Redding

Redding is the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, 162 miles (261 km) north of Sacramento, and 120 miles (190 km) south of California's northern border with Oregon. Its population is 95,542 as of the 2022 census, up from 89,861 from the 2010 census. Before European settlers came to the area, it was inhabited by a tribe of Native Americans called the Wintu. In 1868 the first land agent for the Central Pacific Railroad, a former Sacramento politician named Benjamin Bernard Redding, bought property in Poverty Flats on behalf of the railroad so that it could build a northern terminus there. In the process of building the terminus, the railroad also built a town in the same area, which they named Redding in honor of Benjamin Redding. The first European settlement in the area was established in 1844 by Pierson B. Reading, an early California pioneer who received a Rancho Buena Ventura Mexican land grant for 26,632 acres (10,778 ha) that is now covered by Redding and Cottonwood, California. In 1888, Redding won the county seat from Shasta. The town's economic growth was spurred by the significant copper and iron mineral extraction industry nearby. The construction of Shasta Dam to the northwest in 1945 caused Redding's population to nearly double, also spurring the growth and development of other towns in the region.

Etymology

During the Gold Rush, the area that now comprises Redding was called Poverty Flats. In 1868 the first land agent for the Central Pacific Railroad, a former Sacramento politician named Benjamin Bernard Redding, bought property there. In the process of building the terminus, the railroad also built a town in the same area, which they named Redding in honor of Benjamin Redding. There was a dispute over the name by local legislators and it was changed for a time to Reading, in order to honor Pierson B. Reading, who arrived in the area in 1843 and owned the land grant on which Redding sits. The name was officially changed back to Redding by 1880. The name of the town is now the town of Redding and the city is now in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city's name is derived from the word Redding which means "red" or "red land" in Spanish. The town's name was changed back from Redding to Reading in 1874 after a dispute by local Legislators and it became Redding again in 1880. It is now a suburb of San Francisco and was once the seat of the Redding Unified School District. It has a population of about 2,000 people. It was founded in 1868 and was named after Benjamin BernardRedding, who bought the land for the railroad so that it could build a northern terminus there. He died only a few years before, and had died only one year before.

History

Before European settlers came to the area, it was inhabited by a tribe of Native Americans called the Wintu. The first European settlement in the area was established in 1844 by Pierson B. Reading, an early California pioneer. In 1888, Redding won the county seat from Shasta. In the early twentieth century the town's economic growth was spurred by the significant copper and iron mineral extraction industry nearby. The economy recovered in the thirties as the economy boomed due to the construction of Shasta Dam to the northwest. The 21st century has also seen a number of devastating wildfires near and in Redding. In late July 2018, the Carr Fire in Shasta County seriously impacted the Redding area with the destruction of at least 1,100 buildings, with several thousand more threatened, 38,000 people instructed to evacuate and 6 deaths. Most recently, the Fawn Fire in 2021 also resulted in the evacuation of over 4,000. people and the Destruction of 185 buildings. In 2017, the city adopted a new flag after holding a redesign contest. It is now covered by Redding and Cottonwood, California. At their height, the Winntu had as many as 239 villages in the Shastas County area. At the time, the indigenous natives were probably the only inhabitants of far Northern California region until Russian fur trappers came through the area in 1815. In 1868 the first land agent for the Central Pacific Railroad, a former Sacramento politician named Benjamin B. Redding, bought property in Poverty Flats on behalf of the railroad.

Geography

Redding has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), with very hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The highest official recorded temperature in Redding was 118 °F (48 °C) on July 20, 1988, recorded at the nearby Redding Regional Airport. Redding has an average possible sunshine of 88%, the second-highest percentage (after Yuma, Arizona) of any US city. The Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River provides a considerable level of flood protection for Redding. Tornadoes are extremely rare; flooding occurs only around the area near the Sacramento. The city has received as much as 23 inches (58 centimeters) of snow in a single storm, occurring on December 47, 1909 and December 2224, 1968, including 16 in (41 cm) on December 23, 1968. It rarely gets sleet or freezing rain. Frost occurs commonly in December through February, less often in March or November, rain is common in the spring, and rain ranges and rain is more common than most places in the Sacramento Valley. In Redding, the coldest daytime high of the year is 41 °C (5 °F) in December 2009, and the lowest daytime high is 16 °F on January 17, 2012, and 9 °C on December 9, 2009, respectively. The average daily maximum temperature in July stays near 100 °f (37.8 °C), and the warmest night annually averages 79 °F in June 2004.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Redding had a population of 89,861. The population was spread out, with 20,518 people (22.8%) under the age of 18, 9,436 people (10.5%) aged 18 to 24, 21,725 people (24.2%) aged 25 to 44, 23,424 people (26.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,758 people (16.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. There were 38,679 housing units at an average density of 632.3 per square mile (244.1/km²), of which 19,968 (55.3%) were owner-occupied, and 16,162 (44.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rates was 6.9%. 48,179 people (53.6% of the population) lived in owner- occupied housing units and 39,662 people (44,1%) lived in rental housing units. Redding is located on the California Coast, near the California-Nevada border. The town is home to the California State University of Redding, which was founded in 1887. The state legislature is located in Redding and has a seat in the California House of Representatives. The city is located at the junction of the Redding River and the California River. The California River runs through Redding.

