Crescent City, California

Coordinates: 41°45′22″N 124°12′06″W / 41.75611°N 124.20167°W / 41.75611; -124.20167
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Crescent City, California
FIPS code
06-17022
GNIS feature IDs277494, 2410262
Websitecrescentcity.org

Crescent City (

Redwood National Park headquarters, as well as the historic Battery Point Light. Due to the richness of the local Pacific Ocean waters and the related catch, and ease of access, Crescent City Harbor serves as home port for numerous commercial fishing vessels
.

The city is on the Pacific coast in the upper northwestern part of California, about 20 mi (32 km) south of the Oregon border. Crescent City's offshore geography makes it unusually susceptible to tsunamis.[11] Much of the city was destroyed by four tsunami waves generated by the Great Alaskan earthquake off Anchorage, Alaska in 1964. More recently, the city's harbor suffered extensive damage and destruction from tsunamis generated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake off Sendai, Japan. Several dozen vessels and many of the docks they were moored to were destroyed as wave cycles related to the tsunamis exceeded 8 ft (2.4 m).

The climate of Crescent City is moderate, with cool summers for its latitude as a result of intense maritime moderation. Nearby inland areas behind the mountains have significantly warmer summer temperatures.

History

The area that is now known as

U.S. Congress authorized the building of a lighthouse at "the battery point" (a high tide island on the coast of Crescent City) which is still functioning as a historical landmark.[13]

European explorers first visited the area by ship in the late 1820s.[14] Europeans began moving to the area in the 1850s. Crescent City was incorporated as a city in 1854.[15]

Historic ships

  • Crescent City was a 113 t (111 long tons; 125 short tons) schooner built in 1848 by Joshua T. Foster of Medford, Massachusetts[16]
  • The Brother Jonathan, a paddle steamer, crashed on an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast of Crescent City, California, on July 30, 1865[17]
  • A 1906 ship named Crescent City was the former Jim Butler, a 701 t (690 long tons; 773 short tons) steam schooner built by Lindstrom Shipbuilding Company in Aberdeen, Washington,[18] that wrecked in the Channel Islands, off Santa Cruz Island, in 1927[19]
  • The SS Emidio, a 6,912 t (6,803 long tons; 7,619 short tons) tanker of the General Petroleum Corporation (later Mobil Oil), was the first casualty of the Imperial Japanese Navy's submarine force action on California's Pacific Coast on December 20, 1941. The damaged tanker broke up on the rocks off Crescent City. The remaining pieces of the ship are now California Historical Landmark #497[20]

Geography

According to the

timber are the major sources of income in Del Norte County.[21] Elk Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean at Crescent City. Its nearest Californian place of any size to its interior is Happy Camp separated by roughly 42 mi (68 km) by air, but, due to the unsuitable terrain, it is much farther by road. The nearest city is fellow coastal city Brookings, Oregon, around 20 mi (32 km) to its north. The Humboldt Bay area encompassing Eureka and Arcata is more than 60 mi (97 km) to its south. Crescent City is as far north in latitude as Chicago, Middle Island in Ontario, Canada, as well as New England on the Atlantic side. It is as much as nine degrees latitude north of San Diego at the southern tip of the state. Crescent City is closer to Vancouver, Canada (838 km (521 mi)) than to Los Angeles (1,003 km (623 mi)).[22]

Brother Jonathan Cemetery in Crescent City
Crescent City Harbor from Battery Point Lighthouse

Climate

Crescent City has a

Csb
). The wettest months are from October to March; the wettest month is December with 11.14 in or 283.0 mm and the driest month is July with 0.33 in or 8.4 mm. The average high and low temperatures in December are 55 °F or 12.8 °C and 41 °F or 5 °C. The average high and low temperatures in August are 64 °F or 17.8 °C and 53 °F or 12 °C. On average, four mornings each winter fall below 32 °F or 0 °C.

The highest temperature recorded in Crescent City was 97 °F (36 °C) on September 20, 1989 and September 21, 1939. The lowest temperature on record was 19 °F (−7 °C) on January 20, 1937 and December 21, 1990. The maximum monthly precipitation was 31.25 in (793.8 mm) in November 1973. The wettest year was 1904 when 107.61 in (2,733.3 mm) fell and the driest year was 2013 with 28.92 in (734.6 mm). The maximum 24-hour precipitation was 7.73 in (196.3 mm) on January 9, 1995. The highest snowfall recorded for any period in 24 hours was 6.0 in (0.15 m) on January 26, 1972. The 30-year average annual precipitation in Crescent City has decreased from 64 inches (1,630 mm) in the 1980–2010 period to about 58 inches (1,470 mm) over the 1990–2020 period.[23]

