Shasta County, officially the County of Shasta, is a county located 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. The county was named after Mount Shasta; 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 14,179 ft peak of Mt. Shasta 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 63000 acre 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 ). The Fountain Wind project, proposed by energy firm ConnectGEN LLC, includes up to 71 wind turbines, 679 ft 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 3847 sqmi, of which 72 sqmi (1.9%) are covered by 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 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.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

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 of 2000, 163,256 people, 63,426 households, and 44,017 families were residing in the county. The population density was 43 /mi2. The 68,810 housing units had an average density of 18 /mi2. 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 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 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.

Annual events

Government

In the United States House of Representatives, Shasta County is in. In the California State Legislature, Shasta County is in, and. Shasta at one time favored the Democratic Party in Presidential elections 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. 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 in 1976. 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 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

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. Amtrak Thruway provides twice daily service from Redding to/from Stockton or Sacramento for connections to the San Joaquins, which serve the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and the 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

School districts include: Unified: Secondary: Elementary:

High schools and below

Colleges and universities

Shasta County has four colleges and universities:

Points of interest

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

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