REDDING

city, seat (1888) of Shasta county, northern California, U.S., in the northern Sacramento Valley. Founded (1872) on land called Poverty Flat by the California and Oregon Railroad, it was named for B.B. Redding, a railroad land agent, and developed as a shipping point for minerals and agricultural produce. After World War II lumbering and tourism became the economic mainstays. As headquarters of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, it became a service centre for an extensive recreational area around ShastaWhiskeytownClair Engle lakes and dams, Trinity Alps Primitive Area, and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Redding is the home of Shasta College (1948). The old ghost mining town of Shasta is 6 mi (10 km) west. Inc. 1887. Pop. (1990) city, 66,462; Redding MSA, 147,036.