Crescent City, California

Crescent City was founded on the site of Tolowa Indian Settlements at Battery Point and Pebble Beach south of Point St. George, and north of Point St. George. In Tolowa: Taa-’at-dvn.{{Cite web |title=Siletz Talking Dictionary |access-date=June 4, 2012 |url=http://siletz.swarthmore.edu/?entry=10547 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005001728/http://siletz.swarthmore.edu/?entry=10547 |archive-date=October 5, 2013}} In the Yurok it is Kohpey,{{Cite web |title=Yurok Dictionary: Kohpey |access-date=July 7, 2012 |url=http://corpus.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~yurok/lexicon.php?style=query&yu=&ge=&lx-id=971 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508105417/http://corpus.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~yurok/lexicon.php?style=query&yu=&ge=&lx-id=971 |archive-date=May 8, 2013}} and in Wiyot: Daluwagh).{{Cite web |title=Language; Wiyot Tribe |access-date=July 7, 2012 |url=http://www.wiyot.us/language |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213043720/http://www.wiyot.us/language |archive-date=February 13, 2012}}

In 1855, the U.S. Congress authorized the building of a lighthouse at "the battery point" (a high tide island on the coast of Crescent City) which is still functioning as a historical landmark.{{cite web |title=Battery Point, Crescent City CA |work=Lighthouses of the United States |publisher=Lighthouse Friends |year=2013 |url=http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=58 |access-date=February 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205181206/http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=58 |archive-date=February 5, 2012}}

Europeans began moving to the area in the 1850s. Crescent City was incorporated as a city in 1854.{{cite web |title=Crescent City People and Place |work=Community Profiles |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheres Administration |year=2007 |url=http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/sd/communityprofiles/California/Crescent_City_CA.pdf |access-date=February 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528034428/http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/sd/communityprofiles/California/Crescent_City_CA.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2010}}

The population includes inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison, also within the city limits, and the former census-designated place Crescent City North annexed to the city.{{when|date=November 2024}}

The city is also the site of the Redwood National Park headquarters,{{when|date=November 2024}} as well as the historic Battery Point Light.

Due to the richness of the local Pacific Ocean waters and the related catch, and ease of access, Crescent City Harbor serves as home port for numerous commercial fishing vessels.{{when|date=November 2024}}{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Crescent City was a {{cvt|113|t}} schooner built in 1848 by Joshua T. Foster of Medford, Massachusetts.{{Cite book |last=Gleason |first=Hall |title=Old Ships and Ship-Building Days of Medford |publisher=J.C. Miller |year=1937 |location=Medford MA |page=71}}

A 1906 ship named Crescent City was the former Jim Butler, a {{cvt|701|t}} steam schooner built by Lindstrom Shipbuilding Company in Aberdeen, Washington,{{cite web |url=http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/imlsmaritime&CISOPTR=546 |title=Crescent City ship |work=Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, University of Washington Libraries |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611120814/http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fimlsmaritime&CISOPTR=546 |archive-date=June 11, 2011 |access-date=November 7, 2024}} that wrecked in the Channel Islands, off Santa Cruz Island, in 1927.{{Cite web |title=Crescent City, CINMS Shipwreck Database |publisher=NOAA / National Marine Sanctuaries |url=http://channelislands.noaa.gov/shipwreck/dbase/mbnms/crescentcity.html |access-date=May 23, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111107190445/http://channelislands.noaa.gov/shipwreck/dbase/mbnms/crescentcity.html |archive-date=November 7, 2011}}

Two notable shipwrecks happened off the coast, in 1865 and then at the start of World War II in December 1941, when a Japanese submarine hit a US oil tanker.

The Brother Jonathan, a paddle steamer, crashed on an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast of Crescent City, California, on July 30, 1865.{{cite book |first=Dennis |last=Powers|author-link=Dennis M. Powers |title=Treasure Ship: The Legend and Legacy of the S.S. Brother Jonathan |publisher=Kensington/Citadel Press |location=New York |year=2006}}

