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REDDING, CALIFORNIA - USA
Redding is the county seat of Shasta County, California, located on the
Sacramento River and on Interstate 5 south of Lake Shasta. As of the 2000
census, the city had a total population of 80,865.
Geography
Redding is located at 40°34'36" North, 122°22'13" West (40.576606,
-122.370325)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
154.4 km˛ (59.6 mi˛). 151.4 km˛ (58.4 mi˛) of it is land and 3.1 km˛ (1.2
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 2.01% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 80,865 people, 32,103 households, and
20,995 families residing in the city. The population density is 534.3/km˛
(1,383.8/mi˛). There are 33,802 housing units at an average density of
223.3/km˛ (578.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 88.70% White, 1.05%
African American, 2.23% Native American, 2.95% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander,
1.64% from other races, and 3.32% from two or more races. 5.43% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 32,103 households out of which 31.9% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 48.1% are married couples living together, 13.0%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% are non-families.
27.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.44 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18,
9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100
females there are 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,194, and the median
income for a family is $41,164. Males have a median income of $35,985 versus
$24,652 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,207. 15.6% of
the population and 11.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 21.2% are under the age of 18 and 7.5% are
65 or older.
History, Places of Interest and Recent Events
Redding was founded by miners during the nineteenth century. It was
originally not a very prosperous town, and was known as Poverty Flats.
During the twentieth century, Redding's main industry was lumber, but this
is no longer the case.
Currently, Redding's two current biggest industries are the medical and
legal industries. Redding has two hospitals, Mercy Catholic Hospital and
Redding Medical Center. While it was owned by Tenet Healthcare, Redding
Medical Center was the subject of a scandal in 2003 when two doctors were
accused of performing unneeded cardiac procedures on people. In 2004 Redding
Medical Center came under new ownership, and was renamed to Shasta Regional
Medical Center.
In 2004, the Sundial Bridge, which was designed by notable Spanish architect
Santiago Calatrava and took several years to build, was finished. Some
residents of the community did not want the bridge to be built, but
supporters hope that the bridge will improve the economy, particularly the
tourist industry. The majority of Redding's population is Christian and
though most of its residents used to be members of the United States
Democratic Party, Redding has become much more conservative recently, and
now a majority of residents support the United States Republican Party.
Redding has two public high schools, Shasta High School and Enterprise High
School, as well as several middle schools, over a dozen elementary schools
and several religious and other private schools. Redding also has two small
colleges, Shasta College, a public two-year college, and Simpson College, a
4-year Christian college.
Redding is also important as the largest city in the northern Sacramento
Valley and the largest city on the 300-mile stretch of Interstate 5 between
Sacramento, California and Medford, Oregon. Both Redding and its neighbor to
the south, Red Bluff, are popular with tourists who use the cities as bases
to explore Lassen Volcanic National Park.
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