List of counties in California
The U.S. state of California is divided into fifty-eight counties. Counties are responsible for all elections, property-tax collection, maintenance of public records such as deeds, and local-level courts within their borders, as well as providing law enforcement (through the county sheriff and sheriff's deputies) to areas that do not lie within incorporated cities.
- The county is the default unit of local government (all parts of the state's land are allocated to one of the state's 58 counties). Each county has a Board of Supervisors and is subject to mandatory duties under state law to provide its residents with services like law enforcement, healthcare, road maintenance, and so on. Balancing a county's mandatory and discretionary duties is a very difficult task; any sufficiently injured county taxpayer has standing to sue the county to enforce certain duties where financial distress is no excuse, such as healthcare.
- If residents of a sufficiently large piece of unincorporated county land do not like their county's resource allocation decisions, they can incorporate a city. The city government then takes some of the tax revenue that would have gone to the county, and can impose additional taxes on its residents. It can then choose to provide almost all the services usually provided by the county (and more), or provide only a few and pay the county to do the rest. A city in this last arrangement is called a contract city; this type of contract is generally known among lawyers as the "Lakewood Plan," because it was pioneered by the city of Lakewood in 1954.[1]
- The idea of "opting out" of county control in California has been taken to its logical extremes. Almost all of the city of Vernon is one large industrial zone, while almost all of the town of Los Altos Hills is zoned as residential.
- Due to geographical variations in property tax and sales tax revenue (the primary revenue source for cities and counties) and differing attitudes towards priorities, there are interesting variations in the levels of various services from one city to the next. For example, the city of Santa Monica is far more generous when it comes to helping the homeless than other cities in Los Angeles County or the county government.
- Also, county ordinances do not apply to cities unless they are ratified by each individual city. Thus, for instance, in Los Angeles County, a few cities have not ratified the ordinance requiring the posting of restaurant food safety ratings — even though it was passed many years ago — and in those cities, ratings need not be posted.
- The state of California has one consolidated city-county, San Francisco. The city's board of supervisors govern both aspects, and there is both a city police department and a county sheriff, the latter mostly responsible for operating the county jail.
Contents |
First establishment of California counties
On January 4, 1850, the California constitutional committee recommended the formation of 18 counties. They were Benicia, Butte, Fremont, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Monterey, Mount Diablo, Oro, Redding, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Sutter. On April 22, the counties of Branciforte, Calaveras, Coloma, Colusi, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Trinity, and Yuba were added. Benicia was renamed Solano, Coloma to El Dorado, Fremont to Yola, Mt. Diablo to Contra Costa, San Jose to Santa Clara, Oro to Tuolumne, and Redding to Shasta. One of the first state legislative acts regarding counties was to rename Branciforte County to Santa Cruz, Colusi to Colusa, and Yola to Yolo.
The last California county to have been established is Imperial County in 1907.
Table of California counties
The current number of counties was achieved over time by subdivision of many of the larger counties into smaller ones. The links in the column FIPS County Code are to the Census Bureau Info page for that county.
| County |
FIPS Code [2] |
County seat [3] |
Established [3] |
Origin |
Etymolgy |
Population [3] |
Area [3] |
Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | 001 | Oakland | 1853 | Parts of Contra Costa County and Santa Clara County. | Spanish word meaning a "cottonwood grove". | 1,443,741 | 738 mi² (1,911 km²) |
|
| Alpine County | 003 | Markleeville | 1864 | Parts of Amador County, El Dorado County, Calaveras County, Mono County and Tuolumne County. | English word meaning "of, pertaining to, or connected with, the Alps". | 1,208 | 739 sq mi (1,914 km²) |
|
| Amador County | 005 | Jackson | 1854 | Part of Calaveras County. | Jose Maria Amador (1794-1883), a soldier, rancher and miner. In Spanish, the word amador means "lover". | 35,100 | 593 sq mi (1,536 km²) |
|
| Butte County | 007 | Oroville | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From the Sutter Buttes, which lay within the county's borders at the time of its creation. | 203,171 | 1,640 sq mi (4,248 km²) |
|
| Calaveras County | 009 | San Andreas | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From the Calaveras River | 40,554 | 1,020 sq mi (2,642 km²) |
