Palo Cedro is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States. The population was 1,269 at the 2010 census, up from 1,247 at the 2000 census. It is 8 miles east of Redding, California. The communities of Bella Vista, Millville, Shingletown, Oak Run, Whitmore, and Round Mountain lie within a 15-mile radius.Originally, indigenous Native Americans lived in Northern California, including what is now Shasta County, prior to European American settlement. European American exploration of inland California started in 1769 and continued on into the 19th Century. Cow Creek, a Sacramento River tributary, that runs south through Palo Cedro, was a conduit for entrance into the Sacramento Valley by Hudson Bay Fur Company trappers including Alexander McLeod and John Work. The town is named after cedarwood trees originally indiginous to the area in the 19th Century.As of the 2010 census, Palo Cedro has a population density of 338.1 people per square mile.