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| Del Norte County, California | |
| Image:Del Norte County ca seal.jpeg | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
|
 California's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1857 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Crescent City |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,230 sq mi (3,186 km²) 1,008 sq mi (2,611 km²) 222 sq mi (575 km²), 18.05% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
27,507 28/sq mi (11/km²) |
| Website: http://exploredelnorte.com | |
Del Norte County is the northwestern-most county in the U.S. state of California, located on the Pacific coast south of Oregon. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 27,507. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. The county is bordered by the state of Oregon to the north.
Contents |
History
The area was first explored by the pioneer Jedediah Smith in the early 1800s. He was the first American to reach the area overland on foot in a time before anything was known about such a distant territory. For him it was literally "Land's End" -where the American continent ended at the Pacific Ocean. In 1855 Congress authorized the building of a Lighthouse at "the battery point" (a high tide island on the coast of Crescent City) which is still functioning as a historical landmark. Del Norte County was founded in 1857, from part of the territory of Klamath County following the great California Gold Rush. Klamath County itself ceased to exist in 1874.
Over-View
Del Norte -which is the abbreviated Spanish nick-name for "The Land of the North" (La Tierra Del Norte) is known as "The Gateway to the Redwood Coast". Besides the world famous Roger Patterson film of a female Bigfoot shot here, and scenes from many big Hollywood movies shot here (Moon Endor scenes in Star Wars -Return of the Jedi) Del Norte is notable for its "everyday" wonders -in particular, the giant coastal Redwoods, with heights reaching over 350 feet, scores of unique plants & flowers, dozens of species of coastal birds, rocky, primitive beaches and sea stacks, pristine rivers, and historic lighthouses.
Crescent City survived the tsunami from the Alaskan Earthquake, which wreaked havoc in the sixties. Its struggle to rebuild earned it the nickname "Comeback Town USA". Its past and present are beautifully depicted by over a dozen large murals decorating the walls of city buildings.
The weather is fair, the population is small but inter-connected through many associations and alliances that foster social, artistic, commercial, and governance activities and programs. The county offers many recreational activities including Camping, Jet Boating, surfing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hiking and exploring, plus bird and whale watching . There's the tourist destinations of Trees of Mystery, Ocean World, two Indian tribe Casinos, and tours of the Battery Point Lighthouse. Also, there's the annual Sea Cruise Classic Car meet, 4th of July Fireworks Show at the Lighthouse, annual County Fair, annual visitation of the reproduction vintage Sailing Ships the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain and dozens of other cultural events year around.
There are two rivers -the pristine undammed Smith River and the Klamath River which are enjoyed not just for water sports but also for salmon and steelhead fishing (with fishing guide boats available year-around) as well as the world's largest lily farms (thanks to the rich soil and moderate climate) plus commercial crabfishing (often 10 million lbs. per season) and cheese manufacturing. Twice yearly the Aleutian Canada Geese take a rest during their long migration North-South. Once highly endangered, they now number about 100,000 and draw visitors to watch the spectacle of the daily flight (at dawn) from Castle Island (just off-shore) toward fields of grass where they graze to gain weight and strength to continue their long journey.
To learn more and find links to government and community websites, as well as hundreds of high-resolution photos and panoramas, visit Crescent City, Del Norte County).
Education
Del Norte County is home to a satellite campus of College of the Redwoods, a two-year college based in Humboldt County. The Del Norte County Unified School District provides public education to the children of Del Norte County through the twelfth grade. The primary high school in Del Norte County is Del Norte High School, whose school mascot is the Warrior.
Del Norte County has several private parochial schools and charter schools.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,230 square miles (3,185 km²), of which, 1,008 square miles (2,610 km²) of it is land and 222 square miles (575 km²) of it (18.05%) is water.
Rivers
- Klamath - one of the longest in California.
- Smith - a crown jewel of the National Wild and Scenic River program.
Parks
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
- Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
- Redwood National Park
- Tolowa Dunes State Park
Cities and towns
Crescent City is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County.
The communities of Del Norte County include: Fort Dick, Gasquet, Hiouchi, Klamath, and Smith River
Adjacent counties
- Humboldt County, California - south
- Siskiyou County, California - east
- Josephine County, Oregon - northeast
- Curry County, Oregon - north
Transportation Infrastructure
Major highways
Public Transportation
Local public transit is provided by Redwood Coast Transit, which provides access to Amtrak passenger train (via Amtrak bus) service and Greyhound bus service.
Airports
SkyWest conducts passenger flights to and from Jack McNamara Field Airport. The majority of flights connect to San Francisco International Airport through Arcata-Eureka Airport and vice-versa, although connections are also available to Sacramento and Portland, Oregon.
Harbor
The Crescent City Harbor serves as a commercial fishing boat basin for Salmon, Shrimp, Tuna, Cod, and Dungeness Crab commercial fishing boats. The harbor is also home to multiple fishing and non-fishing related businesses and harbor governmental offices. The Crescent City Harbor also has several pleasure boat docks.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 27,507 people, 9,170 households, and 6,290 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 10,434 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.86% White, 4.30% Black or African American, 6.43% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 3.92% from other races, and 4.08% from two or more races. 13.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 11.3% English, 9.1% Irish and 7.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.6% spoke English and 6.2% Spanish as their first language.
There were 9,170 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% 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 123.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.3 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,642, and the median income for a family was $36,056. Males had a median income of $40,072 versus $22,212 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,573. About 16.40% of families and 20.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.70% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Presidential election results Year GOP DEM Others 2004 56.9% 5,356 41.3% 3,892 1.8% 173 2000 54.6% 4,526 37.6% 3,117 7.9% 651 1996 41.3% 3,670 41.1% 3,652 17.6% 1,567 1992 33.0% 3,083 38.9% 3,639 28.1% 2,631 1988 49.7% 3,174 48.0% 3,587 2.2% 167 1984 58.4% 3,996 39.4% 2,696 2.2% 149 1980 57.5% 4,016 33.5% 2,338 9.1% 633 1976 45.3% 2,481 50.9% 2,789 3.8% 208 1972 51.8% 2,927 38.2% 2,156 10.0% 565 1968 46.2% 2,387 43.3% 2,236 10.6% 545 1964 36.2% 2,075 63.8% 3,652 1960 48.1% 3,024 51.2% 3,225 0.7% 45 Del Norte is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Del Norte is part of California's 1st congressional district, which is held by Democrat Mike Thompson. In the State Assembly, Del Norte is part of the 1st district, which is held by Democrat Patty Berg. In the State Senate, Del Norte is part of the 4th district, which is held by Republican Sam Aanestad.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
External links
- County of Del Norte website
- Del Norte County Tourism and Travel website
- Vast Photo Gallery of remarkable full-screen images & panoramas
Del Norte County, CaliforniaCounty seat: Crescent City Cities CDPs Unincorporated communities