The warmest ever overnight low was 68 °F (20 °C) in 1929 and the mean between 1991 and 2020 was at the modest 59 °F (15 °C).[23] Cold winter days are also rare. The coldest daytime temperature was 30 °F (−1 °C) in 1924, which remains the last time Crescent City did not climb above the freezing point for 24 hours.[23] Between 1991 and 2020, the coldest maximum temperature averaged 44 °F (7 °C).[23]

Climate data for Crescent City, California (Del Norte County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1894–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24)
78
(26)
88
(31)
86
(30)
89
(32)
91
(33)
96
(36)
95
(35)
97
(36)
93
(34)
80
(27)
80
(27)
97
(36)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 65.5
(18.6)
66.2
(19.0)
64.3
(17.9)
65.6
(18.7)
67.8
(19.9)
69.1
(20.6)
69.2
(20.7)
70.7
(21.5)
74.9
(23.8)
76.6
(24.8)
67.6
(19.8)
63.7
(17.6)
80.8
(27.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 56.2
(13.4)
56.2
(13.4)
55.8
(13.2)
57.2
(14.0)
59.3
(15.2)
61.6
(16.4)
63.0
(17.2)
64.2
(17.9)
64.5
(18.1)
62.3
(16.8)
58.2
(14.6)
55.2
(12.9)
59.5
(15.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 49.0
(9.4)
49.3
(9.6)
49.3
(9.6)
50.8
(10.4)
53.3
(11.8)
55.5
(13.1)
57.3
(14.1)
58.5
(14.7)
57.3
(14.1)
54.8
(12.7)
51.1
(10.6)
48.3
(9.1)
52.9
(11.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 41.9
(5.5)
42.4
(5.8)
42.8
(6.0)
44.4
(6.9)
47.2
(8.4)
49.3
(9.6)
51.6
(10.9)
52.8
(11.6)
50.2
(10.1)
47.2
(8.4)
44.0
(6.7)
41.4
(5.2)
46.3
(7.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 33.1
(0.6)
33.0
(0.6)
34.2
(1.2)
36.1
(2.3)
39.2
(4.0)
42.1
(5.6)
45.3
(7.4)
46.4
(8.0)
43.5
(6.4)
39.0
(3.9)
34.7
(1.5)
32.7
(0.4)
29.9
(−1.2)
Record low °F (°C) 19
(−7)
23
(−5)
27
(−3)
29
(−2)
30
(−1)
32
(0)
36
(2)
34
(1)
33
(1)
32
(0)
23
(−5)
19
(−7)
19
(−7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 9.40
(239)
6.94
(176)
7.81
(198)
5.12
(130)
2.48
(63)
1.40
(36)
0.33
(8.4)
0.37
(9.4)
1.10
(28)
4.07
(103)
7.82
(199)
11.14
(283)
57.98
(1,473)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 17.1 14.1 17.6 14.2 8.9 6.6 3.6 6.0 8.0 11.7 15.4 18.0 141.2
Source: NOAA[24][23]

Tsunamis

Battery Point Light, from jetty
Crescent City's jetty

The bathymetry of the sea floor surrounding Crescent City has the effect of focusing tsunamis. According to researchers at Humboldt State University and the University of Southern California, the city experienced tsunami conditions 31 times between the years 1933 and 2008.[25] Although many of these incidents were barely perceptible, eleven events included wave measurements exceeding one meter, four events caused damage, and one event in particular is commonly cited as "the largest and most destructive recorded tsunami to strike the United States Pacific Coast."[26]

On March 27, 1964, the Great Alaskan earthquake off Anchorage, Alaska, set in motion local landslide tsunamis, as well as a trans-Pacific wave. The tsunami wave travel time to Crescent City was 4.1 hours after the earthquake, but it only produced localized flooding.[27] The second and third waves to hit Crescent City were smaller, but the fourth wave struck with a height of approximately 20 ft (6.1 m) after having drawn the harbor out nearly dry.[27] The next morning the damage was counted: 289 buildings and businesses had been destroyed; 1,000 cars and 25 large fishing vessels had been crushed; 12 people were confirmed dead, over 100 were injured, and more were missing; and 60 blocks had been inundated, with 30 city blocks destroyed. Although most of the missing were later accounted for, not all were tracked down. Insurance adjusters estimated that the city received more damage from the tsunami on a block-by-block basis than did Anchorage from the initial earthquake.[28]

