Redding, California

Redding, officially the City of Redding, is the county seat of Shasta County, California, in the northern part of the state. It lies along the Sacramento River, 162 mi north of Sacramento, and 120 mi south of California's northern border, shared with the state of Oregon. Interstate 5 bisects the entire city, from the south to north before it approaches Shasta Lake, which is located 15 mi to the north. The 2010 population was 89,861. Redding is the largest city in the Shasta Cascade region, and it is the sixth-largest city in the Sacramento Valley, behind Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, Vacaville and Chico.

Etymology


During the gold rush, the area that now comprises Redding was called Poverty Flats. In 1868 the first land agent for the Central Pacific Railroad, a former Sacramento politician named Benjamin Bernard Redding, bought property in Poverty Flats on behalf of the railroad so that it could build a northern terminus there. In the process of building the terminus, the railroad also built a town in the same area, which they named Redding in honor of Benjamin Redding. In 1874 there was a dispute over the name by local legislators and it was changed for a time to Reading, in order to honor Pierson B. Reading, who founded the community of Shasta, but the name was officially changed back to Redding by 1880. It has been called Redding ever since.

Indigenous culture
Before European settlers came to the area, it was inhabited by a tribe of Native Americans called the Wintu. At their height, the Wintu had as many as 239 villages in the Shasta County area.

First settlers
Although Europeans had been to California as early as 1542, when Juan Cabrillo sailed to what is now the San Diego Bay, the indigenous Indians were probably the only inhabitants of far Northern California region until Russian fur trappers came through the area in 1815.

The first European settlement in the area was established in 1844 by Pierson B. Reading, an early California pioneer who received a Rancho Buena Ventura Mexican land grant for 26,632 acre that is now covered by Redding and Cottonwood, California. At the time, it was the northernmost nonnative settlement in California.

Founding of Redding
During the gold rush, the area that is now Redding was called Poverty Flats. In 1868 the first land agent for the Central Pacific Railroad, a former Sacramento politician named Benjamin Bernard Redding, bought property in Poverty Flats on behalf of the railroad for a northern terminus. In the process of building the terminus, the railroad also built the town of Redding which was officially incorporated on October 4, 1887.

Early 20th century
In the early twentieth century the town's economic growth was spurred by the significant copper and iron mineral extraction industry nearby. However, the mining industry eventually declined, causing the economy and population to falter by 1920. It recovered in the thirties as the economy boomed due to the construction of Shasta Dam to the northwest. The building of the dam, which was completed in 1945, caused Redding's population to nearly double, also spurring the growth and development of other towns in the area.

Mid- to late-20th century
Redding continued to grow steadily in the 1950es due to the region's growing lumber industry and tourism brought about by the newly completed dam. The constructions of Whiskeytown and Keswick dams also helped boost the economy by bringing new workers to the area. Highway Interstate 5 was built during the sixties and seventies, which added to development and tourism in the region.

Growth in Redding during the '60s and '70s was also caused by annexation of an area east of the Sacramento River made up of the unincorporated community of Enterprise. Enterprise residents voted to support the annexation primarily to acquire less expensive electricity via Redding's municipal utility, which receives power from the dam.

During the 1970s, the lumber industry suffered from decline. Lumber mills in the area closed down and heavily impacted the Redding area. Things later picked up, due to a retail and housing boom in the late-1980s that continued until the mid-1990s.

21st century
In 2017, the city adopted a new flag after holding a redesign contest.

In late July 2018, the Carr Fire in Shasta county seriously impacted the Redding area with the destruction of at least 1100 buildings, with several thousand more threatened, 38,000 people instructed to evacuate and 6 deaths.

Location
Redding is located at 40.57667°N, -122.37028°W (40.576606, −122.370325). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 61.2 sqmi. 59.6 sqmi of it is land, and 1.5 sqmi of it (2.50%) is beneath water.

Redding is located at the very northwestern end of the Central Valley, which transitions into the Cascade foothills. The city is surrounded by mountains to the north, east, and west and fertile farm land to the south. Outermost parts of the city are part of the Cascade foothills, whereas southern and central areas are in the Sacramento Valley.

The elevation in Redding is 495 ft on average, whereas anywhere to the north, east, or west of downtown ranges between 550 ft and 800 ft feet. Southern portions range between 400 ft and 500 ft.

The Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River provides a considerable level of flood protection for Redding. The dam is capable of controlling flows up to 79,000 cubic feet (7,300 cubic meters) per second. The flow rate exceeded this threshold in both 1970 and 1974.

Soils in and around town are composed mostly of clay or gravelly loam texture, with red or brown mineral horizons. They are slightly or moderately acidic in their natural state.

