Redding

History

The area is inhabited by a tribe of Native Americans called the Wintu. At their height, the Wintu had as many as 239 villages in the Shasta County area. Although Europeans had been to California as early as 1542, when Juan Cabrillo sailed to what is now San Diego Bay, indigenous natives long remained the only inhabitants of the Northern California region. 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 that is now covered by Redding and Cottonwood, California. At the time, it was the northernmost nonnative settlement in California. During the Gold Rush, 49ers found gold to the north on Rock, Middle and Salt creeks, near Shasta, California, and to the south along Oregon and Olney creeks but the area that is now Redding was poor placer gold ground and called Poverty Flats. 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 for a northern terminus, which the tracks reached in 1872. In the process of building the terminus, the railroad also built the town of Redding which was officially incorporated on October 4, 1887. 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 mining industry eventually declined, causing the economy and population to falter by 1920. It recovered in the thirties as the economy boomed due to the construction of Shasta Dam to the northwest. The building of the dam, which was completed in 1945, caused Redding's population to nearly double, also spurring…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.50%) is beneath water. Redding is located at the very northwestern end of the Central Valley, which transitions into the Cascade foothills. The city is surrounded by mountains to the north, east, and west and fertile farm land to the south. Outermost parts of the city are part of the Cascade foothills, whereas southern and central areas are in the Sacramento Valley. The elevation in Redding is on average, whereas anywhere to the north, east, or west of downtown ranges between . Southern portions range between . The Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River provides a considerable level of flood protection for Redding. The dam is capable of controlling flows up to 79,000 cubic feet (7,300 cubic meters) per second. The flow rate exceeded this threshold in both 1970 and 1974. Soils in and around town are composed mostly of clay or gravelly loam texture, with red or brown mineral horizons. They are slightly or moderately acidic in their natural state. There are several rare and endangered species in Redding and its immediate vicinity. The Redding Redevelopment Plan EIR notes the California State listed endangered species, slender Orcutt grass (Orcuttia tenuis), occurs in eastern Redding near the municipal airport, where vernal pools are known to exist. This endemic grass is a Federal Candidate for listing and is endangered throughout its range, confined to several populations, and seriously threatened by agriculture, overgrazing, and residential development. Vernal pools provide the preferred habitat for this plant, which the California Native Plant Society considers a rare and endangered species. These same vernal pools also support federally protected species such as…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  8,467
• Oak Titmouse

  Baeolophus inornatus (Gambel, 1845) · Aves
  6,998
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  6,810
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  6,331
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,194
• Acorn Woodpecker

  Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  6,096
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  5,681
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  5,569

Largest nearby schools

• Foothill High
  High · Palo Cedro · 1,398 students · 24.5:1 ratio
• Shasta High
  High · Redding · 1,333 students · 21.5:1 ratio
• Enterprise High
  High · Redding · 1,109 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• University Preparatory
  High · Redding · 1,013 students · 22:1 ratio
• Boulder Creek Elementary
  Elementary · Redding · 874 students · 23:1 ratio
• Turtle Bay
  Elementary · Redding · 745 students · 24.8:1 ratio
• Mistletoe Elementary
  Elementary · Redding · 644 students · 23:1 ratio
• Grant Elementary
  Elementary · Redding · 643 students · 19.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.65 — 2026-09-19
  22 km ENE of Red Bluff, CA
• M 2.72 — 2026-09-02
  5 km W of Hamilton City, CA
• M 2.55 — 2026-08-18
  28 km NW of Weaverville, CA
• M 2.54 — 2026-08-11
  9 km E of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
• M 2.7 — 2026-08-06
  4 km SSE of Anderson, CA
• M 2.57 — 2026-07-17
  11 km ESE of Burney, CA