Palo Cedro, California

Palo Cedro
Census-designated place
Windmill, Downtown Palo Cedro
Location in Shasta County and the state of California
Coordinates: 40°33′4″N 122°14′3″W / 40.55111°N 122.23417°W / 40.55111; -122.23417
Country	United States
State	California
County	Shasta
Area [1]
• Total	3.754 sq mi (9.722 km2)
• Land	3.679 sq mi (9.528 km2)
• Water	0.075 sq mi (0.194 km2)  2.00%
Elevation	465 ft (143 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,931
• Density	780/sq mi (300/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP code	96073
Area code	530
FIPS code	06-55296
GNIS feature ID	0230275

Palo Cedro (Spanish for "Cedar Wood") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. It is 8 miles (13 km) east of Redding. Its population is 2,931 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,269 from the 2010 census.

Originally, indigenous Native Americans lived in Northern California, including what is now Shasta County, prior to European American settlement. European American exploration of inland California started in 1769 and continued on into the 19th century. Cow Creek, a Sacramento River tributary that runs south through Palo Cedro, was a conduit for entrance into the Sacramento Valley by Hudson Bay Fur Company trappers including Alexander McLeod (1829) and John Work (1832). The town is named after cedarwood trees originally indigenous to the area in the 19th century.

As of the 2020 census, Palo Cedro has a population density of 780 people per square mile (300/km²). Award-winning country musician Merle Haggard lived in Palo Cedro for decades until his death on April 6, 2016.