Red Bluff, California

Geography

Red Bluff is on the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley, and is the third largest city in the Shasta Cascade region. It is about 30 mi (48 km) south of Redding, 40 mi (64 km) northwest of Chico, and 125 mi (201 km) north of Sacramento.

The city is located at 40°10′36″N 122°14′17″W (40.176640, -122.237951). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20 km²). 7.6 square miles (20 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.48% water.

History

The Nomlaki (Central Wintun) and Southern Yana people originally inhabited the area along the banks of the Sacramento River where Red Bluff was built. Most of the native population of the area are thought to have died in a malaria epidemic or smallpox epidemic brought by trappers in the early 1830s, shortly before white settlers arrived in the 1840s.

While the Spanish army officer Gabriel Moraga explored the southern Sacramento Valley in 1808, it was not until the 1821 expedition of Luís Antonio Argüello that Europeans recorded a visit to the Red Bluff area. On April 10, 1828, Jedediah Smith passed through on the way to Oregon. In 1843 Peter Lassen, John Bidwell, and John Burheim came in pursuit of horse thieves; Lassen then applied for a Mexican land grant. The first house where Red Bluff now is an adobe structure put up late in 1849 by John Myers, who conducted it for a short time as a hotel. In the following spring Mr. Cooper erected a small adobe there, and A.M. Dibble built another at the "Adobe" Ferry, one mile (1.6 km) north. This adobe has been incorrectly associated with William B. Ide, whose home was south of Red Bluff. Settlement began in 1850 when Sashel Woods and Charles L. Wilson began laying out a town called Leodocia. It was known by that name and Covertsburg until 1854, when maps showed the community as Red Bluffs.

In 1851 Captain Ellbridge G. Reed built and started a hotel near where the creek now known as Reeds Creek enters the Sacramento River and conducted it with great success for years. Being at the head of navigation, Red Bluff soon forged ahead, and during the early mining excitements in the northern mines was a great staging town, and did an immense amount of transhipping and teaming of goods. It languished later on with the subsidence of activity in the mines, reviving again in the early 1870s on the advent of the railroad. In 1854 Red Bluff had a population of 1,000 people. In 1860 it had twice as many. On the organization of the county in 1856, there was a strong attempt to locate the county seat at Tehama, but in March, 1857, Red Bluff was chosen.

The city of Red Bluff was incorporated in 1876.

Climate

Red Bluff has a Mediterranean climate (Csa) with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. There are an average of 100.1 days annually with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 21.5 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record highest temperature was 121 °F (49 °C) on August 7, 1981, and the record lowest temperature was 17 °F (−8 °C) on January 9, 1937. Annual precipitation averages 23.21 inches (59.0 cm) with measurable precipitation falling of an average of 71 days. The wettest year was 1983 with 52.98 inches (134.6 cm) and the driest year was 1976 with 7.20 inches (18.3 cm). The most rainfall in one month was 21.47 inches (54.5 cm) in January 1995 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.55 inches (9.0 cm) on January 8, 1995. The most snowfall in one month was 15.0 inches (38 cm) in January 1937.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Red Bluff had a population of 14,076. The population density was 1,833.6 people per square mile (708.0/km²). The racial makeup of Red Bluff was 11,366 (80.7%) White, 128 (0.9%) African American, 438 (3.1%) Native American, 187 (1.3%) Asian, 16 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,168 (8.3%) from other races, and 773 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,037 persons (21.6%).

The Census reported that 13,637 people (96.9% of the population) lived in households, 150 (1.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 289 (2.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 5,376 households, out of which 2,033 (37.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,969 (36.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,022 (19.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 404 (7.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 537 (10.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 27 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,629 households (30.3%) were made up of individuals and 678 (12.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54. There were 3,395 families (63.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.11.

The population was spread out with 3,950 people (28.1%) under the age of 18, 1,534 people (10.9%) aged 18 to 24, 3,561 people (25.3%) aged 25 to 44, 3,157 people (22.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,874 people (13.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.2 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

There were 5,872 housing units at an average density of 764.9 per square mile (295.3/km²), of which 2,277 (42.4%) were owner-occupied, and 3,099 (57.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%. 5,652 people (40.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,985 people (56.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,147 people, 5,109 households, and 3,239 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,768.7 people per square mile (683.2/km²). There were 5,567 housing units at an average density of 748.9 per square mile (289.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.7% White, 0.6% Black, 2.2% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.8% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.7% of the population.

There were 5,109 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city, the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,029, and the median income for a family was $32,799. Males had a median income of $26,807 versus $21,048 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,060. About 17.7% of families and 21.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

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Notable people

Jesse Freitas, former National Football League Quarterback for the 49ers (1946-1947), quarterback for Chicago Rockets (1948), quarterback for Buffalow Bill's (1949), successful high school coach for Junipero Serra in San Mateo, CA (1950-1974).