Arcata, Academic city in northern California, United States.
Arcata is a city in Humboldt County in northern California, sitting along Humboldt Bay and surrounded by redwood forests. The center features a historic plaza with Victorian buildings from the nineteenth century, around which shops, restaurants and public facilities spread out.
The settlement was founded in 1850 as Union and received the name Arcata in 1860, derived from the Yurok word for a place with a lagoon. In the late nineteenth century the town grew through timber industry and farming, while the university in the twentieth century brought a new academic character.
The university brings students into the parks, bookshops and cafés around the plaza, where concerts and art events happen throughout the year. On weekends locals gather at the market or walk along the bay, while young people play music in the streets or show street art.
The plaza in the center is easy to explore on foot, while the marsh area on the edge of town has paved paths that remain walkable even in rain. Most shops and restaurants sit within walking distance around the plaza, while parking spaces are available on side streets.
The marsh area on the edge of town uses wastewater for cleaning through natural filtering processes and at the same time hosts numerous bird species that visitors can watch from the shore. On the paths through the wetland you often see herons, ducks and migratory birds looking for food in the shallow ponds.
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