GEOGRAPHY
Cottonwood is the
southern gateway to Shasta County and the Shasta-Cascade
Wonderland; at the crossroads of the Sacramento
River, Cottonwood Creek and the Battle Creeks.
Her broad, rich valleys are irrigated by gravity
system water and the outlying hill land is used
as winter pasture for some of the finest beef
herds in the State.
Cottonwood is unique
in that it encompasses two counties - Shasta and
Tehama. Cottonwood Creek is the divider between
the two counties and Interstate 5 seperates the
town east to west. Historical downtown Cottonwood
lies on the north bank of Cottonwood Creek, just
west of where it empties into the Sacramento River.
From Cottonwood, one can look north to Mt. Shasta,
east to Mt. Lassen - the only active volcano in
the 48 adjacent states, west to the Coastal Range
and south over the rolling range land of the upper
Sacramento Valley.
Clean, smog-free
days are the rule, not as occasion; and the seasons
bring a pleasant change to the visual panorama
that surrounds Cottonwood. An occasional snowfall
in winter and the dry, hot summers provide the
main ingredients for a healthy living environment.
Geographically located at the north end of the
Sacramento Valley, you are within an hour of all
the major recreational facilities in Northern
California.
LASSEN
PARK
In Cottonwood begins
the nearest, most scenic route to Lassen Volcanic
National Park _ one of the most interesting of
the nation's great parks. The park which centers
around rugged Mt. lassen - the only active volcano
in the Continental United States - offers much
to the tourist. There is camping, hiking, swimming,
fishing, boating and sight-seeing in summer and
in winter the finest of cross-country ski areas.
The trip from Cottonwood to the park, from about
500 feet elevation to the base of Mt. Lassen at
10,453 feet provides a thrill of scenic wonderland
through forests and across rivers and streams
that abound with fish.
