Humboldt County, California, boasts an unparalleled natural beauty – a stunning bay and coastline, towering redwood forests, wild rivers and scenic estuaries, coastal mountain ranges, and a productive, working landscape of ag and timberlands. In Humboldt’s largely Victorian era-influenced towns, residents care deeply about their communities. With a mix of traditional and very innovative businesses, as well as one of the highest concentrations of non-profit organizations per capita, there is a strong spirit of collaboration between unlikely groups and organizations working to improve the quality of life for residents.
However, there is still much work to be done – in Humboldt County, nearly half of the youth and over 15% of the entire population live below the poverty level. Nearly 10% of households overall (and in some neighborhoods, 40%) are carless – people with limited transportation options, especially those in communities or neighborhoods considered unsafe for walking and cycling.
In addition, Humboldt County residents are in many ways unhealthier than residents of most other counties in the state. Over half of Humboldt County adults are overweight or obese, and nearly two-thirds of residents do not get the recommended daily level of physical activity. At more than twice the national average, 41% of schoolchildren are overweight or obese. Chronic diseases related to physical inactivity, like diabetes, are high compared to other California counties.
The Humboldt Partnership for Active Living is a diverse coalition of organizations and individuals working to address one significant cause of these health disparities in Humboldt County: the built environment. We have inherited a transportation and community infrastructure that contains many barriers to safe and efficient active transportation.
HumPAL encourages development of policies, outreach efforts and infrastructure that promote active living by design, not privilege. We believe that each resident of Humboldt County deserves safe ways to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives. We believe that improved partnerships between community planners, engineers, public health staff, community organizations and advocacy groups can help our community achieve this goal.