List of counties in California
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Counties of 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.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 | County Seat | Created | Formed from | Etymology | Population | Area | 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Alameda County.svg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Alpine County.svg |
| 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 of inanimate objects". | 35,100 | 593 sq mi (1,536 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Amador County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Butte County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Calaveras County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Colusa County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Contra Costa County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Del Norte County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting El Dorado County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Fresno County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Glenn County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Humboldt County.svg |
| Imperial County | 025 | El Centro | 1907 | Part of San Diego County.[2] | From the Imperial Valley, which tooks its name from the Imperial Land Company | 142,361 | 4,175 sq mi (10,813 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Imperial County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Inyo County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Kern County.svg |
| Kings County | 031 | Hanford | 1893 | Part of Tulare County. | From the Kings River | 129,461 | 1,390 sq mi (3,600 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Kings County.svg |
| Lake County | 033 | Lakeport | 1861 | Part of Napa County. | From Clear Lake. | 58,309 | 1,258 sq mi (3,258 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Lake County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Lassen County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Los Angeles County.svg |
| Madera County | 039 | Madera | 1893 | Part of Fresno County. | Spanish for wood | 123,109 | 2,138 sq mi (5,537 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Madera County.svg |
| Marin County | 041 | San Rafael | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 247,289 | 520 sq mi (1,347 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Marin County.svg |
| Mariposa County | 043 | Mariposa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties.[3] | Spanish for butterfly | 17,130 | 1,451 sq mi (3,758 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Mariposa County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Mendocino County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Merced County.svg |
| Modoc County | 049 | Alturas | 1874 | Part of Siskiyou County. | From the Native American Modoc people | 9,449 | 3,944 sq mi (10,215 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Modoc County.svg |
| Mono County | 051 | Bridgeport | 1861 | Parts of Calaveras County, Fresno County and Mariposa County. | - | 12,853 | 3,044 sq mi (7,884 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Mono County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Monterey County.svg |
| Napa County | 055 | Napa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 124,279 | 754 sq mi (1,953 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Napa County.svg |
| Nevada County | 057 | Nevada City | 1851 | Part of Yuba County. | - | 92,033 | 958 sq mi (2,481 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Nevada County.svg |
| Orange County | 059 | Santa Ana | 1889 | Part of Los Angeles County. | - | 2,846,289 | 790 sq mi (2,046 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Orange County.svg |
| Placer County | 061 | Auburn | 1851 | Parts of Sutter County and Yuba County. | - | 307,004 | 1,503 sq mi (3,893 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Placer County.svg |
| Plumas County | 063 | Quincy | 1854 | Part of Butte County. | - | 20,824 | 2,554 sq mi (6,615 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Plumas County.svg |
| Riverside County | 065 | Riverside | 1893 | Parts of San Bernardino County and San Diego County. | - | 1,545,387 | 7,208 sq mi (18,669 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Riverside County.svg |
| Sacramento County | 067 | Sacramento | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 1,223,499 | 966 sq mi (2,502 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Sacramento County.svg |
| San Benito County | 069 | Hollister | 1874 | Part of Monterey County. | - | 53,234 | 1,389 sq mi (3,597 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Benito County.svg |
| San Bernardino County | 071 | San Bernardino | 1853 | Part of Los Angeles County. | - | 1,709,434 | 20,062 sq mi (51,960 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Bernardino County.svg |
| San Diego County | 073 | San Diego | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 2,813,833 | 4,204 sq mi (10,888 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Diego County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Francisco County.svg |
| San Joaquin County | 077 | Stockton | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 563,598 | 1,399 sq mi (3,623 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Joaquin County.svg |
| San Luis Obispo County | 079 | San Luis Obispo | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 246,681 | 3,304 sq mi (8,557 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Luis Obispo County.svg |
| San Mateo County | 081 | Redwood City | 1856 | Part of San Francisco County. | - | 707,161 | 449 sq mi (1,163 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting San Mateo County.svg |
| Santa Barbara County | 083 | Santa Barbara | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 399,347 | 2,738 sq mi (7,091 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Santa Barbara County.svg |
| Santa Clara County | 085 | San Jose | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 1,682,585 | 1,291 sq mi (3,344 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Santa Clara County.svg |
| Santa Cruz County | 087 | Santa Cruz | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 255,602 | 446 sq mi (1,155 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Santa Cruz County.svg |
| Shasta County | 089 | Redding | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 163,256 | 3,786 sq mi (9,806 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Shasta County.svg |
| Sierra County | 091 | Downieville | 1852 | Part of Yuba County. | - | 3,555 | 953 sq mi (2,468 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Sierra County.svg |
| Siskiyou County | 093 | Yreka | 1852 | Parts of Shasta County and Klamath County. | - | 44,301 | 6,287 sq mi (16,283 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Siskiyou County.svg |
| Solano County | 095 | Fairfield | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 394,542 | 828 sq mi (2,145 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Solano County.svg |
| Sonoma County | 097 | Santa Rosa | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 458,614 | 1,576 sq mi (4,082 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Sonoma County.svg |
| Stanislaus County | 099 | Modesto | 1854 | Part of Tuolumne County. | - | 446,997 | 1,495 sq mi (3,872 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Stanislaus County.svg |
| 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) | Image:Map of California highlighting Sutter County.svg |
| Tehama County | 103 | Red Bluff | 1856 | Parts of Butte County, Colusa County and Shasta County. | - | 56,039 | 2,951 sq mi (7,643 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Tehama County.svg |
| Trinity County | 105 | Weaverville | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 13,022 | 3,179 sq mi (8,234 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Trinity County.svg |
| Tulare County | 107 | Visalia | 1852 | Part of Mariposa County. | - | 368,021 | 4,824 sq mi (12,494 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Tulare County.svg |
| Tuolumne County | 109 | Sonora | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 54,501 | 2,236 sq mi (5,791 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Tuolumne County.svg |
| Ventura County | 111 | Ventura | 1872 | Part of Santa Barbara County. | - | 753,197 | 1,846 sq mi (4,781 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Ventura County.svg |
| Yolo County | 113 | Woodland | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 168,660 | 1,012 sq mi (2,621 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Yolo County.svg |
| Yuba County | 115 | Marysville | 1850 | One of the twenty-seven original counties. | - | 71,938 | 630 sq mi (1,632 km²) | Image:Map of California highlighting Yuba County.svg |
[edit] 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Reynolds, 48-49.
- ^ 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.
[edit] External links
- California State Association of Counties
- State map showing the county names and linking to county data
Lists of counties in the United States (parishes in Louisiana; boroughs and census areas in Alaska) |
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