The county was named after the 1844Rancho ColusMexican land grant toJohn Bidwell. The name of the county in the original state legislative act of 1850 was spelledColusi, and often in newspapers was spelledColuse.[10][11] The word is derived from the name of aPatwin village known asKo'-roo orKorusi located on the west side of theSacramento River on the site of the present-day city ofColusa.[12][13] The name was established asColusa by 1855.[9]
Present-day Colusa County was originally home to the Patwin band of theWintun people,[14] whose territory included areas along the Sacramento River as well as lands extending west towardsLake County, bounded in the north by the sources ofStony Creek nearStonyford and in the south byPutah Creek.[15]
Linguistically, the Patwin people in the Colusa area spoke two dialects of the Southern Wintuan language. River Patwin was spoken in villages along the Sacramento River, including at Korusi, site of the present city of Colusa. Hill Patwin was spoken in the plains and foothills to the west.[14]
Present-day Colusa County was included as part of three Mexican land grants: John Bidwell's smaller 1845 Rancho Colus grant, which included the modern city of Colusa;[16] the larger 1844 Rancho Jimeno grant, which surrounded the Colus grant;[17][16] and the 1844 Larkin's Children grant, located upriver from Colusa near the present town ofPrinceton, California.[18][19]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,156 square miles (2,990 km2), of which 1,151 square miles (2,980 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) (0.5%) is water.[20] A large number of streams drain the county, including Elk Creek, Salt Creek,Stony Creek andBear Creek.
The county's eastern boundary is formed, in part, by theSacramento River.
Colusa County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus[39] of 2000, there were 18,804 people, 6,097 households, and 4,578 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 16 people per square mile (6.2 people/km2). There were 6,774 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 64.3%White, 0.6%Black orAfrican American, 2.3%Native American, 1.2%Asian, 0.4%Pacific Islander, 26.7% fromother races, and 4.5% from two or more races. 46.5% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 8.5% were ofGerman, 5.6%English, 5.5%American and 5.4%Irish ancestry according toCensus 2000. 58.7% spokeEnglish and 40.4%Spanish as their first language.
There were 6,097 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% weremarried couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.51.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,062, and the median income for a family was $40,138. Males had a median income of $32,210 versus $21,521 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,730. About 13.0% of families and 16.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
In its early history Colusa was one of the most reliable Democratic counties in California. Along withMariposa County, it was one of only two counties in thePacific States to supportAlton B. Parkerin 1904.[42] From 1880 until 1952, Colusa only went Republican during the GOP landslides of the Roaring Twenties. Since 1952, however, Colusa has become a stronglyRepublican county inPresidential andcongressional elections, withLyndon Johnson, in1964, being the last Democrat to win the county.
United States presidential election results for Colusa County, California
^Hague, Harlan (1995).Thomas O. Larkin: A Life of Patriotism and Profit in Old California. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 182.ISBN0806127333.
^abcdefghijklmnopU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
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