Arcata is a city located in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is situated adjacent to the northern portion of Humboldt Bay, known as Arcata Bay. The city is positioned approximately 280 miles (450 km) north of San Francisco and had a population of 18,857 as of the 2020 census.
The settlement was first founded in 1850 as Union before being officially established in 1858 and renamed Arcata in 1860. The city is home to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Additionally, it hosts the Arcata Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Land Management, which manages natural resources, lands, and mineral programs for approximately 200,000 acres of public land in Northwestern California, including the Headwaters Forest.