About Arcata

“The North Coast’s most progressive town, Arcata, surrounds a tidy central square that fills with college students, campers, transients, and tourists. Sure, it occasionally reeks of patchouli, and its politics lean far left, but its earnest embrace of sustainability has fostered some of the most progressive civic action in America. Here, garbage trucks run on biodiesel, recycling gets picked up by tandem bicycle, wastewater gets filtered clean in marshlands, and almost every street has a bike lane. Predictably enough, organic products and produce are the norm, art-and-craft markets are rampant, and vegans are well catered to.” — Lonely Planet .

Arcata, home to Humboldt State University, is a small university town on the north end of Humboldt Bay. It is well known for its progressive politics and locally-sourced restaurants. Arcata is the perfect place to relax and enjoy life the way it should be, while breathing in fresh air and enjoying an unbeatable natural environment. The pace of things is a little calmer here, with many bicyclists or pedestrians out and about.

Here, the local bookstores and coffee houses are especially interesting to visit and the town contains many restored Victorian homes and the lively Creamery District, where you can find a bright, vibrant, and diverse community of artists and entrepreneurs. To enjoy the benefits of Arcata's creative side check out creamerydistrict.org for more information.

Arcata’s downtown, expansive forests, and laid-back style are sure to put a smile on anyone's face. Some say the heart of Arcata is the Plaza with its lawns and flowerbeds; the Plaza is the social and commercial center of Arcata. In the 1850s, the Plaza was where goods destined for the Trinity County mines were loaded onto mule trains. Today, delightful shops offering locally-handcrafted merchandise, boutiques, and restaurants line the Plaza.

Prepare for Your Visit

Arcata has a Mediterranean climate, influenced by oceanic conditions. Arcata experiences 40 to 50 inches (100 to 130 cm) of rain per year, with a short, but pronounced dry summer/fall season (June to mid October). Northerly winds keep the spring cool and create a coastal upwelling of deep, cold ocean water, resulting in occasional foggy conditions. Winters can be wet, but temperatures rarely dip below 30° F (−1° C). Expect mild to cool temperatures throughout the seasons, so it’s best to dress in layers. Sunny days are truly glorious, with plenty of clean air from the area’s temperate forests.

Fun Fact: Regions of the world with similar temperatures to Arcata include Sitka and the Aleutians in Alaska, Fort William, Highland in Scotland, as well as much of Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, Tasmania, most of New Zealand, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Tierra del Fuego in southern South America and the coastal areas of Norway and Scandinavia.

History

The Wiyot people have lived in the Humboldt Bay region for thousands of years in permanent villages along the waterways, which also served as travel and trade routes. Seasonal camps were made on the tribal lands and prairies, and mountainous regions provided berries, acorns, pine nuts, wild game, and basketry materials. Wiyot people actively managed their resources, burning for open grasslands, cultivating edible bulbs, and following strict hunting and fishing protocols. The Wiyot people and other tribal nations inhabited this area before the arrival of Europeans and continue to live in the area to this day. For more information visit Wiyot.us.

The discovery of gold inland brought an end to isolation, with devastating results for tribal people. While the Spanish claimed the area, they never settled it. The first permanent colonial settlement that occurred was Union. Union was created as a port and re-provisioning center for the gold mines in the Klamath, Trinity, and Salmon mountains to the east.

Before Arcata held its current name, the larger Arcata area was home to the Wiyot Tribe and held the original place name of Goudi’ni, roughly meaning ‘over in the woods’. When settled in 1850, the city took the name of Union and was renamed Arcata in 1860.

What was to become the first significant town on Humboldt Bay began as Union Company employees laid out the plaza and the first city streets in 1850. Later in the 1850s, redwood timber replaced the depleted goldfields as the economic driver for the region, and Eureka became the principal city on the bay, due to its superior harbor. At that time, Arcata became a mercantile hub between docks and mines. Soon ranches and dairies grew to serve a growing population.

Although gold prompted Arcata’s settlement, it was the area’s timber resources that sustained its development. Logging giant redwoods required new skills and equipment for cutting, moving, and milling, resulting in a unique local economy, labor force, and social structure. For decades, the area relied on the prosperity of the lumber industry, with perhaps too little regard for longterm sustainability. While the giant redwoods attracted lumber barons to exploit the natural resources, they also attracted environmental activists who fought to preserve them.

Since 1914, Humboldt State University (HSU) has overlooked Arcata from the hillside above and promotes a youthful, artistic, and intellectual ambiance. Originally established as the Humboldt State Normal School, HSU is the northernmost college in the California State University (CSU) system.

Today, Arcata recognizes its history while proclaiming itself proudly as an open-minded and welcoming small city, valuing diversity, culture, art, entrepreneurship, and protecting and nurturing its beautiful natural environment. Goudi’ni Arcata

Twahya’t Samoa

Jaroujiji’ Eureka Goutsuwelhik

Bucksport

Dulouwirughuqa’n Fieldbrook Rrak Vou’r Halu Wigi Arcata Bay TULUWAT GASVUGHURRAMUK BI’MURR

Tvughuqhu’r Mad River Slough Goumayughurru’ Daqh Freshwater Creek

Wihu ’t

McDaniel Slough

shou’r Pacific Ocean

Baduwa’t Mad River G O U DI ’NI

Duvutsgawe’luwi’y

Fields Landing