The SS Emidio, a {{cvt|6912|t}} tanker of the General Petroleum Corporation (later Mobil Oil), was the first casualty of the Imperial Japanese Navy's submarine force action on California's Pacific Coast on December 20, 1941. The damaged tanker broke up on the rocks off Crescent City. The remaining pieces of the ship are now California Historical Landmark #497.{{cite book |last=Webber |first=Ebbert| author-link=Ebbert Webber |title=Retaliation: Japanese Attacks and Allied Countermeasures on the Pacific Coast in World War II |publisher=Oregon State University Press |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-87071-076-6}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{cvt|2.415|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{cvt|1.963|sqmi|km2}} (81.3%) is land and {{cvt|0.452|sqmi|km2}} (18.7%) is water. Fishing and crabbing, tourism, and timber are the major sources of income in Del Norte County.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-xpm-2012-jul-01-la-tr-delnortepiers-20120701-story.html |title=Del Norte County piers |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Christopher |last=Smith |date=July 1, 2012 |access-date=May 23, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624024036/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/01/travel/la-tr-delnortepiers-20120701 |archive-date=June 24, 2016}} Elk Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean at Crescent City. Its nearest Californian place of any size to its interior is Happy Camp separated by roughly {{cvt|42|mi|km}} by air, but, due to the unsuitable terrain, it is much farther by road. The nearest city is fellow coastal city Brookings, Oregon, around {{cvt|20|mi|km}} to its north. The Humboldt Bay area encompassing Eureka and Arcata is more than {{cvt|60|mi|km}} to its south. Crescent City is as far north in latitude as Chicago, Middle Island in Ontario, Canada, as well as New England on the Atlantic side. It is as much as nine degrees latitude north of San Diego at the southern tip of the state. Crescent City is closer to Vancouver, Canada ({{cvt|838|km|mi}}) than to Los Angeles ({{cvt|1003|km|mi}}).[http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html "Distance by Latitude/Longitude" (accessed/calculated 18 October 2019)]

File:BrotherJonathan-Cemetery Crescent City, CA.jpg

File:Crescent City, CA view from BatteryPoint SE.jpg

Crescent City has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). The wettest months are from October to March; the wettest month is December with {{cvt|11.14|in|mm|1|disp=or}} and the driest month is July with {{cvt|0.33|in|mm|1|disp=or}}. The average high and low temperatures in December are {{cvt|55|°F|1|disp=or}} and {{cvt|41|°F|disp=or}}. The average high and low temperatures in August are {{cvt|64|°F|1|disp=or}} and {{cvt|53|°F|disp=or}}. On average, four mornings each winter fall below {{cvt|32|°F|disp=or}}.

The highest temperature recorded in Crescent City was {{cvt|97|°F}} on September 20, 1989, and September 21, 1939. The lowest temperature on record was {{cvt|19|°F}} on January 20, 1937, and December 21, 1990. The maximum monthly precipitation was {{cvt|31.25|in|mm|1}} in November 1973. The wettest year was 1904 when {{cvt|107.61|in|mm|1}} fell and the driest year was 2013 with {{cvt|28.92|in|mm|1}}. The maximum 24-hour precipitation was {{cvt|7.73|in|mm|1}} on January 9, 1995. The highest snowfall recorded for any period in 24 hours was {{cvt|6.0|in|m|2}} on January 26, 1972. The 30-year average annual precipitation in Crescent City has decreased from {{convert|64|in|mm|-1}} in the 1980–2010 period to about {{convert|58|in|mm|-1}} over the 1990–2020 period.

The warmest ever overnight low was {{convert|68|F|C}} in 1929 and the mean between 1991 and 2020 was at the modest {{convert|59|F|C}}. Cold winter days are also rare. The coldest daytime temperature was {{convert|30|F|C}} in 1924, which remains the last time Crescent City did not climb above the freezing point for 24 hours. Between 1991 and 2020, the coldest maximum temperature averaged {{convert|44|F|C}}.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Crescent City, California (Del Norte County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1894–present

