Colusa, California

City in California, United States

City in California, United States

Colusa, California

City

City of Colusa

Top: Old Colusa High School; bottom: Colusa City Hall.

Seal

Location of Colusa in Colusa County, California

Colusa, California

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 39°12′52″N 122°00′34″W﻿ / ﻿39.21444°N 122.00944°W﻿ / 39.21444; -122.00944
Country| United States
State| California
County| Colusa
Incorporated| June 16, 1868[1]
Area

[2]

• Total

| 3.42 sq mi (8.87 km2)
• Land| 3.42 sq mi (8.87 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation

[3]

| 49 ft (15 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 6,411
• Density| 1,872.37/sq mi (722.93/km2)
Time zone| UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code|

95932

Area code| 530, 837
FIPS code| 06-14946
GNIS feature IDs| 277602, 2410204
Website| www.cityofcolusa.com

Colusa is a city in and the county seat of Colusa County, California, located in the Sacramento Valley region of the Central Valley. The population was 6,411 at the 2020 census, up from 5,971 at the 2010 census. Colusa originates from the local Coru Native American tribe, who in the 1840s lived on the opposite side of the Sacramento River.

## History

[edit]

Colusa County Courthouse in 1908 The former Colusa Carnegie Library was built in 1906.

In 1850, Charles D. Semple purchased the Rancho Colus Mexican land grant on which Colusa was founded and called the place Salmon Bend. The town was founded, under the name Colusi, by Semple in 1850. The first post office was established the following year, 1851. The California legislature changed the town's (and the county's) name to Colusa in 1854. The town flourished due to its location on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Several travelers rest stops were established at various road distances from Colusa, including Five Mile House, Seven Mile House, Nine Mile House, Ten Mile House, Eleven Mile House, Fourteen Mile House (also called Sterling Ranch), Sixteen Mile House (at the current location of Princeton), and Seventeen Mile House. The original settlement of what became Colusa was originally placed at the site of Seven Mile House but subsequently removed to its current site in 1850.[4]

### Lynching of Hong Di

[edit]

On July 10, 1887, convicted murderer Hong Di, an immigrant from China, was dragged from the Colusa jail and was forced by over a hundred and fifty men through the streets of Colusa's Chinatown, before he was hanged from the rafters of the locomotive turntable of the Colusa and Lake Railroad. Di, who had worked as a servant for the Billiou family of St. Johns, California, had shot and killed his employer Julie Billiou on April 7, 1887. He was captured on May 22, 1887, near Gridley, California.[5]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2), all of it land. According to the United States Geological Survey, the city's location is at 39°12′52″N 122°00′34″W﻿ / ﻿39.21444°N 122.00944°W﻿ / 39.21444; -122.00944.

Colusa is on the Sacramento River, which has a high levee so that the river is not clearly apparent from the city.

Colusa features a historic Chinatown, Carnegie Library building constructed in 1905, and an architecturally noteworthy courthouse built in a classical style, among its historically notable buildings.

### Climate

[edit]

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Colusa has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.[6]

