County of Del Norte
—  County  —
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region	California North Coast
Incorporated	1857
Named for	"Of the North" (Spanish: Del norte)
County seat	Crescent City
Largest city	Crescent City
Area
• Total	1,229.75 sq mi (3,185.0 km2)
• Land	1,007.81 sq mi (2,610.2 km2)
• Water	221.94 sq mi (574.8 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	28,610
• Density	Bad rounding here23/sq mi (Bad rounding here9.0/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Area code(s)	707, 541
Website	www.co.del-norte.ca.us

Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the only incorporated city and largest community in the county. Del Norte is the shortened Spanish nickname for "the land of the north" (la tierra del norte). Despite its Spanish etymology, official pronunciation of the name is to drop the trailing "e" and simply say "Del Nort."^{[citation needed]}

The rural county is notable for forests containing giant Coast Redwoods, with some attaining heights over 350 feet (110 m). This northernmost county on the California coast also has scores of unique plants and flowers, dozens of species of coastal birds and fish, rocky primitive beaches and sea stacks, pristine rivers, and historic lighthouses. Del Norte is also known among Bigfoot enthusiasts as the location of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, as well as being the location of some of the forest scenes used in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

History [edit]

The area that is now known as Del Norte was and still is inhabited by the Yurok (Klamath River Indians) and Tolowa Nations of indigenous peoples. The first European American to explore this land was pioneer Jedediah Smith in the mid-19th century. He was the first European American to reach the area overland on foot in a time before the European Americans knew anything about such a distant territory. For him it was literally "Land's End" — where the American continent ended at the Pacific Ocean. In 1855 Congress authorized the building of a lighthouse at "the battery point" (a high tide island on the coast of Crescent City) which is still functioning as a historical landmark.

Del Norte County was established in 1857, from part of the territory of Klamath County following the great California Gold Rush. Klamath County itself ceased to exist in 1874.

Education [edit]

Del Norte County is home to a satellite campus of College of the Redwoods, a two-year college based in Humboldt County.

The Del Norte County Unified School District provides public education to the children of Del Norte County through the twelfth grade. The primary high school in Del Norte County is Del Norte High School, whose school mascot is the Warrior.

Del Norte County has several private parochial schools and charter schools.

Geography [edit]

The Smith River near Crescent City, Del Norte County

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,229.75 square miles (3,185.0 km²), of which 1,007.81 square miles (2,610.2 km²) (or 81.95%) is land and 221.94 square miles (574.8 km²) (or 18.05%) is water.^[1]

The mountainous terrain associated with the Coastal Range and the Klamath Mountains dominates Del Norte County’s geography. Elevation ranges from sea level to over 6,400 feet. Although much of the county is made up of steep terrain, there are small patches of flat terrain along the coast and in isolated mountain valleys. There are 37 miles of coastline in the county, forming a coastal zone that covers approximately 51,000 acres (80 square miles). A broad coastal plain can be found in the northwest portion of the county with the western edge of the Klamath Mountains as its easterly boundary. Rising abruptly from the coastal plain, the Klamath Mountains extend north into Oregon and are situated between the Cascade Range to the east and the Coast Range to the north.^[2]

Beaches [edit]

• Pelican State Beach

Recreation area [edit]

• Smith River National Recreation Area

Rivers [edit]

• Klamath - one of the longest in California.
• Smith - a crown jewel of the National Wild and Scenic River program.

Wildlife Refuge [edit]

• Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge

Parks [edit]

Marshall Pond near the Klamath River, Redwood National and State Parks.

• Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
• Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
• Redwood National Park
• Tolowa Dunes State Park
• Ruby Van Deventer County Park
• Florence Keller County Park

Cities and towns [edit]

Crescent City is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County. Its population count includes the inmates of Pelican Bay State Prison located ten miles north of the city.

The communities of Del Norte County include: Bertsch-Oceanview, Crescent City North, Fort Dick, Gasquet, Hiouchi, Klamath, Patrick Creek, Douglas Park, Darlingtonia, and Smith River.

Adjacent counties [edit]

• Humboldt County, California - south
• Siskiyou County, California - east
• Josephine County, Oregon - northeast
• Curry County, Oregon - north

Flora and fauna [edit]

There is a diversity of flora and fauna within Del Norte County. Vegetative plant associations feature several forest types including mixed oak forest. The California endemic Blue oak, Quercus douglasii is at the northernmost part of it its range in Del Norte County.^[3] The Black Oak and Douglas-fir are also found in Del Norte County.

Politics [edit]

Del Norte is traditionally a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections (the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976). The county has almost an even split in Democratic and Republican voter registration. As of May 2008, approximately 67% of eligible voters are registered to vote in Del Norte County, with approximately 38% registered as Democrats and approximately 38% registered as Republicans, with the State of California reporting 32 more Republicans than Democrats on April 7, 2010. Third party affiliation accounts for approximately 6% of all registered voters in the county.^[4]

Del Norte County is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.^[5]

In the State Assembly, Del Norte County is in the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro.^[6] In the State Senate, it is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Noreen Evans.^[7]

During the 2008 Presidential Primary season, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) won 48% of votes cast in Del Norte County for the Democratic primary, and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) won 40% of votes cast in Del Norte County for the Republican Primary.^[8]

Del Norte County voted 52%-46% in favor of Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for President over Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).

Transportation Infrastructure [edit]

Major highways [edit]

• U.S. Route 101
• U.S. Route 199
• State Route 169
• State Route 197

Public transportation [edit]

Local public transit is provided by Redwood Coast Transit, which provides access to Amtrak passenger train (via Amtrak bus) service.

