Siskiyou County, California

Siskiyou County is a located in the far northernmost part of the  of, in the  region on the  border. The is. Because of its substantial natural beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, and history, it is an important tourist destination within the state.

History


Siskiyou County was created on, from parts of  and  Counties, and named after the. Parts of the county's territory were given to in.

The county is the site of the central section of the, which ran between California's and the. The Siskiyou Trail was based on Native American footpaths, was expanded by s in the 1830s, and was expanded still further by "" during the.

In, after the discovery of an important gold strike near today’s , thousands of prospectors flooded the area. This era and setting was described in detail in the semi-autobiographical novel, Life Amongst the Modocs, written by poet and novelist.

The construction of the railroad along the path of the Siskiyou Trail in the mid- led to a first wave of tourism, as visitors came to “take the waters” at the county’s many, and to enjoy the , fishing and other outdoor recreation activities. The railroad (successor to the Central Pacific) promoted the scenic beauty of the area by calling its rail line through the area “The Road of A Thousand Wonders.”

In the early, Siskiyou County was home to the semi-serious movement, which sought to create a new state from several counties of northern California, and several counties of southern Oregon.



The origin of the word siskiyou is not known. One version is that it is the word for "bob-tailed horse." Another version, given in an argument before the State Senate in, is that the French name Six Cailloux, meaning "six stones," was given to a ford on the by  and a party of Hudson's Bay Company trappers in , because six large stones or rocks lay in the river where they crossed. According to some, the Six Cailloux name was appropriated to this region by, another Hudson's Bay Company trapper who was known for his "discovery" of Scott Valley, in regard to a crossing on the near.

Geography
Siskiyou County is geographically widely diverse. From towering (elev. 14,179 feet (4,322 m)) near the center of the county, to lakes and dense forests, as well as desert, chaparral, and memorable waterfalls, the county is home to world-famous trout-fishing rivers and streams, such as the  and  Rivers. Mount Shasta itself has a center. Pastoral in the western part of the county has many wide, tree-lined meadows, supporting large cattle ranches. Much of the county is densely forested with, , , and ; these natural resources are most often used these days for , , , and wilderness recreation, as historic logging practices have been largely discontinued. The county’s water is viewed as sufficiently pure and abundant that the county is a source of significant amounts of bottled water, distributed throughout the country.

While it ranks fifth in area among California counties, with some 6,347 square miles (16,440 ), it only ranked 44th in population among California’s 58 counties; as of 2000, the population was 44,301. The is.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-5.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 97 (CA).svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 3.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 89.svg|20px]]


 * [[Image:California 96.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 139.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 161.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:California 263.svg|20px]]

Public Transportation
(STAGE) operates buses connecting the more populated areas of the county. trains stop in Dunsmuir.

Airports
Siskiyou County owns and operates, , , and  (all general aviation).

The closest airports where commercial domestic planes depart from is north of the county in  and  south of the county in.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 44,301 people, 18,556 households, and 12,228 families residing in the county. The was 7/sq mi (3/km²). There were 21,947 housing units at an average density of 4/sq mi (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.07%, 1.31% or , 3.90% , 1.19% , 0.13% , 2.76% from , and 3.65% from two or more races. 7.57% of the population were or  of any race. 13.5% were of, 12.0% , 9.8% , 9.5% and 7.1%  ancestry according to. 91.7% spoke and 5.7%  as their first language.

There were 18,556 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,530, and the median income for a family was $36,890. Males had a median income of $31,936 versus $22,650 for females. The for the county was $17,570. About 14.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over. Actor Steven Seagal reportedly owns a ranch north of Mount Shasta.

Politics
Siskiyou is a strongly Republican county in and  elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was in. Siskiyou is part of, which is held by Republican. In the Siskiyou is in the 2nd Assembly district, which is held by Republican, and the 4th Senate district, which is held by Republican.