Smith River, California
Smith River is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Del Norte County, California, located near the Oregon border. Smith River is the headquarters of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Tolowa people. As of the 2020 census, the population was 906. It is bordered by the Smith River National Recreation Area.
History
A post office was opened in 1863. One early settler of Smith River was William Dows Rexford, who moved there with his sons in the early 1870s. Smith River has formerly been known as Smith River Corners, Smith's River Valley, Smiths River, and Smith's River.Demographics
Smith River first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.The 2020 United States census reported that Smith River had a population of 906. The population density was. The racial makeup of Smith River was 496 White, 1 African American, 95 Native American, 0 Asian, 1 Pacific Islander, 177 from other races, and 136 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 338 persons.
The whole population lived in households. There were 343 households, out of which 114 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 167 were married-couple households, 17 were cohabiting couple households, 86 had a female householder with no partner present, and 73 had a male householder with no partner present. 103 households were one person, and 37 were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64. There were 228 families.
The age distribution was 225 people under the age of 18, 68 people aged 18 to 24, 210 people aged 25 to 44, 253 people aged 45 to 64, and 150 people who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 38.9years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males.
There were 365 housing units at an average density of, of which 343 were occupied. Of these, 217 were owner-occupied, and 126 were occupied by renters.
Climate
Smith River experiences an Oceanic climate and is located slightly north of the boundary of the Mediterranean climate zone of coastal California. Total annual precipitation is among the highest in California. Seasonal precipitation is similar to a Mediterranean climate, although the annual precipitation of exceeds the precipitation limit for Mediterranean climates implemented in the revised version of the Köppen climate classification. The summer months from June to September receive lower precipitation, relative to other months, with July and August in particular being relatively dry. Winter is wet and windy, with approximately 74% of the year's total average precipitation observed in the five-month period from November to March. Temperatures remain moderate throughout the year, fluctuating only several degrees.Politics
In the state legislature, Smith River is in, and.Federally, Smith River is in.
In popular culture
Smith River was listed as one of the filming sites for the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, alongside Buttercup Valley and Death Valley in the east and southeast portions of the state, respectively.Smith River is also known as the "Lily Bulb Capital of the World".