The tsunami raced down the West Coast with more deaths and destruction, but no other location was hit as hard. Crescent City bore the brunt, due to its offshore geography, position relative to the earthquake's strike-line, underwater contours such as the Cobb Seamount, and the position of rivers near the city.[29] Although houses, buildings, and infrastructure were later rebuilt, years passed before the city recovered from the devastation to lives, property, and its economy. Since the 1980s, the breakwater has been protected from normal storm waves by hundreds of Dolos armor units, 38 ton concrete shapes.[30]

The city is deemed to be tsunami-ready today. Its preparedness was tested on June 14, 2005, when the 2005 Eureka earthquake measuring 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale hit 90 mi (145 km) offshore; much of the city (an estimated 6,000 people)[31] was evacuated when a tsunami warning was issued, and a 26 cm (10 in) tsunami wave hit the area.[32]

On November 15, 2006, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck off Simushir Island in the Kuril Islands in the western Pacific. A tsunami warning was issued but rescinded hours later. However, a surge from that quake did hit the harbor at Crescent City causing damage to three docks and several boats. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a county state of emergency. Upon that declaration, the area affected was eligible for federal emergency relief funding to repair the damage.[33][34]

Parts of the city were evacuated on March 11, 2011, after a 9.0 earthquake struck Japan.[35][36] Thirty-five boats were destroyed, and the harbor suffered major damage.[37][38] The reported peak surge was over 8 ft (2.4 m) by 9:50am.[39] Five were swept out to sea, and one person was killed.[37][40][41]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1860638
1870458−28.2%
1880343−25.1%
1890907164.4%
1900699−22.9%
19101,11459.4%
1920955−14.3%
19301,72080.1%
19401,363−20.8%
19501,70625.2%
19602,95873.4%
19702,586−12.6%
19803,07518.9%
19904,38042.4%
20004,006−8.5%
20107,64390.8%
20206,673−12.7%
2023 (est.)5,790[42]−13.2%
US Decennial Census[43]

2003

As of the 2003 Population Estimate from the Census Bureau, there were 7,319 people living in the city. Census data from the year 2000 indicate that the

racial
makeup of the city was 78.3% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 6.1% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.3% from other races, and 6.0% from two or more races. 11.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,578 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.12.

The city population contained 30.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median

poverty line
. Out of the total population, 46.6% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

2010

The

Latino
of any race were 2,342 persons (30.6%).

The Census reported that 4,063 people (53.2% of the population) lived in households, 28 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3,552 (46.5%) were institutionalized. The very high institutionalized percentage is a result of the presence of Pelican Bay State Prison, which was annexed into the city limits in the 1990s.

There were 1,707 households, out of which 559 (32.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 512 (30.0%) were

families
(55.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.13.

The city population contained 1,107 people (14.5%) under the age of 18, 934 people (12.2%) aged 18 to 24, 3,292 people (43.1%) aged 25 to 44, 1,725 people (22.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 585 people (7.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 250.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 298.5 males.

There were 1,906 housing units at an average density of 789.2/sqmi (304.7/km2), of which 1,707 were occupied, of which 532 (31.2%) were owner-occupied, and 1,175 (68.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 7.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%. 1,203 people (15.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,860 people (37.4%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

In the

the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire,[3] and the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Jim Wood.[4]

In the United States House of Representatives, Crescent City is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.[5]

Education

The public schools of Crescent City are part of the

Del Norte County
. The following are schools within Crescent City or its immediate vicinity.

Transportation

Highway access is provided by U.S. Route 101, which runs directly through the city, connecting the Oregon Coast to the north and Eureka to the south. U.S. Route 199 begins north of Crescent City and runs northeast to Grants Pass, Oregon. The junction of U.S. Routes 101 and 199 is one of only two junctions of two U.S. Routes in California, the other being the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 395 in Bishop.

Jack McNamara Field) as United Express until April 7, 2015. Most flights connected to San Francisco International Airport.[46] PenAir contracted to begin serving the airport with Saab 340 turboprop aircraft beginning September 15, 2015.[47]
Contour Airlines currently operates flights from Crescent City (CEC) to the Oakland International Airport (OAK).

Local public transit is provided by Redwood Coast Transit and by various taxi companies. Crescent City is also served by

POINT
.

