The 84-mile drive on U.S. Highway 101 from Eureka to Crescent City offers one of the most stunning coastline views in Northern California. Jutting rocks, sweeping vistas, redwoods, rivers and amazing wildlife are just some of the things the drive has in store for a viewer’s pleasure.

  Crescent City was founded in 1853 and is named after its crescent-shaped bay. The city was originally established as a working port. Like many large Humboldt County cities, Crescent City serviced the gold-panners of the nearby rivers.

  In 1853, gold was discovered in Myrtle Creek, and a few years later copper mining began in the hills surrounding the Smith River. When the gold pursuits died down, the fishing and lumber industries stepped up to fuel the Del Norte County economy.

  Being positioned on a rugged Pacific coastline, lighthouses were very important to fisherman seeking safe passage home. Today those lighthouses are a delight to thousands of visitors each year who come to hear the history of the lighthouse keepers and the preserved coastal towers.

  Battery Point Lighthouse at the northern harbor entrance to Crescent City was commissioned in 1855 and was used until 1965. The Del Norte County Historical Society continues to maintain the more than 150-year-old building.

  Point St. George Lighthouse is another amazing tower located six miles west of Crescent City. The Main Museum downtown, located at the corner of Sixth and H streets, has the lens from the lighthouse on display.

  The ocean and its gifts has been the lifeblood of Crescent City, but in March of 1964 a massive tsunami nearly wiped the community out. The giant wave destroyed 29 blocks of downtown Crescent City and killed 11 people. The city was rebuilt, and the community recovered from disaster.

  A major change came to the city in 1989 when Pelican Bay State Prison was built just north of town. Currently there are 7,667 residents in Crescent City, 4,239 of those are inmates at Pelican Bay. The prison is the city’s largest employer, and with that employer came new retail opportunities to suit the workforce.

  Among the sight-seeing activities are the Del Norte Historical Society Museum, the Redwood National and State Parks Visitor Center, Tribal Casinos, the North Coast Marine Mammal Center, the Crescent City Cultural Center, a public pool and Beachfront Park.

  Visitors to Crescent City can join in on a variety of annual events including celebrating the area's huge contribution to California crab production with the World Championship Crab Races and Crab Feed. Race your own live crab, check out the arts and crafts fair and feast on Dungeness Crab.

  The Aleutian Goose Festival begins in March and offers lots of events centered on the migration of the Aleutian geese to the North Coast. For more information, go to the Web site at www.aleutiangoosefestival.org.

  In May, Crescent City added a new event called the Celebration of the Tall-Masted Ships. To find out more information, go to http://www.tallmastedships.com.

  The Fourth of July Celebration is very popular and has a huge local interest for the city and surrounding area residents. This year there will be new food and marketplace vendors and there are new events, including special guests, tribal dances, logging shows and a few food contests.

  October 5-7 is the Annual Sea Cruise car show. In 2006, the city hosted 397 cars and featured live music. Chamber of Commerce representatives say that this year promises to be bigger and better.