|single line = Y

| Jan high F = 56.2

| Feb high F = 56.2

| Mar high F = 55.8

| Apr high F = 57.2

| May high F = 59.3

| Jun high F = 61.6

| Jul high F = 63.0

| Aug high F = 64.2

| Sep high F = 64.5

| Oct high F = 62.3

| Nov high F = 58.2

| Dec high F = 55.2

|year high F = 59.5

|Jan mean F = 49.0

|Feb mean F = 49.3

|Mar mean F = 49.3

|Apr mean F = 50.8

|May mean F = 53.3

|Jun mean F = 55.5

|Jul mean F = 57.3

|Aug mean F = 58.5

|Sep mean F = 57.3

|Oct mean F = 54.8

|Nov mean F = 51.1

|Dec mean F = 48.3

|year mean F = 52.9

| Jan low F = 41.9

| Feb low F = 42.4

| Mar low F = 42.8

| Apr low F = 44.4

| May low F = 47.2

| Jun low F = 49.3

| Jul low F = 51.6

| Aug low F = 52.8

| Sep low F = 50.2

| Oct low F = 47.2

| Nov low F = 44.0

| Dec low F = 41.4

|year low F = 46.3

| Jan avg record high F = 65.5

| Feb avg record high F = 66.2

| Mar avg record high F = 64.3

| Apr avg record high F = 65.6

| May avg record high F = 67.8

| Jun avg record high F = 69.1

| Jul avg record high F = 69.2

| Aug avg record high F = 70.7

| Sep avg record high F = 74.9

| Oct avg record high F = 76.6

| Nov avg record high F = 67.6

| Dec avg record high F = 63.7

| year avg record high F = 80.8

| Jan avg record low F = 33.1

| Feb avg record low F = 33.0

| Mar avg record low F = 34.2

| Apr avg record low F = 36.1

| May avg record low F = 39.2

| Jun avg record low F = 42.1

| Jul avg record low F = 45.3

| Aug avg record low F = 46.4

| Sep avg record low F = 43.5

| Oct avg record low F = 39.0

| Nov avg record low F = 34.7

| Dec avg record low F = 32.7

| year avg record low F = 29.9

|Jan record high F = 75

|Feb record high F = 78

|Mar record high F = 88

|Apr record high F = 86

|May record high F = 89

|Jun record high F = 91

|Jul record high F = 96

|Aug record high F = 95

|Sep record high F = 97

|Oct record high F = 93

|Nov record high F = 80

|Dec record high F = 80

|year record high F =

|Jan record low F = 19

|Feb record low F = 23

|Mar record low F = 27

|Apr record low F = 29

|May record low F = 30

|Jun record low F = 32

|Jul record low F = 36

|Aug record low F = 34

|Sep record low F = 33

|Oct record low F = 32

|Nov record low F = 23

|Dec record low F = 19

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 9.40

| Feb precipitation inch = 6.94

| Mar precipitation inch = 7.81

| Apr precipitation inch = 5.12

| May precipitation inch = 2.48

| Jun precipitation inch = 1.40

| Jul precipitation inch = 0.33

| Aug precipitation inch = 0.37

| Sep precipitation inch = 1.10

| Oct precipitation inch = 4.07

| Nov precipitation inch = 7.82

| Dec precipitation inch = 11.14

|year precipitation inch = 57.98

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 17.1

| Feb precipitation days = 14.1

| Mar precipitation days = 17.6

| Apr precipitation days = 14.2

| May precipitation days = 8.9

| Jun precipitation days = 6.6

| Jul precipitation days = 3.6

| Aug precipitation days = 6.0

| Sep precipitation days = 8.0

| Oct precipitation days = 11.7

| Nov precipitation days = 15.4

| Dec precipitation days = 18.0

| year precipitation days = 141.2

|Jan snow inch =

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|unit snow days = 0.1 in

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|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=eka |title=NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |accessdate=June 12, 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00024286&format=pdf |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |accessdate=June 12, 2021}} }}

File:Battery Point Lighthouse.JPG, from jetty]]

File:Crescent City Harbor.jpg

The bathymetry of the sea floor surrounding Crescent City has the effect of focusing tsunamis. According to researchers at Humboldt State University and the University of Southern California, the city experienced tsunami conditions 31 times between the years 1933 and 2008.{{cite journal |last=Dengler |first=Lori |author2=B. Uslu |author3=A. Barberopoulou |author4=J. Borrero |author5=C. Synolakis |title=The Vulnerability of Crescent City CA to Tsunamis Generated by Earthquakes in the Kuril Islands Region of the Northwestern Pacific |journal=Seismological Research Letters |volume=79 |issue=5 |pages=608–619 |date=September–October 2008 |doi=10.1785/gssrl.79.5.608}} Although many of these incidents were barely perceptible, eleven events included wave measurements exceeding one meter, four events caused damage, and one event in particular is commonly cited as "the largest and most destructive recorded tsunami to strike the United States Pacific Coast."{{cite web |title=1964 Alaskan Tsunami |work=USC Tsunami Research Group |publisher=University of Southern California |url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/index.html |access-date=February 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108105455/http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/index.html |archive-date=January 8, 2013}}

