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Crescent City, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Crescent City, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Del Norte |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.1 sq mi (5.3 km²) |
| - Land | 1.8 sq mi (4.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 4,006 |
| - Density | 1,907.6/sq mi (755.8/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 95531, 95532, 95538 |
| Area code(s) | 707 |
| FIPS code | 06-17022 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0277494 |
Crescent City is the only incorporated city of Del Norte County, California and serves as the county seat. It is named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,006, not including the 3,300 prisoners at Pelican Bay State Prison. Crescent City is also the site of the headquarters of Redwood National Park.
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European Arrival
Populations of Native Americans are known to have lived in the area for hundreds of years. The first European expedition is thought to have been that led by Jedidiah Smith, in 1828.
Crescent City was incorporated in 1854, and became the county seat of Del Norte County when the county was formed in 1857. Most of the original inhabitants were workers in the nearby mines. As the mining industry waned, it was replaced by logging and fishing industries during the early 20th century. These industries have also experienced recent decline.
In the 1990s, Pelican Bay State Prison was built and was then joined with the city.
Although it has numerous unique features, Crescent City is notable for its susceptibility to tsunamis. According to Humboldt State University,[1] the city experienced tsunami conditions 17 times between the years 1943 and 1994. Although most of these effects were barely perceptible, one tsunami in particular extensively damaged the city in 1964.
On March 27, 1964, the Good Friday Earthquake off Anchorage, Alaska, set in motion local landslide tsunamis, as well as a trans-Pacific one that sped in three hours down the U.S. West Coast to the state of Washington. Destroying docks, boats, cars, coastal dwellings and surging up rivers with the same result, the tsunami continued down the coast.
Within another 1/1-2 hours four waves struck over a two-hour period at Crescent City. Afterwards, 289 buildings and businesses had been destroyed; 1000 cars and 25 large fishing vessels crushed; 12 people were confirmed dead, over 100 were injured, and numbers were missing; 60 blocks had been inundated with 30 city blocks destroyed in total. Although most of the missing were later accounted for, not all were tracked down. Insurance adjusters estimated that the city received more damage from the tsunami on a block-by-block basis than did Anchorage, Alaska, from the initial earthquake.[2]
Heroes abounded. One man swam through the treacherous waters engulfing Crescent City to find a rowboat and shortly saved two drowning people, then rescued six others: his father, mother, fiancée, and three friends. Tragically, he was the only one of his group who survived when the raging ocean overturned their boat and swept them through a 200-foot long culvert underneath Highway 101, where an iron grate plugged with debris caught everyone.
The tsunami raced down the U.S. West Coast with more deaths and destruction, but no location was hit as hard as this small town was. Crescent City bore the brunt, due to its offshore geology, position to the earthquake’s strike-line, underwater contours such as the Cobb Seamount, and rivers with their magnetic draws that are positioned to the city. Although houses, buildings, and infrastructure were later rebuilt, years passed before the city recovered from the devastation to lives, property, and its economy.
The city is deemed to be tsunami-ready today. Its preparedness was tested on June 14, 2005 when an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale hit 90 miles offshore. Reportedly, much of the city was evacuated in a matter of 20 minutes when a tsunami warning was issued, but no waves were reported.
On November 15, 2006, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck off the Kuril Islands in the western Pacific. A tsunami warning was issued but rescinded hours later. However, a surge from that quake did hit the harbor at Crescent City causing damage to three docks and several boats. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a county state of emergency. Upon that declaration, the area affected was eligible for federal emergency relief funding to repair the damage.[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.3 km²), of which, 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 13.59% water.
The mouth of Elk Creek, where it flows into the Pacific Ocean, is in Crescent City.
As of the 2003 Population Estimate from the Census Bureau, there are 7,319 people residing in the city. Census data from the year 2000 indicate that the population density is 2,252.2 people per square mile (868.9/km²). There are 1,754 housing units at an average density of 986.1/sq mi (380.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.33% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 6.09% Native American, 4.62% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.27% from other races, and 6.04% from two or more races. 11.01% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,578 households out of which 35.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% are married couples living together, 20.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% are non-families. 35.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the city the population is spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $20,133, and the median income for a family is $22,058. Males have a median income of $36,667 versus $19,922 for females. The per capita income for the city is $12,833. 34.6% of the population and 33.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 46.6% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Highway access is provided by U.S. Route 101 that runs directly through the city, extending to Brookings, OR to the north and Eureka to the south. U.S. Highway 199 begins just north of Crescent City and connects northeast to Grants Pass, OR.
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.
Local public transit is provided by Redwood Coast Transit and by various Taxi companies, which provides access to Amtrak passenger train (via Amtrak bus) service.
The Crescent City Harbor serves as a commercial fishing boat basin for Salmon, Shrimp, Tuna, Cod, and Dungeness Crab commercial fishing vessels. 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.
- Battery Point Lighthouse
- Del Norte County Historical Society Main Museum
- Ocean World
- Wreckage of the SS Emidio, the first American vessel sunk by the Japanese along California's coast during World War II
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
- Del Norte Golf Course
- Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
- Pelican Bay State Prison
- Redwood National and State Parks
- St. George Reef Lighthouse
- Buck Pierce, professional football player for BC Lions (Canadian Football League)
- Derrick Jensen, environmentalist activist and author.
- Benjamin Kerensa, award winning technology writer, programmer and tech industry consultant.
- Crescent City, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
- The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History, Dennis Powers, (New York, New York: Kensington, 2005)
- Local Information
- Official Crescent City website
- KHSR-FM 91.9 Crescent City-Brookings - Diverse Public Radio
- The Daily Triplicate newspaper.
- Crescent City Weekly
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Del Norte County, California |
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| County seat: Crescent City | ||
| Cities |
Crescent City |
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| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Alturas · Auburn · Bakersfield · Bridgeport · Colusa · Crescent City · Downieville · El Centro · Eureka · Fairfield · Fresno · Hanford · Hollister · Independence · Jackson · Lakeport · Los Angeles · Madera · Mariposa · Markleeville · Martinez · Marysville · Merced · Modesto · Napa · Nevada City · Oakland · Oroville · Placerville · Quincy · Red Bluff · Redding · Redwood City · Riverside · Sacramento · Salinas · San Andreas · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Jose · San Luis Obispo · San Rafael · Santa Ana · Santa Barbara · Santa Cruz · Santa Rosa · Sonora · Stockton · Susanville · Ukiah · Ventura · Visalia · Weaverville · Willows · Woodland · Yreka · Yuba City |