Tehama County ( ) is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,829. The county seat and largest city is Red Bluff. Tehama County comprises the Red Bluff, California micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Redding-Red Bluff, California combined statistical area. The county is bisected by the Sacramento River.

Etymology The county is named for the City of Tehama. Tehama is most commonly believed to be derived from the Wintun word for "high water". Others definitions of native origin that have been proposed such as "low land", "salmon", "mother nature" or "shallow". A less accepted theory proposes the names origin is tejamanil, shingle in Spanish.

History Tehama County was formed from parts of Butte, Colusa, and Shasta Counties in 1856.

The first permanent non-indigenous settlers in the area that is now Tehama County were Robert Hasty Thomes, Albert Gallatin Toomes, William George Chard, and Job Francis Dye. The four men were each given land grants by the government of Mexico in 1844. Thomes received Rancho Saucos, Toomes received Rancho Rio de los Molinos, Chard received Rancho Las Flores, and Dye received Rancho Primer Cañon o Rio de Los Berrendos. Later in the same year Josiah Belden received Rancho Barranca Colorado.E. J. Lewis ,1891,Tehama County History:A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago

Famous early figures include Kit Carson, who took part in a fight that gave name to Bloody Island and Battle Creek, Jedediah Smith, John C. Fremont, and William B. Ide, the first and only president of the California Republic.

The history of Tehama County includes multiple Chinatowns with some of its most distinguishable townsmen attending annual Chinese and American banquets, that merged the two cultures together. The deep bonds formed would culminate into a powerful petition by 20 influential leaders in support of the Chew family, who were detained at Angel Island in 1916, proving that Tehama County valued the Chinese community. Via Arcadia Publishing This single act of kindness set the stage for a 20th-century Chinese American pioneer to be born, Dr. Kenneth Kendall Chew, and his research in aquaculture would change the world. Via Arcadia Publishing Historically, Red Bluff has been plagued with tunnel and expulsion folklore including untrue incidents such as an 1886 torching of Red Bluff's Chinatown by alleged anti-Coolie league arsonists. Via Arcadia Publishing Via Google Books The January 29, 1886, edition of The Daily Alta detailed 'The Anti-Coolie Move' held a meeting that was convened in the town of Tehama, and due to prominent White merchants, they deemed the movement as a public nuisance and as a result avoided any of its Chinese residence from being forced to relocate, which was an estimated 2,000 Chinese people in and around Vina. Secret daily anti-Chinese caucuses continued their failed attempts in Red Bluff until their agitations died down. Volume 40, Number 13304. Via California Digital Newspaper Collection of the University of California at Riverside

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water. Watercourses in Tehama County include Dye Creek and Payne's Creek. The county is intersected by Sacramento River. A small part of Lassen Volcanic National Park extends into the northeast corner of the county. The highest point of the county is Brokeoff Mountain (9,235 feet).

Adjacent counties Shasta County - north Plumas County - northeast Butte County - east Glenn County - south Mendocino County - southwest Trinity County - west

National protected areas Lassen National Forest (part) Lassen Volcanic National Park (part) Mendocino National Forest (part) Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (part) Shasta–Trinity National Forest (part)

Transportation Major highways Interstate 5 State Route 32 State Route 36 State Route 89 State Route 99 State Route 172

Public transportation Tehama Rural Area Express (TRAX) operates local service in Red Bluff, with service to Los Molinos and Corning. Greyhound and FlixBus buses stop in Red Bluff.

The Shasta Regional Transportation Agency has proposed a weekday commuter bus to/from Red Bluff and the Sacramento Valley Station, following a route similar to the twice daily Amtrak Thruway 3.

Airports Red Bluff Municipal Airport and Corning Municipal Airport are two general aviation airports.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates Population 62,985 Violent crimeOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 . Retrieved November 14, 2013. 387 6.14   Homicide 3 0.05   Forcible rape 9 0.14   Robbery 28 0.44   Aggravated assault 347 5.51 Property crime 725 11.51   Burglary 400 6.35   Larceny-theftOnly larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes. 808 12.83   Motor vehicle theft 136 2.16 Arson 33 0.52

Cities by population and crime rates Cities by population and crime rates City PopulationUnited States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved November 14, 2013. Violent crimes Violent crime rateper 1,000 persons Property crimes Property crime rateper 1,000 persons Corning 7,751 51 6.58 281 36.25 Red Bluff 14,236 112 7.87 811 56.97

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 65,829 and a median age of 40.4 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.5 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 68.2% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 14.6% from some other race, and 11.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 27.2% of the population.

43.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 57.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 24,910 households in the county, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 27,341 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.8% were owner-occupied and 35.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.

Racial and ethnic composition

+Tehama County, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)35,87543,04943,97245,60341,34092.25%86.75%78.47%71.86%62.80%Black or African American alone (NH)582462793493910.15%0.50%0.50%0.55%0.59%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6038491,0081,2051,1671.55%1.71%1.80%1.90%1.77%Asian alone (NH)1913254236259850.49%0.65%0.75%0.98%1.50%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census486496xx0.09%0.10%0.15%Other race alone (NH)3432109673240.09%0.06%0.19%0.11%0.49%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,3291,6443,588xx2.37%2.59%5.45%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,1275,1248,87113,90617,9385.47%10.33%15.83%21.91%27.25%Total38,88849,62556,03963,46365,829 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 Census The 2010 United States census reported that Tehama County had a population of 63,463. The racial makeup of Tehama County was 51,721 (81.5%) White, 406 (0.6%) African American, 1,644 (2.6%) Native American, 656 (1.0%) Asian, 76 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 6,258 (9.9%) from other races, and 2,702 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,906 persons (21.9%).

Population reported at 2010 United States census Tehama County63,46351,7214061,644656766,2582,70213,906 Corning7,6635,5104420182111,4963193,271Red Bluff14,07611,366128438187161,1687733,037Tehama41834662310271557 Bend61957041530141348Flournoy101900132419Gerber1,0605756558037145526Lake California3,0542,751118131655119251Las Flores1871270500411472Los Molinos2,0371,5810397232187537Manton347312020107735Mineral1231150110154Paskenta1129500008919Paynes Creek57510200137Proberta267174071176891Rancho Tehama1,4851,1812152215102103214Richfield306264040035365Vina2371951720201242 All others not CDPs (combined)31,31426,418185693308332,5111,1665,621

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 56,039 people, 21,013 households, and 14,898 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 23,547 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.3% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. 15.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.4% were of German, 11.0% English, 9.6% Irish and 9.5% American ancestry according to the 2000 United States census. 86.0% spoke English and 13.0% Spanish as their first language.

There were 21,013 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,206, and the median income for a family was $37,277. Males had a median income of $30,872 versus $22,864 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,793. About 13.0% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. Politics

Voter registration statistics

Population and registered voters Total populationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 62,985   Registered votersCalifornia Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration . Retrieved October 31, 2013.Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow. 30,485 48.4%     Democratic 9,163 30.1%     Republican 13,542 44.4%     Democratic–Republican spread -4,379 -14.3%     American Independent 1,502 4.9%     Green 125 0.4%     Libertarian 234 0.8%     Peace and Freedom 92 0.3%     Americans Elect 0 0.0%     Other 108 0.4%     No party preference 5,719 18.8%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration City Population Registered voters Democratic Republican D–R spread Other No party preference Corning 7,624 33.8% 35.2% 35.1% +0.1% 11.7% 22.8% Red Bluff 14,026 42.1% 33.8% 37.2% -3.4% 12.8% 21.6% Tehama 383 54.3% 35.1% 39.9% -4.8% 15.4% 16.8%

Overview