Lake Shasta

Lake Shasta - Homepage - General Info

Located in Shasta County, California, the city of Lake Shasta is situated along interstate highway 5, in Northern California, midway between Seattle in the North and San Diego in the south, exactly 600 miles in each direction. The city is home to Lake Shasta, the lake of the same name of both the city and the county, popular by the many houseboats, resorts, marinas in the region.

As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 9,008 inhabitants, being the closest city to popular destinations such as Lake Shasta and Shasta Dam, a 602 feet high and 3,460 feet long curved gravity concrete built between 1938 and 1945 on the Sacramento River above Redding, the county seat of Shasta County.

Ahead of the Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake is a reservoir, popular as recreational boating area. There are many recreational opportunities and accommodation facilities within the area, including campsites, cabins and cottages, vacation rental, RV parks, and Guest Ranch, besides traditional Hotels, Motels and Bed & Breakfasts.

Officially designated as Shasta Lake City, visitors to the region can request maps and further information to the Shasta Lake Visitor Information Center, calling at (530) 275-1589. Lake Shasta has plenty of bays and coves summing hundreds in total along the shoreline. There are also 22 campgrounds managed by the Forest Service, although there are many others privately owned.

Whether for camping, exploring or sporting, Lake Shasta National Park offers thousands of acres of wooded flats and rocky hillsides with creeks, lakes and some waterfalls surrounding the lake. Mountainous landscapes are common settings to several activities such as hiking, biking, horse riding, climbing, etc.

Lake Shasta features at least ten different marinas and numerous resorts. Those accommodations approaching visitors to nature often include showers and hookups, except for those that accommodate trailers up to 30 feet. When it comes to campgrounds, this Californian region offers an option hard to find elsewhere: boat-in campgrounds.

Camping along the shore is another unique opportunity when in other lakes camping and vehicles are restricted to areas not close to streams, although certain areas are restricted due to environmental reasons to protect endangered species, such as those where the Osprey and Bald Eagle nesting sites.

The Osprey is the unique member of the genus Pandion, the only genus in family Pandionidae, birds classified in 1809. Behind Shasta Dam Area is a wide basin formed by the confluence of the Pit and Sacramento Rivers providing a variety of streams, scenic views and a great boating time from the Centimudi Ramp and from the resorts offering lodging facilities nearby.

Lake Shasta is probably the most picturesque city in California's Sacramento Valley, with majestic views of the Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount Shasta, decorated with snow in winter. During summer, the Shasta lake offers spectacular panoramas, sometimes seeming to be several contiguous lakes when it is only one wide lake.

Shasta Lake City has a total area of 10.9 square miles of land, and when Lake Shasta is full, elevation in the water surface is 1067 feet above sea. According to the 2000 US Census Bureau, the city had 3,391 households, and 2,377 families residing in Shasta Lake City permanently, equivalent to 825.6 miles square population density.

Inhabitants median age was 36 years, and for every 100 females there were 97.8 males, decreasing this number for every 100 females age 18 and over, having 93.2 males. Populations were distributed in groups where 28.8% of these populations were under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age and older.

The median income for a family in the city was $33,010 and the median income for a household was $26,275 in the same period. The per capita income for Lake Shasta was $13,678, having a significant difference with males having a median income of $31,418 versus $20,951 for females.

Considering the racial makeup of the population, in Lake Shasta City there were 87.82% White, 6.18% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 4.43% Native American, 0.72% African American, 0.36% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, and 2.00% from other races. The average family size was 3.09 and the average household size was 2.64.

Shasta Lake City, Lake Shasta and Shasta County is within a region where nearly 16.5% of all families and 20.1% of the population was below the poverty line, from which 25.1% people were under age 18 and 6.5% of them age 65 and over.

In addition, the Lake Shasta region offers a sensation of serenity and freedom inviting you to enjoy some of the finest recreational attractions and activities in the world. For more information on tours and scheduling around Lake Shasta, contact the US Bureau of Reclamation at (530) 275-4463. or via email to sharral@mp.usbr.gov.