Westwood, California
| Westwood | |
|---|---|
| census-designated place | |
 Location in Lassen County and the state of California |
|
 Westwood
|
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| Coordinates: 40°18′22″N 121°00′21″W / 40.30611°N 121.00583°WCoordinates: 40°18′22″N 121°00′21″W / 40.30611°N 121.00583°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
|
| County | Lassen |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.510 sq mi (14.270 km2) |
| • Land | 5.436 sq mi (14.079 km2) |
| • Water | 0.074 sq mi (0.191 km2) 1.34% |
| Elevation | 5,128 ft (1,563 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,647 |
| • Density | 300/sq mi (120/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 96137 |
| Area code(s) | 530 |
| FIPS code | 06-84928 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1660156 |
Westwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lassen County, California, United States. Westwood is located 20 miles (32 km) west-southwest of Susanville, at an elevation of 5,128 feet (1,563 m). The population was 1,647 at the 2010 census, down from 1,998 at the 2000 census. Westwood is the hometown of mythical logger Paul Bunyan.
Westwood is built upon lava flows from Cascade Mountain Range volcanoes to the north. Keddie Ridge is considered to be at the northern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14 km2), of which 5.4 square miles (14 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (1.34%) is water.
Westwood was built by T. B. Walker to be the operations center for the Red River Lumber Company in 1913. The first post office opened the same year. The Red River Lumber Company is credited as being "the world's largest electrical sawmill of the times." Red River Lumber Company also operated one of the first electric railways in the state. The mill was equipped with the most modern equipment for its time.
William Laughead, an advertising copywriter who had once worked in lumber camps, took the stories of an old lumberjack and reworked them into the modern character. He sold the stories of Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox "Babe" to the Red River Lumber Company, which published "Introducing Mr. Paul Bunyan of Westwood, California" in 1916 as an advertising pamphlet. Among other things, Laughead gave the name "Babe" to the blue ox, originated the idea that Paul Bunyan and Babe were of enormous size, and created the first pictorial representation of Bunyan.
The Red River Lumber Company's electric mill at Westwood made wooden Venetian blinds, plywood, boxes, doors and windows which were shipped all over the U.S. and the world. The Westwood mill set a world record in 1942 by sawing 212 million board feet.
Westwood High School's nickname is the Lumberjacks. Westwood had a very large indoor shopping mall as far back as the 1930s, as well as a large theater, skating rink and club for the mill workers. The town was sold in 1944 to the Fruit Growers Supply Company (sister cooperative of Sunkist Growers). The plant closed in 1956, and the town was sold to residents and developers.
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