Humboldt County, California

Humboldt County, California
County
County of Humboldt
Aerial view of Humboldt Bay
Aerial view of Humboldt Bay
Official seal of Humboldt County, California
Seal
Motto: 
"The Home of the Redwoods"
Map
Interactive map of Humboldt County
Location in the state of California
Location in the state of California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionCalifornia North Coast
IncorporatedMay 12, 1853[1]
Named forHumboldt Bay, which was named after Alexander von Humboldt
County seatEureka
Largest cityEureka
Government
 • TypeCouncil–CAO
 • Chair[2]Rex Bohn
 • Vice Chair[3]Michelle Bushnell
 • Board of Supervisors[4]
Supervisors
  • Rex Bohn
  • Michelle Bushnell
  • Mike Wilson
  • Natalie Arroyo
  • Steve Madrone
 • County Administrative OfficerElishia Hayes
Area
 • Total
4,052 sq mi (10,490 km2)
 • Land3,568 sq mi (9,240 km2)
 • Water484 sq mi (1,250 km2)
Highest elevation
[5]
6,956 ft (2,120 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
136,463
 • Density38/sq mi (15/km2)
GDP
[6]
 • Total$6.843 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Area codes707, 530
Congressional district2nd
Websitehumboldtgov.org

Humboldt County (/ˈhʌmboʊlt/ ⓘ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463.[7] The county seat is Eureka.[8]

Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California, Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the far North Coast of California, about 270 miles (435 km) north of San Francisco. It has among the most diverse climates of United States counties, with very mild coastal summers and hot interior days. Similar to the greater region, summers are extremely dry and winters have substantial rainfall.

Its primary population centers of Eureka, the site of College of the Redwoods main campus, and the smaller college town of Arcata, site of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, are located adjacent to Humboldt Bay, California's second largest natural bay.[9] Area cities and towns are known for hundreds of ornate examples of Victorian architecture.

Humboldt County is a densely forested mountainous and rural county with about 110 miles (177 km) of coastline (more than any other county in the state),[10] situated along the Pacific coast in Northern California's rugged Coast (Mountain) Ranges. With nearly 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) of combined public and private forest in production, Humboldt County alone produces twenty percent of the total volume and thirty percent of the total value of all forest products produced in California.[11] The county contains over forty percent of all remaining old growth Coast Redwood forests,[12] the vast majority of which are protected or strictly conserved within dozens of national, state, and local forests and parks, totaling approximately 680,000 acres (1,060 sq mi).[13]

  1. ^ Kerr, J. M. (1905). The Codes of California. p. 1043.
  2. ^ "1st District | Humboldt County, CA - Official Website".
  3. ^ "2nd District | Humboldt County, CA - Official Website".
  4. ^ "Board of Supervisors | Humboldt County, CA - Official Website".
  5. ^ "Salmon Mountain". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  6. ^ "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Humboldt County, CA". Federal Reserve Economic Data. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  7. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  8. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  9. ^ "Humboldt Bay Harbor District |". humboldtbay.org. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "California Coastal Trail.info". Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Forestry, Forest Industry, and Forest Products Consumption in California Archived February 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. University of California, Davis: Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Adobe Acrobat *.PDF document). Retrieved: March 30, 2008.
  12. ^ Area of Old-Growth Forests in California, Oregon, and Washington. – United States Forest Service – USDA. (Adobe Acrobat *.PDF document). Retrieved: November 18, 2007.
  13. ^ "About Us | Humboldt County, California – Official Website". humboldtgov.org. Retrieved April 27, 2023.