Lassen County, California

Lassen County is a county in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,895.[4] The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville.[5]

Lassen County, California
County
Lassen County
Lassen County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Coordinates: 40.65°N 120.58°W / 40.65; -120.58
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Northeast California
Incorporated	1864
Named for	Peter Lassen
County seat	Susanville
Largest city	Susanville
Area
• Total	4,720 sq mi (12,200 km^2)
• Land	4,541 sq mi (11,760 km^2)
• Water	179 sq mi (460 km^2)
Highest elevation [1]	8,741 ft (2,664 m)
Population  (April 1, 2010)[2]
• Total	34,895
• Estimate  (2019)[3]	30,573
• Density	7.4/sq mi (2.9/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Website	www.co.lassen.ca.us

Lassen County comprises the Susanville, California, micropolitan statistical area. A former farming, mining and lumber area, its economy now depends on employment at one federal and two state prisons; the former in Herlong and the latter two in Susanville. In 2007 half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the facilities.[6]

History

Lassen County was formed on April 1, 1864 from parts of Plumas and Shasta counties following the two-day conflict known as the "Sagebrush War", also called the Roop County War,[7] that started on February 15, 1863. Due to uncertainties over the California border, the area that is now Lassen County was part of the unofficial Nataqua Territory and Roop County, Nevada during the late 1850s and early 1860s.

The county was named by European Americans after Peter Lassen,[8] along with Lassen Peak, which is in adjoining Shasta County.[9] Lassen was one of General John C. Fremont's guides, and a famous trapper, frontiersman and Indian fighter. He was murdered under mysterious circumstances near the Black Rock Desert in 1859, and his murder was never solved.

By the 1880s small towns began to spring up all over Lassen County. Bieber developed at the north end of the county, in rich farm land. Gold was discovered at Hayden Hill, and the small town developed to support the miners. Hayden Hill no longer exists: when the mining stopped, the townspeople left for other communities. Madeline was formed at the north end of another rich farming valley, and along the railroad tracks heading north to Alturas, California. This community still has about 50 people living in and around the town.

A narrow gauge railroad, the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway, ran through Lassen County from 1880 to 1927. The NCOR was the longest small gauge of the century. It was intended to connect Reno, Nevada to the Columbia River, but only 238 miles (383 km) of track were laid, from Reno to Lakeview, Oregon.

In 1913 the Fernley & Lassen Railroad was built and it was used to export timber from the large forests of Lassen County. As this railroad was completed, the Red River Lumber Company set up shop,[8] building the town of Westwood, California to support its massive logging operation. Two other lumber mills followed the Red River Lumber Co. They built their mills in the county seat of Susanville. The Lassen Lumber and Box Company and the Fruit Growers Company both operated mills in Susanville for several decades.

In 2003, Anderson-based Sierra Pacific Industries, announced plans to relocate or lay off 150 workers as they closed the last lumber mill in Susanville, due to the lack of large timber for the mill.[10] Sierra Pacific chose to close the mill permanently rather than spend the several million dollars required to convert the mill from large to small timber.

Since the late 20th century, three prisons have been opened in and near Susanville: California Correctional Center (minimum security, 1963) and High Desert State Prison (California) (maximum security, 1995), both in the city; and the nearby Federal Correctional Institution, Herlong (opened 2007). In 2007, half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the three prisons.[6] In "job-starved rural America, ... residents see them [prisons] as the last and only chance for employment after work at the lumber mill or the dairy dries up."[6]

Geography

Hog Flat Reservoir covered in snow during early April

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,720 square miles (12,200 km²), of which 4,541 square miles (11,760 km²) is land and 179 square miles (460 km²) (3.8%) is water.[11] Part of Lassen Volcanic National Park extends onto a western corner of the county.

