The Environmental Protection Agency gives an interesting description of Humboldt County, California and its economy in a publication it issued on EPA government grants in 2006. Below is an excerpt:
Located in
rural northwestern California, Humboldt County
(population 126,518) has suffered with the decline of
its two largest industries, timber and fishing. In the
1950s, the lumber industry employed approximately
half of the countyβs labor force. By 1997, it constituted
less than eight percent of the countyβs employment.
Although some of these lost jobs have been replaced
by service and tourism-sector jobs, the new jobs offer
the lowest average salaries. As living wages declined,
housing prices increased, putting home ownership out
of reach for more than 85 percent of county residents.
The poverty rate in Humboldt County is 19.5 percent,
and the unemployment rate is 6.3 percent.