|
| Colusa County | 011 | Colusa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From two Mexican land grants; Coluses (1844) and Colus (1845). | 18,804 | 1,151 sq mi (2,981 km²) |
|
| Contra Costa County | 013 | Martinez | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Spanish for opposite coast, because Contra Costa County is across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco | 948,816 | 720 sq mi (1,865 km²) |
|
| Del Norte County | 015 | Crescent City | 1857 | Part of Klamath County. | Spanish for Northern, because Del Norte County is the northwesternmost county in the state. | 27,507 | 1,008 sq mi (2,611 km²) |
|
| El Dorado County | 017 | Placerville | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From the mythical El Dorado, The Gilded One, in relation to El Dorado County's importance in the California Gold Rush | 156,299 | 1,712 sq mi (4,434 km²) |
|
| Fresno County | 019 | Fresno | 1856 | Parts of Mariposa County, Merced County and Tulare County. | From Fresno Creek. In Spanish, Fresno means "ash tree". | 799,407 | 5,963 sq mi (15,444 km²) |
|
| Glenn County | 021 | Willows | 1891 | Part of Colusa County. | Named for Dr. Hugh J. Glenn (1824-1883), a California businessman and politician | 26,453 | 1,315 sq mi (3,406 km²) |
|
| Humboldt County | 023 | Eureka | 1853 | Part of Trinity County. | From Humboldt Bay, named for Baron Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a Prussian naturalist and explorer | 126,518 | 3,573 sq mi (9,254 km²) |
|
| Imperial County | 025 | El Centro | 1907 | Part of San Diego County.[4] | From the Imperial Valley, which tooks its name from the Imperial Land Company | 142,361 | 4,175 sq mi (10,813 km²) |
|
| Inyo County | 027 | Independence | 1866 | Parts of Mono County and Tulare County. | From a Native American word for dwelling place of the great spirit | 17,945 | 10,192 sq mi (26,397 km²) |
|
| Kern County | 029 | Bakersfield | 1866 | Parts of Los Angeles County and Tulare County. | From the Kern River, named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition | 661,645 | 8,142 sq mi (21,088 km²) |
|
| Kings County | 031 | Hanford | 1893 | Part of Tulare County. | From the Kings River | 129,461 | 1,390 sq mi (3,600 km²) |
|
| Lake County | 033 | Lakeport | 1861 | Part of Napa County. | From Clear Lake. | 58,309 | 1,258 sq mi (3,258 km²) |
|
| Lassen County | 035 | Susanville | 1864 | Parts of Plumas County and Shasta County, and part of now defunct Lake County, Nevada. | Named for Peter Lassen (1800-1859), a native of Denmark and an early explorer of the area. | 33,828 | 4,558 sq mi (11,805 km²) |
|
| Los Angeles County | 037 | Los Angeles | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Spanish for the angels | 9,519,338 | 4,060 sq mi (10,515 km²) |
|
| Madera County | 039 | Madera | 1893 | Part of Fresno County. | Spanish for wood | 123,109 | 2,138 sq mi (5,537 km²) |
|
| Marin County | 041 | San Rafael | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Disputed | 247,289 | 520 sq mi (1,347 km²) |
|
| Mariposa County | 043 | Mariposa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties.[5] | Spanish for butterfly | 17,130 | 1,451 sq mi (3,758 km²) |
|
| Mendocino County | 045 | Ukiah | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From Cape Mendocino, named probably for either Antonio de Mendoza or Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, viceroys of New Spain | 86,265 | 3,509 sq mi (9,088 km²) |
|
| Merced County | 047 | Merced | 1855 | Part of Mariposa County. | From the Merced River, or in Spanish El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (River of Our Lady of Mercy); named in 1806 by an expedition headed by Gabriel Moraga | 210,554 | 1,929 sq mi (4,996 km²) |
|
| Modoc County | 049 | Alturas | 1874 | Part of Siskiyou County. | From the Native American Modoc people | 9,449 | 3,944 sq mi (10,215 km²) |
|
| Mono County | 051 | Bridgeport | 1861 | Parts of Calaveras County, Fresno County and Mariposa County. | - | 12,853 | 3,044 sq mi (7,884 km²) |
|
| Monterey County | 053 | Salinas | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From Monterey Bay. The name itself is composed of the Spanish words monte (hill) and rey (king) | 401,762 | 3,322 sq mi (8,604 km²) |
|
| Napa County | 055 | Napa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 124,279 | 754 sq mi (1,953 km²) |
|
| Nevada County | 057 | Nevada City | 1851 | Part of Yuba County. | - | 92,033 | 958 sq mi (2,481 km²) |
|
| Orange County | 059 | Santa Ana | 1889 | Part of Los Angeles County. | From the citrus fruit widely grown in the region at the time the county was formed | 2,846,289 | 790 sq mi (2,046 km²) |
|
| Placer County | 061 | Auburn | 1851 | Parts of Sutter County and Yuba County. | - | 307,004 | 1,503 sq mi (3,893 km²) |
|
| Plumas County | 063 | Quincy | 1854 | Part of Butte County. | For the Feather River, "Plumas" meaning "feathers" in Spanish | 20,824 | 2,554 sq mi (6,615 km²) |
|