Economy

The Redding Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was recognized as the 29th Most Dynamic MSA in the United States in 2019 by the Walton Family Foundation. Redding was recognized for having a diversified economy with several large employers in different sectors. According to the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in Redding are: California State University, Redding, and Shasta College. The city is the economic hub of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. The Redding MSA is located in the northern part of the state, near the California-Nevada border and the Oregon-California border. The MSA has a population of more than 1.2 million people, according to the City of Redding's 2010 Census. The area is home to more than 100,000 people, including more than 30,000 college students and more than 20,000 high school students. It is also home to a number of non-profit organizations, such as the Redding Foundation, which provides grants and scholarships to students and their families. It also has a large number of health care providers, including Redding Memorial Hospital and Redding Children's Hospital, which provide care for more than 2,000 patients. The top employers are: Redding Medical Center, Shasta Memorial Hospital, and the University of California at Redding. The largest employer in the area is Redding College, which has more than 3,000 employees. The state's economy is estimated to be worth more than $1.2 billion.

Government

Redding is a general law city operating under the council-manager form of government. The city council is composed of Mayor Erin Resner, Vice Mayor Kristen Schreder, Julie Winter, Michael Dacquisto, and Mark Mezzano. In the California State Legislature, Redding is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Brian Dahle, and the 1st Assembly District. In U.S. House of Representatives, the city is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa. Redding has a population of 1.2 million, with a population growth rate of 0.7% in the last five years. It is located in the northern part of the Redding Valley, in the foothills of the Sierra foothills, and is near the town of Shasta Lake. The Redding Police Department is based in the city of Redding and has a force of about 1,000 officers. The police department has a budget of about $30,000 a year. It has a police force of more than 1,200 officers, with an annual budget of $15,000 to $20,000. The mayor is a Republican, as is the city manager, Barry Tippin. The City Council is made up of five members, with the mayor and vice mayor serving as alternates. The Mayor is a Democrat, as are the city council members, two Republicans, and two Democrats. The City Manager is a Republican, and the city has a mayor and a vice mayor.

Education

Shasta College is a public college in the town of Shasta, California. Shasta High School is a private high school. The town has a number of charter schools and trade schools. The city is home to the University of California, San Francisco and the California State University, San Diego. The community is also known as "Shasta" and "Siska" in the U.S. version of the English word "shasta" means "castle" or "town" in Spanish. The name of the town is Shasta and its main street, Shasta Road, is located in the center of the city. It is named after the town's founder, William Shastas, who founded the town in the 1800s. It was named after Shasta Bible College, which was founded in 1855. The word "Shastas" means'shastas' in Spanish and "bible" in English. It also means "baptism" or 'baptist' in the Spanish version of "shastan" (or "biblical" in Latin America). The town's name is also used in the name of its colleges and universities, such as Shasta College and Simpson University, which were founded in the 1930s. The school's name means "shame" in both Spanish and English, which means "to be ashamed of" or to "be proud of" the past. It has been renamed Shasta University in the 1970s and Shasta State College in the 1990s.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Redding, Shasta County, California = 67.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 43. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 14. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Redding = 4.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 93,611 individuals with a median age of 36.4 age the population grows by 12.60% in Redding, Shasta County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,500 residents per square mile of area (590/km²). There are average 2.44 people per household in the 36,330 households with an average household income of $42,459 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 13.40% of the available work force and has dropped -7.55% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 11.50%. The number of physicians in Redding per 100,000 population = 225.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Redding = 39.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 4.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 77. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 249. 99 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 37.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 58, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Redding, Shasta County, California which are owned by the occupant = 54.53%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 26 years with median home cost = $198,200 and home appreciation of -12.32%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.69 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,976 per student. There are 20.8 students for each teacher in the school, 9557 students for each Librarian and 800 students for each Counselor. 9.84% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.57% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.24% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).