Tehama County, California

Tehama County is a county in California, United States, about 35 miles south of Redding along
Interstate 5 in the northern Sacramento Valley. It had a population of 65,829 at the 2020
census, an estimated 64,665 by 2025, and covers 2,950 square miles of land (7,640 km2) centred
near 40°08′N 122°14′W.

Red Bluff is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 96080. The county holds 3
incorporated cities, 15 census-designated places and several smaller unincorporated communities
— California has no civil townships, so places here are not grouped that way — and
it runs on Pacific time. Its FIPS code is 06103.

Towns & Villages in Tehama County

Tehama County has 23 named places on the map: 3 incorporated cities, 15 census-designated
places (CDPs) and 5 further unincorporated communities without CDP status. The table below uses
— where the Census Bureau reports no separate population or ZIP code for a place.

Tehama, the small city 9 miles southwest of Red Bluff, is easy to confuse with Tehama County
itself — it is a distinct 435-person incorporated city on the Sacramento River, not the
seat. Rancho Tehama Reserve, a gated subdivision near Corning, is often shortened to just
“Rancho Tehama” in local use; both names refer to the same CDP.

ZIP Codes

• 96080 — Red Bluff (also serves Bend and Richfield)
• 96021 — Corning (also serves Lake California)
• 96090 — Tehama
• 96055 — Los Molinos
• 96035 — Gerber
• 96059 — Manton
• 96078 — Proberta
• 96092 — Vina
• 96074 — Paskenta
• 96075 — Paynes Creek
• 96063 — Mineral
• 96029 — Flournoy
• 96061 — Mill Creek

Dales, Las Flores, El Camino, Kirkwood, Loybas Hill and Rancho Tehama Reserve have no ZIP
code of their own; mail there is delivered through a neighbouring town’s post office.

Geography

Tehama County sits in the northern Sacramento Valley, where flat farmland along the Sacramento
River gives way to the foothills of the Coast Range in the west and the southern Cascades in the
east, capped by Brokeoff Mountain at 9,239 feet. The Sacramento River bisects the county
north to south, and Mill Creek and Deer Creek drain the eastern highlands into it. Water covers
about 12 square miles of the county’s total area.

Tehama County borders Shasta County to the north, Plumas County to the northeast, Butte
County to the east, Glenn County to the south, Mendocino County to the southwest and Trinity
County to the west. Live pages exist for
Shasta County,
Plumas County,
Butte County,
Glenn County and
Mendocino County; Trinity County has
no live page of its own on this site.

Demographics

Tehama County had a population of 65,829 at the 2020 census, an estimated 64,665 by 2025.
Red Bluff (14,710) and Corning (8,244) are the two largest communities, together holding a
third of the county’s residents. Median household income was $63,784 (2024 estimate), well
below California’s statewide figure of $95,521 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to
about 22 people per square mile, one of the lower figures among Sacramento Valley counties.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at 3,758
workers, followed by retail trade (3,307) and educational services (2,380). Agriculture
remains central to the local economy: Corning is nicknamed the “Olive City,” home
to olive-processing plants including Bell-Carter Foods, maker of Lindsay-brand olives, alongside
walnut orchards and cattle ranching across the valley floor. St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in
Red Bluff is among the county’s largest employers outside agriculture and government. Corning
holds an Olive Festival each September, drawing visitors from across the region.

History

Tehama County was organized on April 9, 1856, carved from parts of Butte, Colusa and Shasta
counties. Its name likely comes from a Wintun word variously translated as “high
water,” “low land” or “salmon.” William B. Ide, the first and only
president of the short-lived California Republic during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, later
settled near present-day Red Bluff; his adobe home is preserved as a state historic park.

In the late 1800s, Vina and the surrounding area held one of inland Northern California’s
largest Chinese communities, estimated at around 2,000 residents; in 1916, twenty local leaders
petitioned on behalf of a detained Chinese family, the Chews. In 1908, a survey party came upon
a hidden village on Deer Creek belonging to the last Yahi people, a discovery that preceded the
1911 emergence of the sole survivor, Ishi, near Oroville. More recently, Tehama County was
struck twice in a generation by tragedy tied to its geography and isolation: a 2017 shooting
spree that began at a home in Rancho Tehama Reserve, and the 2020 August Complex fire, the
largest wildfire in California history, which burned across Tehama, Glenn, Mendocino and
Trinity counties.

Getting There

Interstate 5 runs the length of the county north to south, linking Red Bluff and Corning
directly to Redding and Chico. State Routes 36, 99 and 32 cross the valley and foothills, and
State Route 89 reaches Mineral near the southwest entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

• Redding — 35 miles north
• Chico — 35 miles south
• Sacramento — 130 miles south
• Eureka — 140 miles west

Red Bluff Municipal Airport and Corning Municipal Airport handle general aviation only; the
nearest commercial airport is Redding Municipal Airport. There is no Amtrak rail station in the
county — Amtrak Thruway motorcoach service connects Red Bluff to the rail network at
Sacramento.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Tehama County, California?
It sits in the northern Sacramento Valley, about 35 miles south of Redding and 35 miles north
of Chico, straddling Interstate 5.

What is the population of Tehama County?
Tehama County had a population of 65,829 at the 2020 census, estimated at 64,665 by 2025.

How big is Tehama County?
The county covers 2,950 square miles of land (7,640 km2), including about 12 square miles of
water.

What is the county seat of Tehama County?
Red Bluff is the county seat and the county’s largest city, with a population of 14,710.

How many towns and villages are in Tehama County?
The county has 3 incorporated cities, 15 census-designated places and 5 further unincorporated
communities — 23 named places in total.

What ZIP codes serve Tehama County?
Thirteen ZIP codes cover the county, from 96080 in Red Bluff to 96063 in Mineral near Lassen
Volcanic National Park; a full list is above.

Is Tehama County the same as the city of Tehama?
No. Tehama is a small incorporated city of 435 people within the county; Red Bluff, not
Tehama, is the county seat.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in California.