On March 27, 1964, the Great Alaskan earthquake off Anchorage, Alaska, set in motion local landslide tsunamis, as well as a trans-Pacific wave. The tsunami wave travel time to Crescent City was 4.1 hours after the earthquake, but it only produced localized flooding.{{cite web |last=Pararas-Carayannis |first=George |title=The Effects of the March 27, 1964 Alaska Tsunami In California |work=The Tsunami Page |year=2007 |url=http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1964Calif.html |access-date=February 11, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127111827/http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1964Calif.html |archive-date=November 27, 2012}} The second and third waves to hit Crescent City were smaller, but the fourth wave struck with a height of approximately {{cvt|20|ft|m}} after having drawn the harbor out nearly dry. The next morning the damage was counted: 289 buildings and businesses had been destroyed; 1,000 cars and 25 large fishing vessels had been crushed; 12 people were confirmed dead, over 100 were injured, and more were missing; and 60 blocks had been inundated, with 30 city blocks destroyed. Although most of the missing were later accounted for, not all were tracked down. Insurance adjusters estimated that the city received more damage from the tsunami on a block-by-block basis than did Anchorage from the initial earthquake.{{cite book |author=Dennis M. Powers |title=The Raging Sea: The Powerful Account of the Worst Tsunami in U.S. History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=At2ThIYincsC&pg=PR4 |date=January 1, 2005 |publisher=Citadel Press |isbn=978-0-8065-2682-9 |pages=4–}}

The tsunami raced down the West Coast with more deaths and destruction, but no other location was hit as hard. Crescent City bore the brunt, due to its offshore geography, position relative to the earthquake's strike-line, underwater contours such as the Cobb Seamount, and the position of rivers near the city.{{cite web |last=Silverman |first=Billy |title=Crescent City Tsunami Is 34th Since 1934 |publisher=Huffington Post Los Angeles |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/14/crescent-city-tsunami-is-_n_835502.html |date=March 14, 2011 |access-date=October 4, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021175752/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/14/crescent-city-tsunami-is-_n_835502.html |archive-date=October 21, 2013}} Although houses, buildings, and infrastructure were later rebuilt, years passed before the city recovered from the devastation to lives, property, and its economy. Since the 1980s, the breakwater has been protected from normal storm waves by hundreds of Dolos armor units, 38 ton concrete shapes.{{cite web |url=https://icce-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/icce/index.php/icce/article/viewFile/5580/5253 |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 12, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222080519/https://icce-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/icce/index.php/icce/article/viewFile/5580/5253 |archive-date=December 22, 2015}}

The city is deemed to be tsunami-ready today. Its preparedness was tested on June 14, 2005, when the 2005 Eureka earthquake measuring 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale hit {{cvt|90.|mi|km}} offshore; much of the city (an estimated 6,000 people){{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/7-0-quake-shakes-up-North-Coast-Crescent-City-2662395.php |title=7.0 quake shakes up North Coast / Crescent City residents flee after tsunami warning |date=June 15, 2005 |website=sfgate.com |access-date=April 29, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602070906/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/7-0-quake-shakes-up-North-Coast-Crescent-City-2662395.php |archive-date=June 2, 2016}} was evacuated when a tsunami warning was issued, and a {{cvt|26|cm}} tsunami wave hit the area.[https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2005/usziae/#summary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214104048/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2005/usziae/|date=December 14, 2009}}

On November 15, 2006, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck off Simushir Island in the Kuril Islands in the western Pacific. A tsunami warning was issued but rescinded hours later. However, a surge from that quake did hit the harbor at Crescent City causing damage to three docks and several boats. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a county state of emergency. Upon that declaration, the area affected was eligible for federal emergency relief funding to repair the damage.[http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/earthquake_engineering/PEQIT/2006%20Crescent%20City.pdf Crescent City Suffers Damage from November 15, 2006 Kuril Island Earthquake and Tsunami] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004225805/http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/earthquake_engineering/PEQIT/2006%20Crescent%20City.pdf|date=October 4, 2013}}, California Department of Transportation{{Cite book |doi=10.1061/40978(313)19 |isbn=978-0-7844-0978-7 |chapter=Tsunami Inundation from Great Earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone along the Northern California Coast |title=Solutions to Coastal Disasters 2008 |pages=204–214 |year=2008 |last1=Uslu |first1=Burak |last2=Borrero |first2=Jose C. |last3=Dengler |first3=Lori |last4=Synolakis |first4=Costas E. |last5=Barberopoulou |first5=Aggeliki}}

