Redding City Map Poster

About Redding

It is the fifth-largest city in the Sacramento Valley, behind Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville and Chico. The metropolitan area of Redding has a population of more than 200,000 residents. Redding is known as the "Gateway to California" and lies along historic Route 99 (the former U.S. Route 99). Redding was named after Amos Shattuck Reddington who was one of three men who moved on foot into northern California in 1846 with their families to look for gold.[8] The settlement's first name was "Shasta" but it was changed because there were several other towns called Shasta located nearby.[9] A local historian said that a man with reddish hair had been seen roaming through town around that time,[10][11] giving rise to another possible origin for its name; however this theory may have been popularized by Hollywood scriptwriters.