Official

 * Bonnyview
 * Boulder Creek
 * College Highlands
 * Country Heights
 * Garden Tract
 * Gold Hills
 * Hacienda Heights
 * Hidden Hills
 * Lake Redding Estates
 * Layton Oaks
 * Mary Lake
 * Miracle Mile
 * Parkview
 * Plateau Circle
 * Ridgewood Estates
 * Shasta View Gardens
 * Stanford Hills
 * Sunset Terrace
 * Sunset West
 * The Bluffs
 * Western Ranches (Greenbelt)
 * Westwood Manor

Non-Official

 * Blossom Park
 * Buckeye
 * Buckeye Terrace
 * Downtown
 * Enterprise
 * Girvan
 * Greenwood Heights
 * Kutras Tract
 * Mt. Shasta Mall
 * Oasis
 * Powerline
 * Quartz Hill
 * Spring Hill
 * West Ridge

Mobile Home Communities

 * Redwood Estates
 * Los Robles Estates
 * Mountain Shadows Mobile Home Estates
 * Twin View Terrace Mobile Home Park
 * Redding Lakeside Mobile Homes Estates

Shopping Centers

 * Cobblestone Shopping Center
 * Cypress Square Shopping Center
 * Mt. Shasta Mall

Ecology
There are several rare and endangered species in Redding and its immediate vicinity. The Redding Redevelopment Plan EIR notes the California State listed endangered species, slender Orcutt grass (Orcuttia tenuis), occurs in eastern Redding near the municipal airport, where vernal pools are known to exist. This endemic grass is a Federal Candidate for listing and is endangered throughout its range, confined to several populations, and seriously threatened by agriculture, overgrazing, and residential development. Vernal pools provide the preferred habitat for this plant, which the California Native Plant Society considers a rare and endangered species. These same vernal pools also support federally protected species such as the federally threatened vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi).

Climate
Redding has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), with very hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Winter (October–April) provides the most precipitation of any season in Redding—the weather tends to be either rainy or foggy and at times, snow occurs. Summers are hot and dry, but rain is possible, usually with a thunderstorm. The average daily maximum temperature in July stays near 100 °F. The highest official recorded temperature in Redding was 118 °F on July 20, 1988. That was recorded at the nearby Redding airport. Some people in town recorded as high as 122 °F that same day. Redding has an average possible sunshine of 88%, the second-highest percentage (after Yuma, Arizona) of any US city.

The city receives an average of 4.8 in of snow annually. It rarely gets sleet or freezing rain. Frost occurs commonly in December through February, less often in March or November. In spring, rain is common. The city is located near the southernmost point of the influence of the westerlies, and it therefore gets much more rain than most places in the Sacramento Valley; temperature differentials between land and sea cause moist air from the latter to flow over the city, producing precipitation, cloud and fog in the winter. The direction of this wind reverses in the summer, as hot, high-pressure air flows from land to sea, making the area very dry. Tornadoes are extremely rare; flooding occurs only around the area near the Sacramento River. The coldest temperature recorded in Redding was 17 °F.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Redding had a population of 89,861. The population density was 1,468.9 people per square mile (567.2/km²). The racial makeup of Redding was 77,117 (85.8%) White, 1,092 (1.2%) African American, 2,034 (2.3%) Native American, 3,034 (3.4%) Asian, 156 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2,307 (2.6%) from other races, and 4,121 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,787 persons (8.7%).

The Census reported that 87,841 people (97.8% of the population) lived in households, 1,138 (1.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 882 (1.0%) were institutionalized.

There were 36,130 households, out of which 11,012 (30.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 16,001 (44.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4,806 (13.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,984 (5.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,570 (99.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 204 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,344 households (28.6%) were made up of individuals and 4,622 (12.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43. There were 22,791 families (63.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.94.

The population was spread out with 20,518 people (22.8%) under the age of 18, 9,436 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 21,725 people (24.2%) aged 25 to 44, 23,424 people (26.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,758 people (16.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

There were 38,679 housing units at an average density of 632.3 per square mile (244.1/km²), of which 19,968 (55.3%) were owner-occupied, and 16,162 (44.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%. 48,179 people (53.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 39,662 people (44.1%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy
The economy in Redding is largely a service economy. Therefore, employment is spread across a wide range of service professions that include healthcare, retail, and tourism.

Top employers
According to the City's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), these are the top employers in the city:

State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, Redding is in, and.

In the United States House of Representatives, Redding is in.

Municipal government
The city council is composed of Mayor Julie Winter, Vice Mayor Adam McElvain, Kristen Schreder, Erin Resner, and Michael Dacquisto. The city manager is Barry Tippin.