Adjacent counties

• Modoc County, California - north
• Washoe County, Nevada - east
• Sierra County, California - southeast
• Plumas County, California - south
• Shasta County, California - west

National protected areas

• Lassen National Forest (part)
• Lassen Volcanic National Park (part)
• Modoc National Forest (part)
• Plumas National Forest (part)
• Toiyabe National Forest (part)

Demographics

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population[12]	35,001
White[12]	24,515	70.0%
Black or African American[12]	3,048	8.7%
American Indian or Alaska Native[12]	1,300	3.7%
Asian[12]	464	1.3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[12]	162	0.5%
Some other race[12]	4,467	12.8%
Two or more races[12]	1,045	3.0%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[13]	6,075	17.4%
Per capita income[14]	$19,339
Median household income[15]	$52,484
Median family income[16]	$65,396

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type[17]	Population[12]	White[12]	Other[12] [note 1]	Asian[12]	Black or African American[12]	Native American[12] [note 2]	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[13]
Bieber	CDP	280	82.5%	16.1%	1.4%	0.0%	0.0%	16.1%
Clear Creek	CDP	138	96.4%	3.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	15.2%
Doyle	CDP	367	96.5%	3.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.8%
Herlong	CDP	1,260	32.0%	38.5%	1.0%	24.4%	4.1%	47.0%
Janesville	CDP	1,302	92.8%	1.2%	6.0%	0.0%	0.0%	2.5%
Johnstonville	CDP	656	97.0%	0.9%	0.0%	0.0%	2.1%	5.6%
Litchfield	CDP	95	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Milford	CDP	99	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Nubieber	CDP	38	92.1%	7.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	7.9%
Patton Village	CDP	624	58.0%	9.6%	0.0%	19.2%	13.1%	8.0%
Spaulding	CDP	137	94.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	5.1%	0.0%
Susanville	City	17,728	65.0%	17.3%	1.5%	10.7%	5.5%	19.9%
Westwood	CDP	1,473	92.7%	2.9%	0.6%	0.1%	3.7%	2.6%

Places by population and income
Place	Type[17]	Population[18]	Per capita income[14]	Median household income[15]	Median family income[16]
Bieber	CDP	280	$25,141	$61,250	$54,844
Clear Creek	CDP	138	$29,639	$44,167	$60,313
Doyle	CDP	367	$23,339	$27,917	$32,885
Herlong	CDP	1,260	$5,943	$43,958	$45,893
Janesville	CDP	1,302	$25,821	$71,090	$70,481
Johnstonville	CDP	656	$31,534	$60,682	$67,813
Litchfield	CDP	95	$37,227	$41,528	$45,556
Milford	CDP	99	$38,215	$61,472	[19]
Nubieber	CDP	38	$9,524	$31,250	$31,563
Patton Village	CDP	624	$27,081	$46,447	$62,656
Spaulding	CDP	137	$30,669	$35,714	$51,806
Susanville	City	17,728	$16,580	$49,160	$68,780
Westwood	CDP	1,473	$23,055	$38,512	$51,215

2010

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,327		—
1880	3,340		151.7%
1890	4,239		26.9%
1900	4,511		6.4%
1910	4,802		6.5%
1920	8,507		77.2%
1930	12,589		48.0%
1940	14,479		15.0%
1950	18,474		27.6%
1960	13,597		−26.4%
1970	14,960		10.0%
1980	21,661		44.8%
1990	27,598		27.4%
2000	33,828		22.6%
2010	34,895		3.2%
Est. 2019	30,573	[3]	−12.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[20] 1790–1960[21] 1900–1990[22] 1990–2000[23] 2010–2015[4]

The 2010 United States Census reported that Lassen County had a population of 34,895. The racial makeup of Lassen County was 25,532 (73.2%) White, 2,834 (8.1%) African American, 1,234 (3.5%) Native American, 356 (1.0%) Asian, 165 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 3,562 (10.2%) from other races, and 1,212 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,117 persons (17.5%).[24]

