North Coast | |
|---|---|
 Coast Redwood forest inRedwood National Park | |
 Location of the North Coast inCalifornia (The lighter shaded area includesBay Area counties that are included in some definitions) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Area | |
| • Land | 10,176.86 sq mi (26,357.9 km2) |
| Population | |
• Total | 987,361 |
• Estimate (2019)[2] | 1,003,281 |
| • Density | 99/sq mi (38/km2) |
TheNorth Coast ofCalifornia (also called theRedwood Empire[3] or theRedwood Coast in reference to the denseredwood forests throughout the region) is a region inNorthern California that lies on the Pacific coast betweenSan Francisco Bay and theOregon border. It commonly includesMendocino,Humboldt, andDel Norte counties and sometimes includesLake and two counties from theSan Francisco Bay Area,Marin andSonoma.
Much of the area isrural containing few major cities. The only city with a population of over 100,000 isSanta Rosa (population 178,000) in Sonoma County, which is the largest city of the North Coast under the five-county definition.Eureka (population 27,000) in Humboldt County is the largest under the three-county definition. Despite their relatively smaller size to the major cities elsewhere in the state, many of the region's cities and towns have historical importance to the state or regional importance.
ThePacific Ocean coast stretches fromSan Francisco Bay toHumboldt Bay and on to the border ofOregon. The coastline is often inaccessible, and includes rocky cliffs and hills, streams andtide pools. The coastline fromCenterville Beach nearFerndale to the mouth of theKlamath River is mostly beach accessible and there are many small towns and a few cities along Highway 101, the main route through the region. The sparsely populated interior territory further inland is characterized by rugged, often steep mountains, bisected by rivers and their typically narrow valleys and canyons, and denseredwood,Douglas fir, and oak forests. The climate can range from coast side lands drenched with fog in mild winters and summers to inland reaches baked by hot sunshine on long summer days, which, at higher elevations, can be blanketed with snow in winter.
The southern portion of the North Coast is largelyurbanized while the rest is mostly rural. The more remote northern areas are often referred to as being located "behind the Redwood Curtain."[4] A segment of the coastline in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties is known as theLost Coast, and is only accessible by a few back roads.[5] Notable seaside beaches can be found atMarin Headlands andPoint Reyes National Seashore in the south, with innumerable examples of remote or less used beaches north of theSan Francisco Bay area.
The grandeur of the redwoods can be experienced throughout the region, from the protected groves ofMuir Woods National Monument andArmstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in the south to the massive forests ofHumboldt Redwoods State Park along theAvenue of the Giants in the north. Redwoods are also found in many other State and local parks, most of which are located alongHighway 101 throughout the far North Coast. Other larger redwood parks includePrairie Creek Redwoods State Park,Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park,Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park andRedwood National and State Parks. In total, the redwood parks of the North Coast contain the vast majority of all remainingold-growth redwoods.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 23,855 | — | |
| 1870 | 42,429 | 77.9% | |
| 1880 | 68,146 | 60.6% | |
| 1890 | 89,466 | 31.3% | |
| 1900 | 104,159 | 16.4% | |
| 1910 | 133,711 | 28.4% | |
| 1920 | 143,720 | 7.5% | |
| 1930 | 175,347 | 22.0% | |
| 1940 | 200,380 | 14.3% | |
| 1950 | 307,197 | 53.3% | |
| 1960 | 467,917 | 52.3% | |
| 1970 | 576,296 | 23.2% | |
| 1980 | 715,718 | 24.2% | |
| 1990 | 841,241 | 17.5% | |
| 2000 | 946,193 | 12.5% | |
| 2010 | 987,361 | 4.4% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 1,003,281 | 1.6% | |
| Sources: 1790–1990, 2000, 2010, 2019[6][7][8] Chart does not include Indigenous population figures. | |||
The2010 United States census reported that the North Coast region had a population of 987,361. The racial makeup was 771,611 (78.1%)White, 17,717 (1.8%)African American, 22,259 (2.3%)Native American, 37,461 (3.8%)Asian, 2,570 (0.3%)Pacific Islander, 91,107 (9.2%) fromother races, and 44,636 (4.5%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 197,308 persons (20.0%).[9]
Interstate 580
U.S. Route 101 – Primary north–south route from San Francisco to Crescent City
U.S. Route 199 – from U.S. Route 101 near Crescent City northeast to Interstate 5 atGrants Pass, Oregon
State Route 1 – San Francisco to junction with US 101 atLeggett
State Route 12 – fromSebastopol toSan Andreas
State Route 20 – an east–west route ending atFort Bragg
State Route 36 – an east–west route beginning atAlton, ending atSusanville
State Route 37 – on the northern shore ofSan Pablo Bay
State Route 96
State Route 116
State Route 121
State Route 128
State Route 131 – (Tiburon Boulevard)
State Route 162
State Route 169
State Route 175
State Route 197
State Route 200 – near Arcata, along theMad River
State Route 208 – (former route (fromRockport toLeggett))
State Route 211 –Fernbridge to Ferndale
State Route 222 – (unsigned)
State Route 253
State Route 254 – (Avenue of the Giants – old U.S. 101)
State Route 255
State Route 271 – (old U.S. 101)
State Route 283 – (old U.S. 101)
State Route 299Public transportation serving the North Coast includes bus services provided by national regional operatorsAmtrak andGreyhound, regional and countywide bus services (such asGolden Gate Transit,Mendocino Transit Authority,Humboldt Transit Authority andRedwood Coast Transit) as well as bus services operated within individual municipalities (e.g.,Cloverdale Transit,Petaluma Transit, and theArcata and Mad River Transit System). Rail transit between Sonoma and Marin Counties is operated bySonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, with ferryboat connections from Marin County to San Francisco provided byGolden Gate Ferry.
Parts of these regions overlap parts of the North Coast:
Regions contained entirely within the North Coast:
The North Coast region is completely contained within:
