Cottonwood is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, in the northern Sacramento Valley between Anderson and Redding. It takes its name from Cottonwood Creek, which was named in 1845 and meets the Sacramento River a short distance west of the community. The area was settled beginning in the 1840s, when Pierson B. Reading established a ranch nearby, and Cottonwood itself grew as a stagecoach stop, with a settlement recorded in 1849 and a post office by 1852. Its population was 6,268 at the 2020 census, up from 3,316 in 2010. The community's fortunes were shaped by transportation and agriculture. When the Southern Pacific Railroad laid its rails north through the valley in 1872, Cottonwood became a major shipping point for cattle, lumber, and other farm products from the lands along the Sacramento River and Cottonwood Creek. That agricultural and transportation heritage still frames the area's identity today. Cottonwood now functions as a residential community with a suburban-rural mix, serving families who work in nearby Redding, Anderson, and the surrounding farm country. It is not an incorporated city, but it has its own elementary school district, local businesses, and a strong community identity anchored by the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce and civic organizations. The setting places residents close to the Sacramento River and the open space of the northern valley, with the Cascade foothills and the recreational resources around Shasta Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Park within reach. Cottonwood offers a quieter, more rural alternative to Redding while remaining convenient to the region's larger employment and shopping centers along the Interstate 5 corridor.