Cottonwood, California
Encyclopedia
Cottonwood is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 (CDP) in Shasta County
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 3,316 at the 2010 census, up from 2,960 at the 2000 census. Cottonwood is a stagecoach town founded in 1882. Cottonwood is equidistant between Redding
Redding, California
Redding is a city in far-Northern California. It is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA. With a population of 89,861, according to the 2010 Census...

 and Red Bluff
Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Tehama County, California, United States. The population was 14,076 at the 2010 census, up from 13,147 at the 2000 census....

 , 15 miles (24.1 km) in both directions. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Anderson.

In spring of 1997 Hollywood came to this small quiet town to film "Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes is a 1998 adventure comedy film directed by Christopher Guest, narrated by Guest's friend and frequent collaborator Harry Shearer, and starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry.-Plot:...

" starring Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (actor)
Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...

 and Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....

. It was Farley's last film.

Geography

Cottonwood is located at 40°23′20"N 122°16′55"W (40.388953, -122.281823).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), all of it land.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Cottonwood had a population of 3,316. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,433.0 people per square mile (553.3/km²). The racial makeup of Cottonwood was 2,844 (85.8%) White, 4 (0.1%) African American, 99 (3.0%) Native American, 108 (3.3%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 120 (3.6%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 139 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 352 persons (10.6%).

The Census reported that 3,316 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,200 households, out of which 500 (41.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 591 (49.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 200 (16.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 102 (8.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 109 (9.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, and 7 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 240 households (20.0%) were made up of individuals and 80 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76. There were 893 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

 (74.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.14.

The population was spread out with 950 people (28.6%) under the age of 18, 299 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 805 people (24.3%) aged 25 to 44, 910 people (27.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 352 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

There were 1,306 housing units at an average density of 564.4 per square mile (217.9/km²), of which 759 (63.3%) were owner-occupied, and 441 (36.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%. 2,093 people (63.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,223 people (36.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 2,960 people, 1,068 households, and 776 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,237.2 people per square mile (478.2/km²). There were 1,131 housing units at an average density of 472.7 per square mile (182.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.32% White, 0.24% African American, 3.21% Native American, 3.04% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.34% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 3.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.39% of the population.

There were 1,068 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,191, and the median income for a family was $31,808. Males had a median income of $31,161 versus $20,755 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the CDP was $11,778. About 12.0% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

 Cottonwood is located in the 4th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Doug LaMalfa
Doug LaMalfa
Doug LaMalfa is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. He is a Republican representing the 4th district, encompassing Del Norte, Siskiyou, Shasta, Trinity, Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba counties, as well as parts of Nevada and Placer counties...

, and in the 2nd Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 District, represented by Republican Jim Nielsen
Jim Nielsen
James Wiley Nielsen is an American politician from California and a member of the Republican party. Nielsen served on the Yolo County Republican Committee before winning election to the California State Senate in 1978...

. Federally, Cottonwood is located in California's 2nd congressional district
California's 2nd congressional district
California's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. The district contains much of the far northern part of the state, north of Sacramento. It is the largest district by area in California...

, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...

 of R +13 and is represented by Republican Wally Herger
Wally Herger
Walter William "Wally" Herger, Jr. , American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987, representing the California's 2nd congressional district. The second district is physically large...

.

Proposed incorporation

A number of residents in Cottonwood have expressed interest in incorporation
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...

. Not only would it allow the town to have stricter building codes, but it would stop the City of Anderson
Anderson, California
Anderson is a city in Shasta County, California, USA, approximately 10 miles south of Redding. The population was 9,932 at the 2010 census, up from 9,022 at the 2000 census....

 from further annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...

 of the surrounding areas.http://www.andersonvalleypost.com/news/2007/jun/27/city-cottonwood-pipe-dream-or-planning-ahead/

Cottonwood is one of five CDPs in Shasta County that have expressed interest in incorporating. The other towns are Burney
Burney, California
Burney is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 3,154 at the 2010 census, down from 3,217 at the 2000 census...

, Shingletown
Shingletown, California
Shingletown is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 2,283 at the 2010 census, up from 2,222 at the 2000 census....

, Fall River Mills
Fall River Mills, California
Fall River Mills is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 573 as of the 2010 census.-Production & Industry:The community is known for its agriculture...

, and McArthur
McArthur, California
McArthur is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 338 at the 2010 census, down from 365 at the 2000 census...

. Fall River Mills and McArthur would incorporate as one city together.

Cottonwood could incorporate into Tehama County
Tehama County, California
Tehama County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. It is bisected by the Sacramento River. As of 2010 its population was 63,463, up from 56,039 as of 2000. The county seat is Red Bluff.-History:...

 as well. Many residents live on either the Shasta County or Tehama County side and with new subdivisions called Sunset Hills and Sun City Tehama coming so close to the border, Cottonwood could officially become a Tehama county city with only 1/3 of the city incorporated into Shasta County. Another option could be a new city in Tehama County that comprises those subdivisions.

Education

Cottonwood has one high school, one junior high school, two elementary schools.

West Valley High School (9-12)
West Cottonwood Junior High School (6-8)
North Cottonwood (3-5)
East Cottonwood (K-2)
  • West Valley High School
    West Valley High School (Cottonwood, California)
    West Valley High School is an American high school located at 3805 Happy Valley Road, Cottonwood, California, 96022, 6.5 miles west of Interstate 5 near the intersection of Gas Point and Happy Valley Roads. The closest major city is Redding, California which is about fifteen miles north of the school...



There are three elementary schools, East Cottonwood Elementary for K-2 and North Cottonwood Elementary for 3-5 on the Shasta side, and Evergreen Elementary on the Tehama side.

There are two public middle schools, West Cottonwood Jr High on the Shasta side and Evergreen Middle on the Tehama side.
A school that was recently added as a charter school is Cottonwood Creek Elementary.

West Valley High School has an enrollment of approximately 900 students.

Famous residents

  • Norm Stephens, world-famous guitar player who played with Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Thompson, was a long-time resident.
  • Tom Hubert
    Tom Hubert
    Tom Hubert is an American road course racer.Hubert was born in Cottonwood, California. He most recently worked as a rear tire changer and a mechanic for Bill Davis Racing's #22 Sprint Cup team, before the team closed down, and also occasionally races road courses for various teams...

    , former NASCAR driver and current crew member for Bill Davis Racing
  • Nicole Teter, 800 meter runner: Three-time USA Indoor champion ('02, '03, '08); American record holder at indoor 800m - 1:58.71; 2004 Olympic Trials runner-up; 2008 Olympic competitor; 2002 USA Outdoor Champion; 2003 U.S. Outdoor runner-up; 1991 USA Junior champion

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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