Parts of the city were evacuated on March 11, 2011, after a 9.0 earthquake struck Japan.Tam, Donna, [http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_17600232 Tsunami takes toll on North Coast; hundreds evacuated, Gov. Brown declares state of emergency] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717060256/http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_17600232|date=July 17, 2011}}, Eureka Times-Standard, March 12, 2011Evert, Barry,[http://www.correctionsone.com/corrections/articles/3421202-Pelican-Bay-Sgt-describes-response-to-Tsunami/ Pelican Bay Sgt. describes response to Tsunami] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316033602/http://www.correctionsone.com/corrections/articles/3421202-Pelican-Bay-Sgt-describes-response-to-Tsunami/|date=March 16, 2011}}, March 11, 2011, accessed October 4, 2013 Thirty-five boats were destroyed, and the harbor suffered major damage.[http://www.times-standard.com/ci_17592790 Waves destroy Crescent City Harbor docks] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311225548/http://www.times-standard.com/ci_17592790|date=March 11, 2011 }}, Eureka Times-Standard, March 11, 2011 The reported peak surge was over {{cvt|8|ft|m}} by 9:50am.[http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/great-japan-quake-generates-8foot-tsunami-in-california Great Japan quake generates 8-foot tsunami in California] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014063455/http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/great-japan-quake-generates-8foot-tsunami-in-california|date=October 14, 2013}}, Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog, accessed October 4, 2013 Five were swept out to sea, and one person was killed.{{cite news |url=http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=127779&catid=2 |title=Tsunami sweeps 5 to sea, rips out California docks |last=Johnson |first=C. |date=March 3, 2011 |work=KXTV |access-date=March 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311213421/http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=127779&catid=2 |archive-date=March 11, 2011}}{{cite web |url=http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/121934/20110311/california-tsunami.htm |title=Five swept out to sea, 1 killed as tsunami hits Crescent City CA |website=International Business Times |date=March 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717113233/http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/121934/20110311/california-tsunami.htm |archive-date=July 17, 2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-crescent-city-harbor-destroyed-20110311,0,1105044.story?track=rss |work=Los Angeles Times |first1=Mike |last1=Anton |first2=Shan |last2=Li |title=Crescent City harbor destroyed; 4 people swept into sea, 1 feared dead |date=March 11, 2011}}

{{US Census population

| 1860 = 638

| 1870 = 458

| 1880 = 343

| 1890 = 907

| 1900 = 699

| 1910 = 1114

| 1920 = 955

| 1930 = 1720

| 1940 = 1363

| 1950 = 1706

| 1960 = 2958

| 1970 = 2586

| 1980 = 3075

| 1990 = 4380

| 2000 = 4006

| 2010 = 7643

| 2020 = 6673

| estyear = 2023

| estimate = 5611

| estref = {{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-POP-06.xlsx |date=May 16, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 16, 2024}}

| footnote = US Decennial Census{{cite web |title=2020 US Census – Crescent City, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US0617022t |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 19, 2021}}

}}

The 2010 United States Census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0617022 |title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Crescent City city |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=July 12, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118154710/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0617022 |archive-date=January 18, 2016}} reported that Crescent City had a population of 7,643. The population density was 3,164.9/sqmi (1,222.0/km²). The racial makeup of Crescent City was 5,052 (66.1%) White, 910 (11.9%) African American, 370 (4.8%) Native American, 333 (4.4%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 696 (9.1%) from other races, and 275 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,342 persons (30.6%).

The Census reported that 4,063 people (53.2% of the population) lived in households, 28 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3,552 (46.5%) were institutionalized. The very high institutionalized percentage is a result of the presence of Pelican Bay State Prison, which was annexed into the city limits in the 1990s.