Climate data for Colusa, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °F (°C)  | 78
(26)  | 81
(27)  | 89
(32)  | 98
(37)  | 106
(41)  | 112
(44)  | 112
(44)  | 114
(46)  | 114
(46)  | 105
(41)  | 89
(32)  | 76
(24)  | 114
(46)
Mean maximum °F (°C)  | 66.1
(18.9)  | 71.6
(22.0)  | 79.3
(26.3)  | 88.8
(31.6)  | 95.6
(35.3)  | 102.1
(38.9)  | 104.7
(40.4)  | 102.4
(39.1)  | 100.8
(38.2)  | 92.4
(33.6)  | 76.7
(24.8)  | 65.2
(18.4)  | 105.9
(41.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)  | 54.6
(12.6)  | 60.2
(15.7)  | 66.5
(19.2)  | 73.4
(23.0)  | 81.1
(27.3)  | 88.2
(31.2)  | 92.4
(33.6)  | 91.7
(33.2)  | 89.1
(31.7)  | 79.0
(26.1)  | 64.1
(17.8)  | 54.5
(12.5)  | 74.6
(23.7)
Daily mean °F (°C)  | 46.4
(8.0)  | 50.7
(10.4)  | 55.1
(12.8)  | 59.7
(15.4)  | 67.3
(19.6)  | 73.4
(23.0)  | 76.2
(24.6)  | 74.9
(23.8)  | 71.8
(22.1)  | 63.5
(17.5)  | 53.0
(11.7)  | 46.1
(7.8)  | 61.5
(16.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)  | 38.2
(3.4)  | 41.1
(5.1)  | 43.8
(6.6)  | 46.1
(7.8)  | 53.4
(11.9)  | 58.7
(14.8)  | 59.9
(15.5)  | 58.1
(14.5)  | 54.4
(12.4)  | 47.9
(8.8)  | 41.8
(5.4)  | 37.7
(3.2)  | 48.4
(9.1)
Mean minimum °F (°C)  | 29.8
(−1.2)  | 32.4
(0.2)  | 34.9
(1.6)  | 36.0
(2.2)  | 43.8
(6.6)  | 50.1
(10.1)  | 52.8
(11.6)  | 52.1
(11.2)  | 47.4
(8.6)  | 40.1
(4.5)  | 31.7
(−0.2)  | 28.8
(−1.8)  | 26.3
(−3.2)
Record low °F (°C)  | 17
(−8)  | 20
(−7)  | 24
(−4)  | 24
(−4)  | 31
(−1)  | 34
(1)  | 35
(2)  | 42
(6)  | 35
(2)  | 31
(−1)  | 22
(−6)  | 14
(−10)  | 14
(−10)
Average precipitation inches (mm)  | 3.59
(91)  | 2.97
(75)  | 2.19
(56)  | 1.00
(25)  | 0.84
(21)  | 0.51
(13)  | 0.01
(0.25)  | 0.03
(0.76)  | 0.11
(2.8)  | 0.87
(22)  | 1.91
(49)  | 3.17
(81)  | 17.2
(436.81)
Average precipitation days  | 10.6  | 8.6  | 8.2  | 5.0  | 3.0  | 1.0  | 0.1  | 0.2  | 0.5  | 2.6  | 5.8  | 9.3  | 54.9
Source 1: NOAA[7]
Source 2: XMACIS2[8]

#### Climate events

[edit]

During December 1996-January 1997, the nearby Colusa Weir Gauge reached flood stage. This historic flooding event devastated the region by destroying thousands of crop acres (rice, tomatoes, alfalfa) and property. The Colusa Weir Gauge reached flood stage 68.67 feet (20.93 m) on January 3, 1997.[9]

## Film production

[edit]

The crime drama movie ...tick...tick...tick... (1970), starring Jim Brown, was filmed in downtown Colusa, featuring the historic courthouse. The setting of the film in Mississippi is referred to as "Colusa County".[10] The movie explores what happens when an African-American is elected sheriff for the town.

## Demographics

[edit]

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento. Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1870| 1,051| | —
1880| 1,779| | 69.3%
1890| 1,336| | −24.9%
1900| 1,441| | 7.9%
1910| 1,582| | 9.8%
1920| 1,846| | 16.7%
1930| 2,116| | 14.6%
1940| 2,285| | 8.0%
1950| 3,031| | 32.6%
1960| 3,518| | 16.1%
1970| 3,842| | 9.2%
1980| 4,075| | 6.1%
1990| 4,934| | 21.1%
2000| 5,402| | 9.5%
2010| 5,971| | 10.5%
2020| 6,411| | 7.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

### 2020

[edit]

The 2020 United States census reported that Colusa had a population of 6,411. The population density was 1,872.4 inhabitants per square mile (722.9/km2). The racial makeup of Colusa was 44.4% White, 1.0% African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 30.4% from other races, and 20.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 58.6% of the population.[12]

The census reported that 98.4% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.4% were institutionalized.[12]

There were 2,255 households, out of which 41.0% included children under the age of 18, 47.3% were married-couple households, 7.8% were cohabiting couple households, 27.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.3% had a male householder with no partner present. 24.5% of households were one person, and 12.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.8.[12] There were 1,571 families (69.7% of all households).[13]

The age distribution was 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% aged 18 to 24, 25.5% aged 25 to 44, 23.3% aged 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males.[12]

