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Blue Lake, California

Coordinates: 40°52′58″N 123°59′02″W / 40.88278°N 123.98389°W / 40.88278; -123.98389
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(Redirected from Blue Lake, CA)
Not to be confused with Blue Lakes (California).

City of Blue Lake
City
Official seal of City of Blue Lake
Seal
Location of Blue Lake in Humboldt County, California.
Location of Blue Lake in Humboldt County, California.
Coordinates: 40°52′58″N 123°59′02″W / 40.88278°N 123.98389°W / 40.88278; -123.98389
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyHumboldt
IncorporatedApril 23, 1910[1]
Government
 • TypeMayor-council government
 • MayorJohn Sawatzky[2]
 • City ManagerAmanda Mager[3]
Area
[4]
 • Total
0.62 sq mi (1.61 km2)
 • Land0.59 sq mi (1.54 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)  4.8%
Elevation
[5]
131 ft (40 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,208
 • Density2,033.67/sq mi (785.75/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
95525
Area code707
FIPS code06-07162
GNIS feature IDs1658083, 2409868
Websitebluelake.ca.gov

Blue Lake (formerly, Scottsville)[6] is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Blue Lake is located on the Mad River in a deep valley, 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Eureka,[6] at an elevation of 131 feet (40 m).[5] Its population is 1,208 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,253 from the 2010 census.

Geography and climate

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), over 95% of which is land.

Cityscape of Blue Lake looking to Korbel
Climate data for Blue Lake, California
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 71
(22) 		74
(23) 		83
(28) 		95
(35) 		103
(39) 		108
(42) 		113
(45) 		111
(44) 		105
(41) 		96
(36) 		74
(23) 		69
(21) 		113
(45)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 53
(12) 		56
(13) 		59
(15) 		63
(17) 		69
(21) 		74
(23) 		80
(27) 		80
(27) 		77
(25) 		69
(21) 		59
(15) 		52
(11) 		66
(19)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 38
(3) 		39
(4) 		40
(4) 		42
(6) 		47
(8) 		51
(11) 		55
(13) 		54
(12) 		51
(11) 		46
(8) 		41
(5) 		38
(3) 		45
(7)
Record low °F (°C) 12
(−11) 		19
(−7) 		26
(−3) 		28
(−2) 		30
(−1) 		34
(1) 		40
(4) 		40
(4) 		36
(2) 		26
(−3) 		22
(−6) 		7
(−14) 		7
(−14)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 8.30
(211) 		6.83
(173) 		6.22
(158) 		4.40
(112) 		2.20
(56) 		1.06
(27) 		0.24
(6.1) 		0.24
(6.1) 		0.81
(21) 		2.86
(73) 		6.09
(155) 		9.78
(248) 		49.03
(1,246.2)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.5
(1.3) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.3
(0.76) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.8
(2.0) 		1.8
(4.6)
Source: [7]

History

[edit]

Present Blue Lake comprises "old" Blue Lake, Powersville, and Scottsville. In 1854, Augusta Bates settled in the Scottsville area and sold to Brice M. Stokes in 1862. In 1861, the 13-acre Blue Lake was formed from flooding of the north fork of Mad River, and it gave the town a resort atmosphere. As the river changed course in the 1920s, the lake disappeared to become what today is a small pond on private property.[8]

Looking South on H Street Blue Lake, date unknown

In 1866, William Scott purchased land from Brice M. Stokes and established "Scott's Farm," later becoming Scottsville. Powersville was established in 1869 by David Powers on land originally claimed by Augusta Bates, Brice M. Stokes and William Scott.[9]

In 1876 a post office opened, named "Mad River." The post office named Blue Lake was established in 1878. The town of Blue Lake was incorporated on April 11, 1910.[8]

Lumber industry

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The Arcata and Mad River Railroad is California Registered Historical Landmark Number 842, located in downtown Blue Lake.

The lumber industry shipped wood down the Arcata and Mad River Railroad. During the 1950s, timber shipped from Blue Lake included from Levitt Brothers own lumberyard and nail factory from which lumber and nails were sent to the four Levittown developments in the eastern U.S.[10]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1910507—
1920441−13.0%
193055525.9%
1940503−9.4%
195082463.8%
19601,23449.8%
19701,112−9.9%
19801,2018.0%
19901,2352.8%
20001,135−8.1%
20101,25310.4%
20201,208−3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

The 2020 United States census reported that Blue Lake had a population of 1,208. The population density was 2,033.7 inhabitants per square mile (785.2/km2). The racial makeup of Blue Lake was 81.4% White, 0.4% African American, 5.0% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 10.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.9% of the population. The whole population lived in households. There were 541 households, out of which 29.4% included children under the age of 18, 37.0% were married-couple households, 11.6% were cohabiting couple households, 31.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 19.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 29.8% of households were one person, and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.23. There were 316 families (58.4% of all households).

The age distribution was 19.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% aged 18 to 24, 27.6% aged 25 to 44, 28.0% aged 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males.

There were 569 housing units at an average density of 957.9 units per square mile (369.8 units/km2), of which 541 (95.1%) were occupied. Of these, 58.0% were owner-occupied, and 42.0% were occupied by renters.[12][13]

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $52,813, and the per capita income was $40,169. About 7.1% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line.[14]

Politics

[edit]

In the state legislature, Blue Lake is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire,[15] and the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Chris Rogers.[16]

Federally, Blue Lake is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.[17]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  2. ^ "Blue Lake City Council". City of Blue Lake. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  3. ^ "City Manager". City of Blue Lake. Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  4. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Blue Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  6. ^ a b Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 22. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  7. ^ "Records and Averages". MSN.
  8. ^ a b Turner, Dennis W. % Gloria H. (2010). Place Names of Humboldt County, CA. Orangevale, CA: Dennis W. & Gloria H. Turner. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-9629617-2-4.
  9. ^ Turner, Dennis W.; Turner, Gloria H. (2010). Place Names of Humboldt County, California: A Compendium 1542-2009 (Second Edition, Revised 2010). Orangevale, CA: Dennis W. & Gloria H. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-9629617-2-4.
  10. ^ A Brief History of Levittown, New York Archived December 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Levittown Historical Society, retrieved February 8, 2013
  11. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "Blue Lake city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  13. ^ "Blue Lake city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  14. ^ "Blue Lake city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles". US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  15. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  16. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  17. ^ "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
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