Tehama County, California

Tehama County is a place in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located near the Sacramento River, which runs right through the middle of the county. As of the year 2020, about 65,829 people lived there.

The biggest city and the place where the government of the county works is called Red Bluff. Red Bluff is part of a smaller group of nearby towns known as the Red Bluff, California micropolitan statistical area. This group is also part of an even bigger group called the Redding–Red Bluff, California combined statistical area.

Tehama County is a quiet rural area, but it still has many things to offer visitors and its residents, such as natural beauty and outdoor activities.

Etymology

Tehama County is named after the city of Tehama. Many people think the name comes from a Wintun word meaning "high water." Other ideas from local languages suggest it could mean "low land," "salmon," "mother nature," or "shallow." There is also a theory that the name might come from a Spanish word, tejamanil, which means shingle.

History

Tehama County was created in 1856 from parts of Butte, Colusa, and Shasta Counties. The first settlers were Robert Hasty Thomes, Albert Gallatin Toomes, William George Chard, and Job Francis Dye, who each received land grants from Mexico in 1844.

Famous early visitors included Kit Carson, Jedediah Smith, John C. Fremont, and William B. Ide, the first president of the California Republic. The county had strong connections with its Chinese community, showing support for families like the Chews. Despite some difficult times, the people of Tehama County worked together to keep their communities safe and strong.

Geography

Tehama County, located in northern California, covers an area of 2,962 square miles (7,670 km²). Most of this area is land, with just a small portion being water. Important rivers such as the Sacramento River flow through the county, along with Dye Creek and Payne's Creek. A small part of Lassen Volcanic National Park is also within the county, and the highest point is Brokeoff Mountain, standing at 9,235 feet.

The county shares borders with several other counties: Shasta County to the north, Plumas County to the northeast, Butte County to the east, Glenn County to the south, Mendocino County to the southwest, and Trinity County to the west. Parts of several national protected areas, including Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, and Shasta–Trinity National Forest, are also located in Tehama County.

Transportation

Major highways

Tehama County has several important roads, including Interstate 5, State Route 32, State Route 36, State Route 89, State Route 99, and State Route 172.

Public transportation

Local bus services in Red Bluff are provided by Tehama Rural Area Express (TRAX), which also serves Los Molinos and Corning. Greyhound and FlixBus buses stop in Red Bluff. There are plans for a weekday commuter bus service between Red Bluff and the Sacramento Valley Station, similar to the route used by the Amtrak Thruway.

Airports

The county has two airports for small planes: Red Bluff Municipal Airport and Corning Municipal Airport.

Crime

The following table shows the number of reported incidents and the rate per 1,000 people for different types of offenses.

Cities by population and crime rates

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 census, Tehama County had a population of 65,829 people with a median age of 40.4 years. About 24.3% of the residents were younger than 18, and 20.0% were 65 years or older. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The racial makeup included 68.2% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 14.6% from some other race, and 11.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents made up 27.2% of the population.

43.0% of people lived in urban areas, while 57.0% lived in rural areas. There were 24,910 households, with 31.5% having children under 18. About 25.7% of households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 27,341 housing units, with 8.9% being vacant. Of the occupied units, 64.8% were owned by the residents and 35.2% were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%, and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.

2010 Census

The 2010 United States census reported that Tehama County had a population of 63,463. The racial makeup was 81.5% White, 0.6% African American, 2.6% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.9% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents made up 21.9% of the population.

2000 Census

In the year 2000, there were 56,039 people living in Tehama County. The population density was 19 people per square mile (7.3 people/km²). The racial makeup was 84.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.3% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. About 15.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Most people spoke English as their first language (86.0%), while 13.0% spoke Spanish.

The median income for a household was $31,206, and for a family, it was $37,277. About 13.0% of families and 17.3% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Tehama County tends to vote for Republican candidates in big elections like presidential and congressional races. The last time a Democrat won most votes in the county was when Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976. In 1992, Bill Clinton got more votes than others but did not win a majority.

The county is part of California's 1st congressional district, which currently has no representative. In the California State Legislature, the county is represented by Republican Megan Dahle in the Senate and Republican James Gallagher in the Assembly.

In 2008, voters in Tehama County supported Proposition 8, which changed the California Constitution to limit marriages to opposite-sex couples.

Communities

Tehama County has several cities and smaller places where people live. The cities in the county are Corning, Red Bluff (which is also the county seat), and Tehama.

There are also many unincorporated communities and places known as census-designated places, such as El Camino, Bend, and Los Molinos, among others. The list of these places is based on data from the 2020 census.