There were 1,707 households, out of which 559 (32.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 512 (30.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 314 (18.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 114 (6.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 170 (10.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 7 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 614 households (36.0%) were made up of individuals, and 229 (13.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38. There were 940 families (55.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.13.

The city population contained 1,107 people (14.5%) under the age of 18, 934 people (12.2%) aged 18 to 24, 3,292 people (43.1%) aged 25 to 44, 1,725 people (22.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 585 people (7.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 250.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 298.5 males.

There were 1,906 housing units at an average density of 789.2/sqmi (304.7/km²), of which 1,707 were occupied, of which 532 (31.2%) were owner-occupied, and 1,175 (68.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 7.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%. 1,203 people (15.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,860 people (37.4%) lived in rental housing units.

In the California State Legislature, Crescent City is in {{Representative|casd|2|fmt=sdistrict}}, and {{Representative|caad|2|fmt=adistrict}}.

In the United States House of Representatives, Crescent City is in {{Representative|cacd|2|fmt=district}}.

The public schools of Crescent City are part of the Del Norte County Unified School District, which encompasses all of the public schools in Del Norte County. The following are schools within Crescent City or its immediate vicinity.

• Del Norte High School is the only public high school in Crescent City, located on the northern edge of town. It replaced the earlier high school that was more centrally located, and which remains today as a public-access gymnasium and county offices
• The Bess Maxwell Elementary School is the older of two elementary schools in the northern part of town that are located near the high school. Bess Maxwell serves grades 1–5. In its earlier years, it was a K–6 school
• The Castle Rock Charter School is a K–12 charter school that provides personalized education to students, and is the liaison school for parents who home school their children. It operates the Tah-Ah-Dun American Indian Magnet School to provide for the unique requirements of American Indian students who might be at risk. (Tah-Ah-Dun is the Tolowa name for Crescent City, honoring the Tolowa village that stood on present-day Crescent City.) The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
• Crescent Elk Middle School is the oldest operating school site in town, centrally located in Crescent City. The site was originally a K–8 school, but slowly shed grade levels to other schools as it became a 4–6 school with a separate 7–8 program, then the 6–8 program that it is today
• Mary Peacock Elementary School is the newer of two elementary schools that are located near the high school. The creation of Pelican Bay State Prison caused an increase in housing demand in the Crescent City area, and an increased school district population. This school was built to address that demand, but is not directly associated with the prison
• Joe Hamilton Elementary School is a K–5 school located near Crescent Elk Middle School. It was founded as a K–3 school
• Pine Grove Elementary School has been a K–5 school for many years. It serves the eastern part of Crescent City
• Sunset High School is another Crescent City high school with its own child care center{{cite web |url=http://childcarecenter.us/provider_detail/sunset_high_school_infant_toddler_center_crescent_city_ca |title=Sunset High School Infant-toddler Center – CRESCENT CITY CA DAY CARE CENTER |website=childcarecenter.us |access-date=April 29, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120728200631/http://childcarecenter.us/provider_detail/sunset_high_school_infant_toddler_center_crescent_city_ca |archive-date=July 28, 2012}}

Highway access is provided by U.S. Route 101, which runs directly through the city, connecting the Oregon Coast to the north and Eureka to the south. U.S. Route 199 begins north of Crescent City and runs northeast to Grants Pass, Oregon. The junction of U.S. Routes 101 and 199 is one of only two junctions of two U.S. Routes in California, the other being the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 395 in Bishop.

SkyWest Airlines formerly served Del Norte County Airport (also known as Jack McNamara Field) as United Express until April 7, 2015. Most flights connected to San Francisco International Airport.{{Cite web |url=http://airlineroute.net/2014/12/16/ua-sfocec-s15/ |access-date=December 17, 2014 |title=UNITED Ends San Francisco – Crescent City Service from April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20141218190734/http://airlineroute.net/2014/12/16/ua-sfocec-s15/ |archive-date=December 18, 2014}} PenAir contracted to begin serving the airport with Saab 340 turboprop aircraft beginning September 15, 2015.{{cite web |url=http://flycrescentcity.com/airlines-and-flights/ |title=Fly Crescent City Airlines and Flights |access-date=June 4, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626234728/http://flycrescentcity.com/airlines-and-flights/ |archive-date=June 26, 2015}}

Advanced Air currently operates flights from Crescent City (CEC) to Oakland International Airport (OAK) and Los Angeles-Hawthorne Airport (HHR).

