Formed April 1, 1864 (47th county)
Lassen County (32,730), Susanville (16,732)
The governmental structure of Lassen County is located on Lassen Street at Mill Street. California State Highway 36 is two blocks to the north of the facility. It was built in 1917 and now houses county administration. George Sellon was the Classical Revival courthouse designer. A Hall of Justice was added in 2009. There was an 1867 courthouse also in Susanville, since Susanville has been the only county seat. On April 1, 1864 Lassen County came into being as the 47th county. The county was taken from parts of Plumas and Shasta counties in California and Lake County in Nevada (which no longer exists.) Lassen County is named for Mount Lassen which was named for Danish explorer Peter Lassen. Susanville was named after an original settler’s, Isaac Roop, only daughter, Susan.
Lassen County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive). It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.) Two Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Lassen County (judicial.) The county is situated in the northeast part of California, northeast of Sacramento, California. Its east border is Nevada. The county center is 19.5 miles North-Northwest of Susanville. The county is surrounded clockwise by Modoc County and Nevada and Sierra, Plumas, and Shasta counties. The county is rectangle with a large leg extending down on the southeast. Susanville is slightly south of the geographical county center although very near the southern border in its part of the county. Susanville is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city in the county. It is 51.1% of the county population.
The area of the county is 4558 square miles. It is 8 out of 58 in the state. It ranks 47 out of 58 in population in the state. It has a density of 7.2 persons per square mile making it 51 out of 58 in the state. Lassen County has 51.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 395 crosses from Modoc County to Sierra County, north to south, on the eastern part of the county. This county is in the Susanville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Susanville