Redding is a general law city operating under the council-manager form of government.

Museums and public art

 * Calatrava Sculpture
 * Sculpture park at City Hall
 * Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay

Architecture

 * Carnegie Library
 * Cascade Theatre
 * Hotel Lorenz
 * Pilgrim Congregational Church
 * Sundial Bridge



Venues

 * Redding Civic Auditorium
 * Cascade Theatre
 * Riverfront Amphitheater
 * Old City Hall

Performing arts

 * Riverfront Playhouse
 * Redding Improv Players

Public

 * Shasta College

Private

 * Simpson University
 * National University
 * Shasta Bible College and Graduate School

Public

 * Shasta High School
 * Enterprise High School
 * Foothill High School
 * Pioneer High School
 * University prep school

Secondary

 * Freedom High School
 * University Preparatory School
 * North State Independence High School
 * Redding Christian High School
 * Liberty Christian High School

Charter schools

 * Monarch Learning Center
 * Stellar Charter School
 * Academy of Personalized Learning
 * Redding Collegiate Academy
 * Redding School of the Arts
 * Rocky Point Charter School
 * Shasta Charter Academy

Other schools

 * Redding Adventist Academy
 * Bethel Christian School

Trade schools

 * Redding Institute of Technology
 * Shasta School of Cosmetology

Non-academic learning

 * Code IT
 * Build It
 * Shasta County Public Library

Print

 * Redding Record Searchlight
 * After Five

Major highways

 * I-5 (CA).svg Interstate 5 runs through the east central portion of this city.
 * California 299.svg CA 299, formerly US 299 (1961 cutout).svg U.S. 299, runs through the western, central, and northeastern parts of the city.
 * California 44.svg CA 44 runs through the middle and eastern part of town. Its western terminus is at Market Street (California 273) in downtown Redding.
 * California 273.svg CA 273, was formerly the Interstate 5 Business Route, and also formerly the US 99 (1961 cutout).svg U.S. 99, directly through the city.

Rail and bus transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Redding, operating its Coast Starlight daily in both directions between Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California VA Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Oakland, California; San Jose, California; Santa Barbara, California and all Intermediate station stops. Amtrak California also provides Thruway Motorcoach service to 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 bus connections.

Redding provides a city bus transportation system called RABA (Redding Area Bus Authority). RABA provides routes throughout the city of Redding and also provides transportation throughout Redding's suburbs. Transportation is also available by Sage Stage to Alturas and Trinity Transit to Weaverville. Redding is also served by the intercity bus companies Greyhound and Fronteras del Norte.

Air transportation
Air transportation for the Redding area is provided by two general aviation airports. Redding Municipal Airport, located south of Redding, has scheduled flights from SkyWest (United Express). The smaller Benton Airpark is located on the western side of Redding.

Prominent persons
This list includes persons who were born/raised/worked in, lived in, or whose identity was significantly influenced by Redding, as well as music groups that were founded in the area.

Actors and entertainment industry

 * Ashley Parker Angel – recording artist and Broadway actor
 * David de Berry – theater composer and actor
 * Kathleen Kennedy – film producer
 * Shane Drake – music video director
 * Rich Eisen – sportscaster
 * Francesca Eastwood – actor

Authors

 * Bill Johnson, Christian revivalist author
 * Matthew Kennedy – author

Business leaders and entrepreneurs

 * Kevin Rose – Internet entrepreneur

Musicians and bands

 * Duffy Bishop – electric blues singer and songwriter
 * Randy Miller – drummer of the Myriad
 * Roy Rogers – guitarist
 * Craig Padilla – ambient electronic musician and film score composer

Athletes

 * Bill Plummer – MLB player, coach and manager
 * Greg Cadaret – MLB player
 * Mark Parent – MLB player and coach
 * Rick Bosetti – professional baseball player
 * Mel Hein – football player, 1938 MVP, NFL Hall of Fame inductee
 * Eddie Machen – heavyweight boxer
 * Buck Martinez – professional MLB player, manager, broadcaster
 * Matt Nichols – player in Canadian Football League
 * Ryan O'Callaghan – NFL football player
 * Megan Rapinoe – professional soccer player, Olympic gold medalist
 * Ricky Ray – football player in the Canadian Football League
 * Lynne Roberts – college basketball coach
 * D. J. Seeley – basketball player in Israeli Premier League and Euroleague
 * Jason Sehorn – former NFL player

Politicians, civil servants and activists

 * Raymond Jacobs – US Marine, said to be in photo of first flag raised on Iwo Jima
 * Brian Sandoval – 29th governor of Nevada

Other people

 * Ruggles brothers – stagecoach robbers
 * Sam Butcher – Artist, Precious Moments