Humboldt California

Humboldt County

Eureka City

Humboldt County is a county in the North Coastal region of California. The population was 134,623. (2010) The county seat is Eureka.

Humboldt County is a densely forested, mountainous, and rural county with about 110 miles of coastline (more than any other county in the state) situated along the Pacific coast in Northern California's rugged Coast (Mountain) Ranges. With nearly 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) of combined public and private forest in production, Humboldt County alone produces twenty percent of total volume and thirty percent of the total value of all forest products produced in California. Humboldt county contains over forty percent of all remaining old growth Coast Redwood forests, the vast majority of which is protected or strictly conserved within dozens of national, state, and local forests and parks, totaling approximately 680,000 acres (over 1,000 square miles)

California Gold Rush in the Sierras, Humboldt Bay

Gold Rush era
After the primary California Gold Rush in the Sierras, Humboldt Bay was settled with the intent of providing a convenient alternative to the long overland route from Sacramento to supply miners on the Trinity, Klamath and Salmon Rivers where gold had been discovered. Though the ideal location on Humboldt Bay adjacent to naturally deeper shipping channels ultimately guaranteed Eureka's development as the primary city on the bay, Arcata's proximity to developing supply lines to inland gold mines ensured supremacy over Eureka through 1856.

"Eureka" received its name from a Greek word meaning "I have found it!" This exuberant statement of successful (or hopeful) gold rush miners is also the official Motto of the State of California. Eureka is the only U.S. location to use the same seal as the state for its seal. In the United States, Eureka, California is the largest of about a dozen towns and cities dating from the mid-nineteenth century that have the name Eureka.

earthquake occurred

Significant earthquakes
On January 9, 2010, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake occurred about 33 miles (53 km) off shore from Eureka, within a seduction fault associated with the interaction of three tectonic plates (Pacific, North American, and Juan de Fuca). After 2 seconds, it became a violent "jumper", making objects fly; the mostly vertical shocks from the ground, led to broken windows in shops, overturned shelving in homes and stores, and damage to architectural detail on a number of historic buildings. Local hospitals treated mostly minor related injuries and electrical power was out over a large area. Numerous natural gas leaks occurred, but no fires resulted. This was the largest recent earthquake since the April 25–26, 1992 event series. It was followed on February 4, 2010, by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake which struck at 12:20 pm (local time) about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of the community of Petrolia and nearly 50 miles (80 km) west of Eureka. The shaking was felt within a 150-mile (240 km) radius, as far north as southern Oregon and as far south as Sonoma County.

The area regularly experiences large earthquakes. The largest recorded from the area was 7.2 magnitude on November 8, 1980. The January 2010 event was the largest recent earthquake since the April 25–26, 1992 event series of magnitudes 7.2, 6.5, and 6.7, which over an 18-hour period severely damaged some buildings and roads.

Humboldt

Redwood forest World's Tallest Tree Humboldt Countesy

 Humboldt County is home to the tallest trees in the world. The best way to explore the old-growth coastal redwoods is to visit Redwoods National and State Parks. Highlights include the Avenue of the Giants, a strip of some of the tallest and oldest trees in the parks; the drive-through trees; and zip-line tours through the lofty forest canopy. Humboldt also features 100 miles of spectacular and rugged coastline. Explore the coastal marshland habitat of Humboldt Lagoons State Park on a boat trip, or hike the park's three-mile-long coastal trail, looking out for migrating whales and innumerable shore birds. Humboldt is also home to several well-preserved historic towns. One of the most picturesque is the town of Ferndale, which was founded in 1852. Here you will see unchanged Victorian buildings, a blacksmith's shop and Fern Cottage, an 1866 farmhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Climate
Humboldt / Eureka's climate is cool-summer Mediterranean (Köppen climate classification Csb), bordering on the oceanic climate characterized by mild, rainy winters and cool, dry summers, with an average temperature of 53 °F (12 °C). The all-time highest and lowest temperatures recorded in Eureka are 87 °F (31 °C) on October 26, 1993, and 20 °F (−7 °C) on January 14, 1888, respectively. Temperatures occasionally drop to freezing or below.