Airports [edit]

SkyWest Airlines 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 a connection is also available to Sacramento.

Harbor [edit]

The Crescent City Harbor serves as a commercial fishing port for salmon, shrimp, tuna, cod, and dungeness Crab commercial fishing boats. The harbor is also home to multiple fishing and non-fishing related businesses and harbor governmental offices. The harbor also has several pleasure boat docks.

Demographics [edit]

2010 [edit]

The 2010 United States Census reported that Del Norte County had a population of 28,610. The racial makeup of Del Norte County was 21,098 (73.7%) White, 993 (3.5%) African American, 2,244 (7.8%) Native American, 965 (3.4%) Asian, 32 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,980 (6.9%) from other races, and 1,298 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,093 persons (17.8%).^[12]

2000 [edit]

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 27,507 people, 9,170 households, and 6,290 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 10,434 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.9% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 6.4% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. 13.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 11.3% English, 9.1% Irish and 7.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.6% spoke English and 6.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 9,170 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population dispersal was 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,642, and the median income for a family was $36,056. Males had a median income of $40,072 versus $22,212 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,573. About 16.4% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

See also [edit]

U.S. Route 199 in California, the Redwood Highway, at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Del Norte County, near Crescent City, California.

• Hiking trails in Del Norte County
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Del Norte County, California

References [edit]

1. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
2. ^ "Del Norte Fire Safe Plan". Retrieved 2011-10-28. 
3. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Blue Oak: Quercus douglasii, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
4. ^ http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_primary_june/02_county_reg_totals_051908.pdf
5. ^ "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
6. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved April 1, 2013. 
7. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved April 1, 2013. 
8. ^ The New York Times http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/states/CA.html |url= missing title (help). 
9. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/ca190090.txt
10. ^ American FactFinder
11. ^ University of Virginia Library
12. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. 
13. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Del Norte County, California

• Official website
• Del Norte County Tourism and Travel website
• Chamber of Commerce website
• "DNCWOW.COM" Wiki-website devoted to Del Norte County

		Curry County, Oregon	Josephine County, Oregon
	Pacific Ocean		Siskiyou County
		Del Norte County, California
		Humboldt County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Del Norte County, California, United States County seat: Crescent City City Crescent City CDPs Bertsch-Oceanview Gasquet Hiouchi Klamath Smith River Unincorporated communities Adams Station Camp Klamath Crescent City North Darlingtonia Douglas Park False Klamath Fort Dick French Hill Hoppaw Idlewild Klamath Glen Pacific Shores Patrick Creek Requa Rockland Scaath Tryon Corner Yontocket Indian reservations Resighini Rancheria Yurok Indian Reservation Ghost towns Berteleda Khoonkhwuttunne Khwunrghunme Lawyers Bar Rekwoi Sawuara Shakesville Shegoashkwu Tatlatunne Waukell Flat

v t e  State of California Sacramento (capital) Topics Climate Delegations Deserts Districts Ecology Elections Environment Geography Government History Protected areas Sports Symbols Transportation Visitor attractions Index of California-related articles Society Californians Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Welfare Regions Antelope Valley Big Sur Cascade Range Central California Central Coast Central Valley Channel Islands Coachella Valley Coastal California Conejo Valley Cucamonga Valley Death Valley East Bay (SF) East County (SD) Eastern California Emerald Triangle Gold Country Great Basin Greater Los Angeles Greater Sacramento Inland Empire Klamath Basin Lake Tahoe Los Angeles Basin Lost Coast Metropolitan Fresno Mojave Mountain Empire North Bay (SF) North Coast North County (SD) Northern California Owens Valley Oxnard Plain Pomona Valley Sacramento Valley San Bernardino Valley San Diego–Tijuana San Fernando Valley San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Peninsula San Gabriel Valley San Joaquin Valley Santa Clara Valley Santa Clara River Valley Santa Clarita Valley Shasta Cascade Sierra Nevada Silicon Valley South Bay (LA) South Bay (SF) South Bay (SD) South Coast Southern California Southern Border Region Tri-Valley Victor Valley Wine Country Yuba-Sutter Area Metro areas Bakersfield Chico El Centro Fresno Hanford–Corcoran Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale Madera Modesto Merced Napa Oakland–Fremont–Hayward Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura Redding Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario Sacramento–Arden Arcade–Roseville Salinas San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles Santa Ana–Anaheim–Irvine Santa Barbara–Santa Maria–Goleta Santa Cruz–Watsonville Santa Rosa–Petaluma Stockton Vallejo–Fairfield Visalia–Porterville Yuba City Micro areas Bishop Clearlake Crescent City Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge Red Bluff Susanville Truckee–Grass Valley Ukiah Counties Alameda Alpine Amador Butte Calaveras Colusa Contra Costa Del Norte El Dorado Fresno Glenn Humboldt Imperial Inyo Kern Kings Lake Lassen Los Angeles Madera Marin Mariposa Mendocino Merced Modoc Mono Monterey Napa Nevada Orange Placer Plumas Riverside Sacramento San Benito San Bernardino San Diego San Francisco San Joaquin San Luis Obispo San Mateo Santa Barbara Santa Clara Santa Cruz Shasta Sierra Siskiyou Solano Sonoma Stanislaus Sutter Tehama Trinity Tulare Tuolumne Ventura Yolo Yuba

Coordinates: 41°44′N 123°58′W / 41.74°N 123.96°W / 41.74; -123.96