Local public transit is provided by Redwood Coast Transit and by various taxi companies. Crescent City is also served by Curry Public Transit, and POINT.

The Crescent City Harbor serves as a commercial fishing port for salmon, shrimp, tuna, cod, and dungeness crab commercial fishing vessels. The Harbor is also home to multiple fishing- and non-fishing-related businesses and harbor governmental offices. The Crescent City Harbor also has several pleasure boat docks.{{Cite web|last=Kabir|first=Shanila|date=August 18, 2021|title=RV Residents in Crescent City Believe They are Being Wrongfully Evicted During Harbor Project|url=https://kiem-tv.com/2021/08/17/rv-residents-in-crescent-city-believe-they-are-being-wrongfully-evicted-during-harbor-project/|access-date=August 18, 2021|website=KIEM-TV {{!}} Redwood News|language=en-US}}

Image:Redwood-NP Map.png

• In town
• Battery Point Lighthouse
• Crescent City Harbor
• Del Norte County Historical Society Main Museum
• SS Emidio Memorial
• Nearby
• Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
• Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
• Lost Monarch (tree)—Largest known Coastal Redwood by volume.
• Pelican Bay State Prison
• Redwood National and State Parks
• St. George Reef Lighthouse
• Smith River National Recreation Area
• Tolowa Dunes State Park
• Trees of Mystery

• Fourth of July fireworks display – July
• Sea Cruise Car Show Weekend – Columbus Day Weekend – October
• Forest Moon Festival - A Star Wars themed community festival - First Weekend of May

• Eunice Bommelyn – tribal historian and the last person to speak Tolowa as a native first language
• Loren Bommelyn – tradition bearer for the Tolowa tribe
• Donald H. Clausen – American politician
• James F. Curtis – commander of Camp Lincoln
• Louis DeMartin – Del Norte County pioneer
• David Owen Dryden – builder-architect in the craftsman style
• Cody Hoffman – football wide receiver, and multi-record holder, for the football team of Brigham Young University
• {{annotated link|Derrick Jensen (activist)}}
• Rick Keene - California politician
• Lee Kohse - artist
• Clinton McKinnon - musician (Mr. Bungle)
• Justin Miller – lawyer and a federal appellate judge
• George Peacock, luthier
• Buck Pierce – professional football player, Canadian Football League
• Jacksen Pierce – author
• Fred Rinne – visual and performance artist
• Max Steineke – petroleum geologist
• Audrey Wagner – outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
• Wendell Wood – conservationist and environmentalist{{cite news |first=Terry |last=Richard |title=Wendell Wood, 65, remembered as protector of environment |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/08/wendell_wood_65_remembered_as.html |work=The Oregonian |date=August 14, 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824180209/http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/08/wendell_wood_65_remembered_as.html |archive-date=August 24, 2015}}

{{See also|List of sister cities in California}}

Crescent City is twinned with:

• {{flagicon|JPN}} Rikuzentakata, Japan (January 7, 2019){{cite web|url=https://sistercities.org/2021/07/23/sister-cities-international-member-crescent-city-del-norte-county-california-to-be-featured-during-nbc-olympic-coverage/|title=Sister Cities International Member Crescent City/Del Norte County, California to be Featured During NBC Olympic Coverage|website=Sister Cities International|date=July 23, 2021|access-date=August 8, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.crescentcity.org/media/Agendas/2019/January%207th%202019.pdf|title=January 7, 2019 Council Agenda|work=City of Crescent City|date=January 7, 2019|access-date=August 8, 2021}}

{{Portal|California}}

• Achulet Massacre
• Fort Dick, California
• Lake Earl
• Yontoket Massacre

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Crescent City, California}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://explorecrescentcity.com/ Visit Crescent City Visitor Information]
• [https://visitdelnortecounty.com/article/the-story-of-kamome-crescent-city/ The Story of Kamome]

{{Del Norte County, California}}

{{California county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Del Norte County, California

Category:County seats in California

Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California

Category:Populated coastal places in California

Category:Ports and harbors of California

Category:Redwood National and State Parks

Category:Settlements formerly in Klamath County, California

Category:1854 establishments in California

Category:Populated places established in 1854