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Lassen County	34,895	25,532	2,834	1,234	356	165	3,562	1,212	6,117
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Susanville	17,947	11,269	2,249	612	198	111	2,928	580	4,259
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Bieber	312	264	0	15	1	0	24	8	72
Clear Creek	169	149	0	5	0	2	1	12	15
Doyle	678	583	14	37	3	2	12	27	55
Herlong	298	187	38	16	1	3	9	44	46
Janesville	1,408	1,283	13	32	11	3	27	39	118
Johnstonville	1,024	929	7	16	13	0	26	33	73
Litchfield	195	176	0	0	0	0	14	5	25
Milford	167	150	1	1	1	1	4	9	11
Nubieber	50	26	0	13	0	0	6	5	10
Patton Village	702	552	48	27	4	5	18	48	62
Spaulding	178	168	0	3	1	0	1	5	6
Westwood	1,647	1,430	3	104	10	2	49	49	179
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	10,120	8,366	461	353	113	36	443	348	1,186

2000

As of the census[25] of 2000, there were 33,828 people, 9,625 households, and 6,776 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 12,000 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.8% White, 8.8% Black or African American, 3.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 13.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.8% were of German, 12.1% Irish, 10.5% English, 8.7% American and 5.0% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 88.2% spoke English and 10.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 9,625 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. Of all households, 24.5% were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 168.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 192.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,310, and the median income for a family was $43,398. Males had a median income of $37,333 versus $26,561 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,749. About 11.1% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter registration

Population and registered voters
Total population[12]	35,001
Registered voters[26][note 3]	13,932	39.8%
Democratic[26]	3,401	24.4%
Republican[26]	6,687	48.0%
Democratic–Republican spread[26]	-3,286	-23.6%
Independent[26]	726	5.2%
Green[26]	43	0.3%
Libertarian[26]	95	0.7%
Peace and Freedom[26]	37	0.3%
Americans Elect[26]	1	0.0%
Other[26]	67	0.5%
No party preference[26]	2,875	20.6%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population[12]	Registered voters[26] [note 3]	Democratic[26]	Republican[26]	D–R spread[26]	Other[26]	No party preference[26]
Susanville	17,728	25.2%	26.7%	44.1%	-17.4%	12.5%	22.0%

Overview

Lassen is an overwhelmingly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. It is also one of the few counties to consistently vote Republican within the state. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 2016, Lassen was Donald Trump's best county in the state, with a 50-point margin over the overwhelming statewide victor Hillary Clinton.

Presidential elections results

Lassen County vote
by party in presidential elections[27]

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2016	70.79% 7,574	20.79% 2,224	8.42% 901
2012	68.03% 7,296	28.47% 3,053	3.51% 376
2008	65.45% 7,483	31.37% 3,586	3.18% 364
2004	70.97% 8,126	27.58% 3,158	1.45% 166
2000	66.88% 7,080	28.17% 2,982	4.95% 524
1996	52.60% 5,194	33.60% 3,318	13.81% 1,363
1992	37.02% 3,836	32.70% 3,388	30.28% 3,138
1988	58.59% 5,157	39.15% 3,446	2.26% 199
1984	61.09% 5,352	37.14% 3,254	1.77% 155
1980	54.45% 4,464	35.87% 2,941	9.67% 793
1976	42.97% 3,007	54.32% 3,801	2.72% 190
1972	50.80% 3,618	44.00% 3,134	5.20% 370
1968	41.06% 2,553	47.12% 2,930	11.82% 735
1964	34.25% 2,124	65.67% 4,072	0.08% 5
1960	40.24% 2,365	59.08% 3,472	0.68% 40
1956	42.48% 2,533	57.22% 3,412	0.30% 18
1952	43.66% 3,313	55.83% 4,237	0.51% 39
1948	33.95% 1,960	62.91% 3,632	3.14% 181
1944	33.92% 1,896	65.81% 3,678	0.27% 15
1940	30.13% 1,902	69.17% 4,367	0.70% 44
1936	19.62% 1,035	79.47% 4,193	0.91% 48
1932	26.89% 1,167	70.41% 3,056	2.70% 117
1928	56.73% 2,111	42.92% 1,597	0.35% 13
1924	40.78% 1,072	13.54% 356	45.69% 1,201
1920	66.22% 1,582	26.92% 643	6.86% 164
1916	36.96% 877	55.75% 1,323	7.29% 173
1912	1.91% 27	45.61% 644	52.48% 741
1908	54.61% 551	35.78% 361	9.61% 97
1904	62.69% 573	32.93% 301	4.38% 40
1900	58.10% 549	34.50% 326	7.41% 70
1896	43.66% 420	54.89% 528	1.46% 14
1892	48.09% 540	46.66% 524	5.25% 59

