Eureka serves as the county seat and the largest city on California's remote North Coast, a Victorian seaport on Humboldt Bay. With about 25,000 people it is quiet and a bit worn at the edges, and the fog, cool air and misty green surroundings feel a long way from the rest of the state. Old Town has ornate Victorian buildings, including the famous Carson Mansion, along with galleries and a monthly Arts Alive art walk. Visitors take a bay cruise, visit Sequoia Park and Zoo, and use Eureka as a base for the redwoods, Avenue of the Giants and Ferndale.
Housing is more affordable than most of coastal California, though inventory is limited and the housing is older. Property crime and car theft run above the state average, and parts of Old Town and downtown see homelessness and drug activity at night. Earthquake and tsunami risk is high here, and winters are wet and gray.
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- Known as
- Victorian seaport and Humboldt County seat; Gateway to the Redwoods; Home of the Carson Mansion; Redwood Coast hub
- Founded
- 1850 founded (gold rush port on Humboldt Bay); 1856 incorporated
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Hmong; Wiyot and other Native languages (limited use); Tagalog
- Airports
- California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV), about 15 miles north in McKinleyville, commercial flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland; Arcata-Eureka is the same airport; Redding (RDD) about 145 miles east; Crescent City (CEC) about 85 miles north
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; counter service optional
About this data
Population 25,304 (Census Vintage 2025), land area 9.54 sq mi, median home value and rent from Census QuickFacts. Metro figure 131,647 is Humboldt County 2025 (Census QuickFacts); Eureka anchors the Eureka-Arcata micropolitan statistical area (Census-defined as a micropolitan area, not an MSA), which equals Humboldt County. Eureka is an important tourism hub, and Visit Humboldt is the county bureau. Elevation, coordinates, founding, event names and months, hotel ranges, tipping, cost of living, market price and crime are approximate or from general knowledge; lower confidence. URLs seen in search but not load-tested.
