Europeans began moving to the area in the 1850s. Įuropean explorers first visited the area by ship in the late 1820s. Congress authorized the building of a lighthouse at 'the battery point' (a high tide island on the coast of Crescent City) which is still functioning as a historical landmark. For him it was literally 'Land's End' - where the American continent ended at the Pacific Ocean. He was the first European American to reach the area overland on foot in a time before the European Americans knew anything about such a distant territory. The first European American to explore this land was pioneer Jedediah Smith in the early 19th century. The area that is now known as Del Norte County was and still is inhabited by the Yurok (Klamath River Indians) and Tolowa Nations of indigenous peoples. Nearby inland areas behind the mountains have significantly warmer summer temperatures. The climate of Crescent City is moderate, with cool summers for its latitude as a result of intense maritime moderation. Several dozen vessels and many of the docks they were moored to were destroyed as wave cycles related to the tsunamis exceeded 8 ft (2.4 m). More recently, the city's harbor suffered extensive damage and destruction from tsunamis generated by the Maearthquake off Sendai, Japan.

Much of the city was destroyed by four tsunami waves generated by the Great Alaskan earthquake off Anchorage, Alaska in 1964. Crescent City's offshore geography makes it unusually susceptible to tsunamis. The city is on the Pacific coast in the upper northwestern part of California, about 20 mi (32 km) south of the Oregon border.

Due to the richness of the local Pacific Ocean waters and the related catch, and ease of access, Crescent City Harbor serves as home port for numerous commercial fishing vessels. The city is also the site of the Redwood National Park headquarters, as well as the historic Battery Point Light. The population includes inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison, also within the city limits, and the former census-designated place Crescent City North annexed to the city. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 6,673 in the 2020 census, down from 7,643 in the 2010 census. Crescent City ( Tolowa: Taa-’at-dvn Yurok: Kohpey Wiyot: Daluwagh) is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California it is also the county seat.

Closest airport to crescent city, ca