
30	Old Station	CDP	64
31	Redding Rancheria	AIAN	40
32	Montgomery Creek Rancheria	AIAN	33
33	Roaring Creek Rancheria	AIAN	19
34	Platina	CDP	13
33	Big Bend Rancheria	AIAN	5