city, port, and seat (1856) of Humboldt county, northern California, U.S. Lying on Humboldt Bay, Eureka is located 275 miles (440 km) north of San Francisco and about 90 miles (145 km) south of the border between Oregon and California. It was laid out in 1850 and named for the Greek motto (meaning “I have found it”) on the state seal. Eureka, the site of Fort Humboldt (1853, now a state historic park) and the scene of several Indian uprisings (1853–65) and a massacre of Indian women and children (1860), developed with the exploitation of nearby redwood forests and some mining activity. It is a major lumber and commercial-fishing centre and headquarters for Six Rivers National Forest. Tourism and dairying are also important, and the city serves as a regional commercial and transportation centre.
Eureka is the seat of the College of the Redwoods (1964; community college), and Humboldt State University (1913) is at nearby Arcata. Local attractions include Sequoia Park, with a zoo and a grove of virgin redwoods; Clarke Memorial Museum, with regional history exhibits; and Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum, dedicated to North Coast maritime history. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge is nearby, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California's largest redwood state park, is 45 miles (70 km) due south of the city. Inc. 1856. Pop. (1990) 27,025; (2000) 26,128.
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