The Crescent City Harbor serves as a commercial fishing port for salmon, shrimp, tuna, cod, and dungeness crab commercial fishing vessels. The Harbor is also home to multiple fishing and non-fishing related businesses and harbor governmental offices. The Crescent City Harbor also has several pleasure boat docks.[48]

Arts and culture

Attractions

Map of the area surrounding Crescent City

Annual events

  • Fourth of July fireworks display – July
  • Sea Cruise Car Show Weekend – Columbus Day Weekend – October

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Crescent City is twinned with:

  • Rikuzentakata, Japan (January 7, 2019)[51][52]

See also

References

  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "City Council". Crescent City, California. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Senators". State of California. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Assembly Members". State of California. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  6. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Crescent City". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  8. ^ "Siletz Talking Dictionary". Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  9. ^ "Yurok Dictionary: Kohpey". Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  10. ^ "Language; Wiyot Tribe". Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  11. ^ McKinley, Jesse (March 16, 2011). "Sleepy California Town, and a Tsunami Magnet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011. Crescent City has long been known as one of the nation's most susceptible spots when it comes to tsunamis, something that experts say is a result of a number of factors
  12. ^ "History and Heritage of Del Norte County in Northern California". Explore Del Norte County. Crescent City/Del Norte County Visitors Bureau. 2013. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  13. ^ "Battery Point, Crescent City CA". Lighthouses of the United States. Lighthouse Friends. 2013. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  14. ^ "The Redwood Empire". Wandering Lizard. Cristalen. 2010. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  15. ^ "Crescent City People and Place" (PDF). Community Profiles. National Oceanic and Atmospheres Administration. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  16. ^ Gleason, Hall (1937). Old Ships and Ship-Building Days of Medford. Medford MA: J.C. Miller. p. 71.
  17. ^ Powers, Dennis (2006). Treasure Ship: The Legend and Legacy of the S.S. Brother Jonathan. New York NY: Kensington/Citadel Press.
  18. ^ Crescent City Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society Images, University of Washington Libraries
  19. ^ "Crescent City, CINMS Shipwreck Database". NOAA / National Marine Sanctuaries. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  20. .
  21. ^ Smith, Christopher (July 1, 2012). "Del Norte County piers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  22. ^ "Distance by Latitude/Longitude" (accessed/calculated 18 October 2019)
  23. ^ a b c d e "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  24. ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  25. .
  26. ^ "1964 Alaskan Tsunami". USC Tsunami Research Group. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  27. ^ a b Pararas-Carayannis, George (2007). "The Effects of the March 27, 1964 Alaska Tsunami In California". The Tsunami Page. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  28. .
  29. ^ Silverman, Billy (March 14, 2011). "Crescent City Tsunami Is 34th Since 1934". Huffington Post Los Angeles. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  30. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ^ "7.0 quake shakes up North Coast / Crescent City residents flee after tsunami warning". sfgate.com. June 15, 2005. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  32. ^ [1] Archived December 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ Crescent City Suffers Damage from November 15, 2006 Kuril Island Earthquake and Tsunami Archived October 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, California Department of Transportation
  34. .
  35. ^ Tam, Donna, Tsunami takes toll on North Coast; hundreds evacuated, Gov. Brown declares state of emergency Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Eureka Times-Standard, March 12, 2011
  36. ^ Evert, Barry,Pelican Bay Sgt. describes response to Tsunami Archived March 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, March 11, 2011, accessed October 4, 2013
  37. ^ a b Johnson, C. (March 3, 2011). "Tsunami sweeps 5 to sea, rips out California docks". KXTV. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  38. ^ Waves destroy Crescent City Harbor docks Archived March 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Eureka Times-Standard, March 11, 2011
  39. ^ Great Japan quake generates 8-foot tsunami in California Archived October 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog, accessed October 4, 2013
  40. ^ "Five swept out to sea, 1 killed as tsunami hits Crescent City CA". International Business Times. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012.
  41. ^ Anton, Mike; Li, Shan (March 11, 2011). "Crescent City harbor destroyed; 4 people swept into sea, 1 feared dead". Los Angeles Times.
  42. ^ https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/Forecasting/Demographics/Documents/E-1_2023PressRelease.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  43. ^ "2020 US Census – Crescent City, California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  44. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Crescent City city". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  45. ^ "Sunset High School Infant-toddler Center – CRESCENT CITY CA DAY CARE CENTER". childcarecenter.us. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  46. ^ "UNITED Ends San Francisco – Crescent City Service from April 2015". Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  47. ^ "Fly Crescent City Airlines and Flights". Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  48. ^ Kabir, Shanila (August 18, 2021). "RV Residents in Crescent City Believe They are Being Wrongfully Evicted During Harbor Project". KIEM-TV | Redwood News. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  49. .
  50. ^ Richard, Terry (August 14, 2015). "Wendell Wood, 65, remembered as protector of environment". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  51. ^ "Sister Cities International Member Crescent City/Del Norte County, California to be Featured During NBC Olympic Coverage". Sister Cities International. July 23, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  52. ^ "January 7, 2019 Council Agenda" (PDF). City of Crescent City. January 7, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

External links