Shasta County, California
Encyclopedia : S : SH : SHA : Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, in the Cascade Mountains. As of 2000 the population was 163,256. The county seat is Redding.
Shasta County is the home of Lassen Peak, Shasta Lake, and the Lassen Volcanic National Park.
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 "Shasta" is derived from the English equivalent for the name of an Indian tribe that once lived in the area. 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 14,162-foot peak is visible throughout most of the county.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,965 km² (3,847 mi²). 9,804 km² (3,785 mi²) of it is land and 161 km² (62 mi²) of it (1.62%) 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.Adjacent Counties
- Tehama County, California - south
- Trinity County, California - west
- Siskiyou County, California - north
- Modoc County, California - northeast
- Lassen County, California - east
- Plumas County, California - southeast
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 17/km² (43/mi²). There were 68,810 housing units at an average density of 7/km² (18/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.32% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 2.77% Native American, 1.87% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.71% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. 5.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 63,426 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% 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 26.10% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 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 11.30% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
Annual Events
- Kool April Nites (April) — A Classic Car Show
- Rodeo Week Festivities (May)
- Art Fair and Fiddler’s Jamboree (May)
- Whiskeytown Regatta (May)
- Redding Exchange Club Air Show (June)
- Shasta District Fair (June) — The County fair
- Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration (July)
- Burney Basin Days (July)
- Intermountain Fair (September)
Cities and towns
- Anderson
- Big Bend
- Burney
- Cottonwood
- Fall River Mills
- French Gulch
- Lakehead-Lakeshore
- McArthur
- Millville
- Montgomery Creek
- Palo Cedro
- Redding
- Round Mountain
- Shasta Lake
- Shingletown
- Ono
- Igo
- Platina
Education and Housing
Colleges and universities
Shasta County has four colleges and universities:- Shasta College, Redding – 2 year, fully accredited
- Simpson College, Redding – 4 year, fully accredited
- National University, Redding – 4 year, fully accredited
- Shasta Bible College - 4 year
High Schools and Below
- 43 Elementary Schools
- 10 Junior High Schools
- 8 High Schools
- 35 Private Schools
Housing
- Median price for a house is about $248,000.
- Median rental rate is $700/month.
Points of interest
- Lassen Peak
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Shasta Lake
- Turtle Bay Exploration Park
- Hat Creek Radio Observatory
See also
External links
- [County of Shasta official website]
- [Photographic virtual tour of Shasta County]
- [Shasta Historical Society] — A large database of historical county photographs
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