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Shasta
census-designated place
Historic Masonic Hall
ShastaPosition in California.Show map of CaliforniaShastaShasta (the United States)Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°35′32″N 122°28′40″W / 40.59222°N 122.47778°W / 40.59222; -122.47778
Country	United States
State	California
County	Shasta
Area
• Total	10.982 sq mi (28.444 km)
• Land	10.978 sq mi (28.433 km)
• Water	0.004 sq mi (0.012 km)  0.04%
Elevation	843 ft (257 m)
Population
• Total	1,043
• Density	95/sq mi (37/km)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
GNIS feature ID	2583135
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Shasta, California;
Shasta State Historic Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
California Historical Landmark No. 77
Location	Shasta, California
NRHP reference No.	71000199
CHISL No.	77
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 14, 1971
Designated CHISL	1932

Shasta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Shasta sits at an elevation of 843 feet (257 m). Its population is 1,043 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,771 from the 2010 census.

Shasta State Historic Park located at Shasta is a ghost town and California State Historic Park.

History

A bustling town of the 1850s through the 1880s, Shasta was for its time, the largest settlement in Shasta County and the surrounding area. Sometimes referred to today as "Old Shasta", the town was an important commercial center and a major shipping point for mule trains and stagecoaches serving the mining towns and later settlements of northern California. The discovery of gold near Shasta in 1848 brought California Gold Rush-era Forty-Niners up the Siskiyou Trail in search of riches - most passed through Shasta, and continued to use it as base of operations. Those that stayed worked the placer gold diggings of nearby, short-lived camps like Horsetown, Buckeye, and Whiskeytown, California.

Situated about six miles (10 km) west of Redding, California along Highway 299, Shasta was once home to some 3,500 residents, the county seat, and a thriving commercial district. However, in 1873, the under construction Oregon-bound branch of the Central Pacific Railroad bypassed Shasta, in favor of Redding and the town began its decline into near "ghost town" status. In 1888, Shasta lost the county seat to Redding. By the twentieth century, and after several fires, a distinctive row of gold rush era buildings remained along its Main Street, which attracted preservationists and their efforts to save all the local stories and landscape, and the remaining first generation of 1850s brick and iron door architecture.

The poet Joaquin Miller refers to Shasta in his 1870s novel, Life Amongst the Modocs, based on the experiences of Miller as a young man living in the area in the 1850s. In this book, Miller describes his brief imprisonment in a Shasta jail for horse-stealing and subsequent escape with the aid of his Native American wife.

Shasta State Historic Park

The site of the town is now a California State Historic Park called Shasta State Historic Park, containing many of the original 19th century brick buildings, partially restored. Shasta is now a town with the ruins of the gold mining town, a post office, a church, the oldest Masonic lodge in California, and a store.

The park was damaged by the Carr Fire in 2018, during which the elementary school was destroyed and the brewery and cemetery were damaged.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 11.0 square miles (28.4 km), 99.96% of it land and 0.04% of it water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Shasta has a hot-summer mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Shasta was 115 °F (46.1 °C) on July 28, 1976, and August 8, 1981, while the coldest temperature recorded was 14 °F (−10.0 °C) on December 21–22, 990.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Shasta had a population of 1,771. The population density was 161.3 inhabitants per square mile (62.3/km). The racial makeup of Shasta was 1,612 (91.0%) White, 11 (0.6%) African American, 37 (2.1%) Native American, 23 (1.3%) Asian, 1 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 7 (0.4%) from other races, and 80 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 56 persons (3.2%).

The Census reported that 1,771 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 723 households, the average family size was 2.79.

The population was spread out, with 339 people (19.1%) under the age of 18, 96 people (5.4%) aged 18 to 24, 291 people (16.4%) aged 25 to 44, 716 people (40.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 329 people (18.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.

There were 782 housing units at an average density of 71.2 per square mile (27.5/km), of which 621 (85.9%) were owner-occupied, and 102 (14.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 1,507 people (85.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 264 people (14.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the state legislature Shasta is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Megan Dahle, and the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican Heather Hadwick.

Federally, Shasta is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.

Notable people

• Jim Hanks, actor, brother of Tom Hanks, was born in Shasta.
• Bronco Charlie Miller, horse trainer and Pony Express rider
• Scott Leary, swimmer

See also

• French Gulch Historic District
• California Historical Landmarks in Shasta County
• Reading's Bar

References

1. U.S. Census Archived 2012-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Shasta, California
3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
4. "Shasta". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
5. Peterson, Edward (1964). In the Shadow of the Mountain, a Short History of Shasta County, California. Redding, California: Edward Peterson. pp. passim. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
6. Miller, Joaquin (1873). Life Amongst the Modocs: Unwritten History. London: Richard Bentley and Sons. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
7. Richards, John (1936). Joaquin Miller, His California Diary, Beginning in 1855 and Ending in 1857. Seattle: Dogwood Press. pp. passim.
8. "Carr Fire kills two firefighters near Redding, destroys 500 structures". SFChronicle.com. July 28, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
9. ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Sacramento". National Weather Service. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
10. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Shasta Dam, CA". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
11. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Shasta CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
12. "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
13. "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
14. "California's 1st Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.

External links

• Official Shasta State Historic Park website
• Shasta: the ghost town today
• Museum of the Siskiyou Trail website
• Friends of Shasta State Historic Park website

v t e Municipalities and communities of Shasta County, California, United States
County seat: Redding
Cities	Anderson Redding Shasta Lake
CDPs	Bella Vista Big Bend Burney Cassel Castella Centerville Cottonwood Fall River Mills French Gulch Happy Valley Hat Creek Igo Johnson Park Jones Valley Keswick Lakehead McArthur Millville Montgomery Creek Mountain Gate Oak Run Old Station Ono Palo Cedro Platina Round Mountain Shasta Shingletown Whitmore
Unincorporated communities	Beegum Dana Enterprise Ingot Lakehead-Lakeshore O'Brien Pollard Flat Viola
Indian reservations	Big Bend Rancheria Redding Rancheria
Ghost towns	Bald Hills Bayles Briggsville Delta Dog Creek Gas Point Hazel Creek Horsetown Kennett Lower Springs Piety Hill Texas Springs Tower House Whiskeytown
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
California portal United States portal

• California State Historic Parks
• Census-designated places in Shasta County, California
• Mining communities of the California Gold Rush
• Museums in Shasta County, California
• History of Shasta County, California
• Open-air museums in California
• History museums in California
• Ghost towns in California
• Parks in Shasta County, California
• Populated places established in 1848
• 1848 establishments in California
• Census-designated places in California