There were 2,417 housing units at an average density of 705.9 units per square mile (272.5 units/km2), of which 2,255 (93.3%) were occupied. Of these, 56.5% were owner-occupied, and 43.5% were occupied by renters.[12]

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $68,750, and the per capita income was $31,144. About 13.7% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[14]

### 2010

[edit]

At the 2010 census Colusa had a population of 5,971. The population density was 3,255.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,256.9/km2). The racial makeup of Colusa was 3,944 (66.1%) White, 54 (0.9%) African American, 107 (1.8%) Native American, 80 (1.3%) Asian, 28 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 1,510 (25.3%) from other races, and 248 (4.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,128 persons (52.4%).[15]

The census reported that 5,916 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 4 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 51 (0.9%) were institutionalized.

There were 2,142 households, 890 (41.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,080 (50.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 290 (13.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 135 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 128 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 13 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 555 households (25.9%) were one person and 224 (10.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.76. There were 1,505 families (70.3% of households); the average family size was 3.35.

The age distribution was 1,789 people (30.0%) under the age of 18, 484 people (8.1%) aged 18 to 24, 1,566 people (26.2%) aged 25 to 44, 1,435 people (24.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 697 people (11.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median value of a home was $196,400.[16] There were 2,282 housing units at an average density of 1,244.1 units per square mile (480.3 units/km2), of which 2,142 were occupied, 1,191 (55.6%) by the owners and 951 (44.4%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.3%. 3,233 people (54.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,683 people (44.9%) lived in rental housing units.

## Economy

[edit]

Colusa County industry is dominated by agriculture, primarily in rice crops and tree nuts like almonds and walnuts. It's one of the top rice producing counties in the United States with over 135,000 acres harvested in 2016.[17]

Major employers in Colusa include Colusa County and Colusa Unified School District. Sunsweet Growers has a plant just outside of city limits.[18]

## Politics

[edit]

Colusa City Hall.

In the state legislature, Colusa is in the 1st senatorial district, represented by Republican Megan Dahle,[19] and the 4th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.[20] Federally, Colusa is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa.[21]

## Education

[edit]

Colusa is served by the Colusa Unified School District formed by three schools: Burchfield Primary School, Egling Middle School, and Colusa High School. The high school's mascot is the Redhawks. Starting in the 2011–12 academic year, the name of the high school mascot was changed from the Redskins to the Redhawks amid controversy over using names and insignia deemed derogatory toward Native Americans.

## Notable people

[edit]

* Bill Cunningham, Major League Baseball player
* Byron De La Beckwith, convicted assassin of civil rights activist Medgar Evers
* Mike Griffin, Major League Baseball pitcher

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
3. ^ "Colusa". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
4. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 468\. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
5. ^ Kulczyk, David. (2008). California Justice: Shootouts, Lynching and Assassinations in the Golden State. Word Dancer Press. P44 ISBN 1-884995-54-3
6. ^ Climate Summary for Colusa, California
7. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
8. ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
9. ^ CNRFC, NOAA's National Weather Service -. "California Nevada River Forecast Center". www.cnrfc.noaa.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
10. ^ "...tick...tick...tick... (1970) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
11. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. ^ a b c d e "Colusa city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
13. ^ "Colusa city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
14. ^ "Colusa city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
15. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Colusa city". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
16. ^ "Colusa CA Housing data". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
17. ^ "Colusa County, CA - Official Website".
18. ^ Search Results – Carmel, California – Data Axle Reference Solutions Current Businesses
19. ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
20. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
21. ^ "California's 1st Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved August 7, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colusa, California.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Colusa County, California, United States

County seat: Colusa

Cities|

* Colusa
* Williams

Colusa County map

CDPs|

* Arbuckle
* College City
* Grimes
* Lodoga
* Maxwell
* Princeton
* Stonyford

Unincorporated
communities|

* Delevan
* Fouts Springs
* Genevra
* Grand Island
* Leesville
* Sites
* Wilbur Springs

Indian
reservations|

* Colusa Rancheria
* Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria

Ghost towns|

* Sycamore
* Waikosel

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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* San Francisco

Municipalities|

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CDPs|

* Bridgeport
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Authority control databases |

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