Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County | |
|---|---|
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Seal | |
| Motto: "The Home of the Redwoods" | |
Interactive map of Humboldt County | |
Location in the state of California | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | North Coast |
| Incorporated | May 12, 1853 |
| Named after | Humboldt Bay, which was named after Alexander von Humboldt |
| County seat | Eureka |
| Largest city | Eureka |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–CAO |
| • Chair | Mike Wilson |
| • Vice Chair | Natalie Arroyo |
| • Board of Supervisors | Supervisors
|
| • County Administrative Officer | Elishia Hayes |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,052 sq mi (10,490 km2) |
| • Land | 3,568 sq mi (9,240 km2) |
| • Water | 484 sq mi (1,250 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 6,956 ft (2,120 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 136,463 |
• Estimate (2024) | 132,380 |
| • Density | 38.25/sq mi (14.77/km2) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | $6.843 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time) |
| Area codes | 707, 530 |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | humboldtgov.org |
Humboldt County (/ˈhʌmboʊlt/ ⓘ) is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California, Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Eureka.
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 bring substantial rainfall.
Its primary population centers—Eureka, site of College of the Redwoods' main campus, and the smaller town of Arcata, site of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—are both adjacent to northern Humboldt Bay, California's second largest natural bay. Area cities and towns are known for hundreds of ornate examples of Victorian architecture.
Humboldt County is a rugged, densely forested, mostly rural region situated within the California Coast and Klamath mountain ranges. It features about 110 miles (177 km) of coastline along the Pacific Ocean, more than any other county in the state. 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. The county contains over forty percent of all remaining old growth Coast Redwood forests, 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).