Willow Creek, California

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Willow Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Humboldt County, California, United States. The town of Willow Creek sits along the Trinity River. It is the Bigfoot Capital of the World, and holds an annual festival in honor of the creature. Willow Creek is described as a “rugged mountain community nestled in the heart of the Six Rivers National Forest.” This area of California is located in the Trinity/Shasta/Cascade Region, near the Oregon border, and is easily reached via Highways 299 and 96. Outdoor recreational enthusiasts love Willow Creek, where the most popular activities are camping, fishing and rafting. The camping is second to none as the Six Rivers National forest boasts the most spectacular camping locations in California. The salmon and steelhead fishing is also spectacular, and Willow Creek has been a favorite fishing spot among anglers for centuries. The Willow Creek area also has several world class rivers for rafting, all within a 45 minute drive. The Klamath River is legendary and is considered California’s “premier multi-day river trip.” The upper Trinity River offers a classic Class III run with moderate rapids, followed by the Burnt Ranch Gorge, which is one of the toughest runs in the entire state. The lower Trinity is also a scenic ride, popular among canoeists, tubers and summer fun seekers. Other activities near Willow Creek include swimming, hiking, snow skiing, horseback riding, rock climbing, off road racing, golf, birding and wildlife viewing and camping. It’s also an incredible area for scenic drives, where from selected vista points in the Trinity Alps along U.S. Forest Route 1, you can view Mount Shasta and the Pacific Ocean simultaneously. In town, a visit to the Hupa Tribal Museum or Willow Creek Museum is worthwhile. Willow Creek is also the place of many summer events and parties as nearly half the population consists of summers recreation homes and ranches.

The region is the location of the Willow Creek American Viticultural Area. Organic gardens and vineries abound and welcome travelers to try their wares.

[edit] Geography

Willow Creek is located at 40°54′9″N, 123°41′22″W (40.902406, -123.689521)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 529.7 km² (204.5 mi²). 529.3 km² (204.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.07%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,743 people, 772 households, and 481 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3.3/km² (8.5/mi²). There were 1,099 housing units at an average density of 2.1/km² (5.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.81% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 9.52% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.34% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 5.79% from two or more races. 5.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 772 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,276, and the median income for a family was $35,720. Males had a median income of $33,375 versus $27,955 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,664. About 10.3% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.