| Riverside County | 065 | Riverside | 1893 | Parts of San Bernardino County and San Diego County. | From the city of Riverside being alongside the Santa Ana River | 1,545,387 | 7,208 sq mi (18,669 km²) |
|
| Sacramento County | 067 | Sacramento | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | From the Sacramento River, itself named for the Santisimo Sacramento (Spanish for Most Holy Sacrament) a reference to the Eucharist | 1,223,499 | 966 sq mi (2,502 km²) |
|
| San Benito County | 069 | Hollister | 1874 | Part of Monterey County. | - | 53,234 | 1,389 sq mi (3,597 km²) |
|
| San Bernardino County | 071 | San Bernardino | 1853 | Part of Los Angeles County. | Named for Saint Bernardino of Siena | 1,709,434 | 20,062 sq mi (51,960 km²) |
|
| San Diego County | 073 | San Diego | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Named for San Diego Bay, itself named for Saint Didacus of Alcalá, or San Diego de Alcalá in Spanish | 2,813,833 | 4,204 sq mi (10,888 km²) |
|
| San Francisco County | 075 | San Francisco | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), a Roman Catholic saint and founder of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) | 776,733 | 47 sq mi (122 km²) |
|
| San Joaquin County | 077 | Stockton | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 563,598 | 1,399 sq mi (3,623 km²) |
|
| San Luis Obispo County | 079 | San Luis Obispo | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop. | 246,681 | 3,304 sq mi (8,557 km²) |
|
| San Mateo County | 081 | Redwood City | 1856 | Part of San Francisco County. | - | 707,161 | 449 sq mi (1,163 km²) |
|
| Santa Barbara County | 083 | Santa Barbara | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Spanish for Saint Barbara | 399,347 | 2,738 sq mi (7,091 km²) |
|
| Santa Clara County | 085 | San Jose | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 1,682,585 | 1,291 sq mi (3,344 km²) |
|
| Santa Cruz County | 087 | Santa Cruz | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 255,602 | 446 sq mi (1,155 km²) |
|
| Shasta County | 089 | Redding | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 163,256 | 3,786 sq mi (9,806 km²) |
|
| Sierra County | 091 | Downieville | 1852 | Part of Yuba County. | - | 3,555 | 953 sq mi (2,468 km²) |
|
| Siskiyou County | 093 | Yreka | 1852 | Parts of Shasta County and Klamath County. | County named after Siskiyou Mountain Range; etymology of Siskiyou is disputed | 44,301 | 6,287 sq mi (16,283 km²) |
|
| Solano County | 095 | Fairfield | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 394,542 | 828 sq mi (2,145 km²) |
|
| Sonoma County | 097 | Santa Rosa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 458,614 | 1,576 sq mi (4,082 km²) |
|
| Stanislaus County | 099 | Modesto | 1854 | Part of Tuolumne County. | - | 446,997 | 1,495 sq mi (3,872 km²) |
|
| Sutter County | 101 | Yuba City | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | Named for Johann Augustus Sutter (a.k.a. John Sutter) (1803–1880), a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush | 78,930 | 603 sq mi (1,562 km²) |
|
| Tehama County | 103 | Red Bluff | 1856 | Parts of Butte County, Colusa County and Shasta County. | - | 56,039 | 2,951 sq mi (7,643 km²) |
|
| Trinity County | 105 | Weaverville | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 13,022 | 3,179 sq mi (8,234 km²) |
|
| Tulare County | 107 | Visalia | 1852 | Part of Mariposa County. | - | 368,021 | 4,824 sq mi (12,494 km²) |
|
| Tuolumne County | 109 | Sonora | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 54,501 | 2,236 sq mi (5,791 km²) |
|
| Ventura County | 111 | Ventura | 1872 | Part of Santa Barbara County. | Abbreviation of San Buenaventura, Spanish for St. Bonaventure. | 753,197 | 1,846 sq mi (4,781 km²) |
|
| Yolo County | 113 | Woodland | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 168,660 | 1,012 sq mi (2,621 km²) |
|
| Yuba County | 115 | Marysville | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 71,938 | 630 sq mi (1,632 km²) |
Defunct counties
- Klamath County was created in 1851 from the northern half of Trinity County, but in 1874 it was divided between Humboldt and Siskiyou counties. Part of the county's territory went to Del Norte in 1857.
- Pautah County was created in 1852 out of territory which, the state of California assumed, was to be ceded to it by the United States Congress from territory in what is now the state of Nevada. When the cession never occurred, the California State Legislature officially abolished the never-created county in 1859.
See also
Notes
- ^ Reynolds, 48-49.
- ^ EPA County FIPS Code Listing. EPA.gov. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
- ^ a b c d National Association of Counties. NACo - Find a county. Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
- ^ The most recent county formed.
- ^ Mariposa County was the largest of the state's original counties, but territory that was once part of Mariposa is now part of 12 other counties -- Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare.
External links
- California State Association of Counties
- State map showing the county names and linking to county data
|
|||||