Lassen County is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.[28] is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican Ted Gaines,[29] and the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican Megan Dahle.[30]

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[12]	35,001
Violent crime[31]	96	2.74
Homicide[31]	1	0.03
Forcible rape[31]	6	0.17
Robbery[31]	9	0.26
Aggravated assault[31]	80	2.29
Property crime[31]	196	5.60
Burglary[31]	101	2.89
Larceny-theft[31][note 4]	229	6.54
Motor vehicle theft[31]	25	0.71
Arson[31]	11	0.31

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population[32]	Violent crimes[32]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes[32]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Susanville	17,849	96	5.38	320	17.93

Infrastructure

Airports

Susanville Municipal Airport, Herlong Airport and Westwood Airport are general aviation airports in the county.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 395
• State Route 36
• State Route 44
• State Route 139
• State Route 299

Public transportation

Lassen Rural Bus (LRB), operated by the Lassen Transit Service Agency, runs a local service in Susanville, and longer distance routes to Westwood and Doyle.

Utilities

The Lassen Municipal Utility District (LMUD) is the primary electric utility in the county, and was created in 1986 by purchasing transmission facilities from CP National (now Pacificorp) at a cost of $19 million.[33][34] In 2019 it had 42 employees, and the General Manager was Doug C. Smith.[35] It is powered in part by the Honey Lake biomass power plant, which runs on wood waste from the nearby Lassen National Forest.[36] The Whaleback Fire caused a significant outage in 2018.[37]

Communities

City

• Susanville (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Bieber
• Clear Creek
• Doyle
• Herlong
• Janesville
• Johnstonville
• Litchfield
• Little Valley
• Milford
• Nubieber
• Patton Village
• Spaulding
• Westwood

Unincorporated communities

• Madeline
• Ravendale
• Standish
• Termo
• Wendel

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Lassen County.[38]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Susanville	City	17,947
2	Westwood	CDP	1,647
3	Janesville	CDP	1,408
4	Johnstonville	CDP	1,024
5	Patton Village	CDP	702
6	Doyle	CDP	678
7	Susanville Indian Rancheria[39]	AIAN	549
8	Bieber	CDP	312
9	Herlong	CDP	298
10	Litchfield	CDP	195
11	Spaulding	CDP	178
12	Clear Creek	CDP	169
13	Milford	CDP	167
14	Nubieber	CDP	50

See also

• Hiking trails in Lassen County
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lassen County, California

Notes

1. Other = Some other race + Two or more races
2. Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native
3. Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
4. Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.

References

1. "Hat Mountain". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
2. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 Estimates". Retrieved April 27, 2017.
3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved December 3, 2019.
4. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
6. Taylor, Robert. "'Prison Town' a view from outside," Contra Costa Times, 28 July 2007; hosted at Mercury News.
7. The Roop County War Archived 2008-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
8. Lassen County History, Lassen County, California Genweb Project, 2006, accessed January 14, 2014
9. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 182.
10. "Town's Last Mill to Be Shut Down", Los Angeles Times, 18 December 2003
11. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
12. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
13. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
14. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
15. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
16. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
17. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
19. Data unavailable
20. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
21. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
22. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
23. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
24. "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau.
25. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
26. California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
27. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
28. "California's 1st Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
29. "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
30. "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
31. Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009 Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
32. United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved 2013-11-14.
33. "About | Lassen Municipal Utility District". www.lmud.org. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
34. Commission, United States Federal Energy Regulatory. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Reports. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
35. "SMUD chief made nearly $580,000 last year – among highest in California". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2019-09-14. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
36. "Wood Waste Helps Keep the Lights on in Rural Communities". www.usda.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
37. "Whaleback Fire Near Spalding Fully Contained At 18,703 Acres". www.ktvn.com. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
38. "2010 U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
39. Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census Interactive Population Map". www.census.gov. Retrieved 19 March 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Lassen County Times newspaper
• Lassen County History and Culture