Crescent City, California
| Crescent City | |||
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 Port of Crescent City, the port facilities in the right half of the picture are already in the neighboring community of Bertsch-Oceanview |
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| Location in California | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | April 13, 1854 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | California | ||
| County : | Del Norte County | ||
| Coordinates : | 41 ° 45 ′ N , 124 ° 12 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Pacific ( UTC − 8 / −7 ) | ||
| Residents : | 7,643 (as of 2010) | ||
| Population density : | 1,661.5 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 5.3 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) of which 4.6 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) is land |
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| Height : | 13 m | ||
| Postcodes : | 95531, 95532, 95538 | ||
| Area code : | +1 707 | ||
| FIPS : | 06-17022 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 0277494 | ||
| Website : | www.crescentcity.org | ||
| Mayor : | Kathryn Murray | ||
Crescent City is a small town in Northern California and the county seat of Del Norte County . The place is right on the Pacific Ocean . The city was founded by gold prospectors in 1851 and had 7,643 inhabitants at the 2010 census .
The border with the state of Oregon is 30 kilometers north. The US Highway 101 leads on its way from Olympia in the State of Washington to the Mexican border right through the city.
The district "Crescent City North" was incorporated in 2010. Directly adjacent to Crescent City are:
- in the southeast Bertsch-Oceanview , with 2,436 inhabitants the second largest city in the county;
- in the northeast extensive inhabited suburbs in unincorporated territory;
- to the northwest of the Del Norte County Airport regional airport ;
- to the west and south the Pacific Ocean.
The prison Pelican Bay State Prison , with over 3,000 inmates located 10 kilometers north of the city center and outside the occupied territory.
Special events
On July 30, 1865, the passenger steamer Brother Jonathan ran about four miles from Crescent City on an underwater rock that had not been recorded until then and sank within a short time. Only 19 of the 244 people on board were able to save themselves. The 225 fatalities represented the worst shipping accident on the American Pacific coast to date. The gold on board subsequently triggered numerous rescue attempts.
Tsunamis
Due to various factors, the bay on which the city is located is the most susceptible to tidal waves in the entire United States. An underwater mountain ridge, the Mendocino Fracture Zone , directs the tsunamis into the bay. And the shape of the bay focuses waves like a lens, so that tsunamis pile up while everything stays calm on the neighboring beach. In the past this happened very often as the following cases show:
- On March 28, 1964, the largest tsunami in the history of the Continental United States caused huge damage in Crescent City as a result of the Good Friday quake . The tidal wave was triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Alaska ; eleven people were killed as a result.
- On November 15, 2006, a minor tsunami wave caused major property damage to the port facilities. The tsunami was triggered by a seaquake in the Pacific.
- During the Tōhoku earthquake in 2011 , the wave height in Crescent City was particularly high at 2 to 2.5 meters. Numerous boats sank and all docks were destroyed.
tourism
The Crescent City lighthouse can only be reached via a footpath at low tide . The Redwood National Park , known for coastal sequoia trees and with the tallest trees in the world, begins immediately south and southeast of the city, the park's visitor center and museum is located in the city center. What is unusual is the large number of seals and elephant seals that are in the harbor and that can be heard from afar.
Education
Del Norte High School is the only public high school in Crescent City.
Bess Maxwell Elementary School is the older of the city's two elementary schools. In her earlier years it was a K-6 school.
Crescent Elk Middle School is the oldest school in town, it was originally a K-8 school.
