List of counties in California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids California |
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Location | State of California |
Number | 58 Counties |
Populations | 1,110 (Alpine) – 10,170,292 (Los Angeles) |
Areas | 47 square miles (120 km2) (San Francisco City and County) – 20,062 square miles (51,960 km2) (San Bernardino) |
Government | County government |
Subdivisions | Communities, Charter city |
The state of California is divided into 58 counties. The region was first divided into twenty-seven counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen were counties formed though further sub-division from 1861 to 1893. The last, Imperial County, was formed in 1907. California is home to San Bernardino County, the largest county in the contiguous United States, as well as Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States.
More counties in California are named for saints than any other state.
Contents
List
County |
FIPS code | County seat | Established | Formed from | Etymology | Population | Area | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alameda County | 001 | Oakland | 1853 | Contra Costa and Santa Clara | The oak and other trees, once abundant in the region; alameda is Spanish for "avenue shaded by trees" or "cottonwood grove." | 1,638,215 | ( 1,911 km2) |
738 sq mi|
Alpine County | 003 | Markleeville | 1864 | Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras, Mono and Tuolumne | Location high in the Sierra Nevada; alpine refers to the Alps or other mountains. | 1,110 | ( 1,914 km2) |
739 sq mi|
Amador County | 005 | Jackson | 1854 | Calaveras | Jose Maria Amador (1794–1883), a soldier, rancher, and miner who, along with several Native Americans, established a successful gold mining camp near present-day Amador City in 1848. | 37,001 | ( 1,570 km2) |
606 sq mi|
Butte County | 007 | Oroville | 1850 | original | Sutter Buttes, which were mistakenly thought to be in the county at the time of its establishment. | 225,411 | ( 4,248 km2) |
1,640 sq mi|
Calaveras County | 009 | San Andreas | 1850 | original | Calaveras River; calaveras is Spanish for "skulls." | 44,828 | ( 2,642 km2) |
1,020 sq mi|
Colusa County | 011 | Colusa | 1850 | original | Rancho Colus land grant from Mexico. | 21,482 | ( 2,981 km2) |
1,151 sq mi|
Contra Costa County | 013 | Martinez | 1850 | original | Location across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco; contra costa is Spanish for "opposite coast." | 1,126,745 | ( 1,865 km2) |
720 sq mi|
Del Norte County | 015 | Crescent City | 1857 | Klamath | Location along California's northern border; del norte is Spanish for "northern." | 27,254 | ( 2,611 km2) |
1,008 sq mi|
El Dorado County | 017 | Placerville | 1850 | original | El Dorado, a mythical city of gold, owing to the area's significance in the California Gold Rush. | 184,452 | ( 4,434 km2) |
1,712 sq mi|
Fresno County | 019 | Fresno | 1856 | Mariposa, Merced and Tulare | The city of Fresno; fresno is Spanish for "ash tree." | 974,861 | ( 15,444 km2) |
5,963 sq mi|
Glenn County | 021 | Willows | 1891 | Colusa | Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, a California businessman and politician. | 28,017 | ( 3,406 km2) |
1,315 sq mi|
Humboldt County | 023 | Eureka | 1853 | Trinity | Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and explorer. | 135,727 | ( 9,254 km2) |
3,573 sq mi|
Imperial County | 025 | El Centro | 1907 | San Diego | Imperial Valley, named after the Imperial Land Company. | 180,191 | ( 10,813 km2) |
4,175 sq mi|
Inyo County | 027 | Independence | 1866 | Mono and Tulare | Exact etymology disputed; early settlers believed Inyo to be the native name for area mountains, but it may be the name of a Mono Indian leader. | 18,260 | ( 26,397 km2) |
10,192 sq mi|
Kern County | 029 | Bakersfield | 1866 | Los Angeles and Tulare | Edward Kern, cartographer for John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition. | 882,176 | ( 21,088 km2) |
8,142 sq mi|
Kings County | 031 | Hanford | 1893 | Tulare | Kings River; original Spanish name Rio de los Santos Reyes ("River of the Holy Kings"). | 150,965 | ( 3,600 km2) |
1,390 sq mi|
Lake County | 033 | Lakeport | 1861 | Napa | Clear Lake. | 64,591 | ( 3,258 km2) |
1,258 sq mi|
Lassen County | 035 | Susanville | 1864 | Plumas and Shasta, and now defunct Lake County, Nevada | Peter Lassen, a Danish naturalist and explorer. | 31,345 | ( 11,805 km2) |
4,558 sq mi|
Los Angeles County | 037 | Los Angeles | 1850 | original | The city of Los Angeles, derived from the original Spanish name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula ("The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of the River of Porziuncola"). | 10,170,292 | ( 10,515 km2) |
4,060 sq mi|
Madera County | 039 | Madera | 1893 | Mariposa | The city of Madera, which was named for the forested landscape; madera is Spanish for "wood." | 154,998 | ( 5,537 km2) |
2,138 sq mi|
Marin County | 041 | San Rafael | 1850 | original | Exact etymology disputed; probably a corrupted abbreviation of Bahía de Nuestra Señora del Rosario la Marina, the Spanish name for area headlands along San Francisco Bay. | 261,221 | ( 1,347 km2) |
520 sq mi|
Mariposa County | 043 | Mariposa | 1850 | original | The city of Mariposa; mariposa is Spanish for "butterfly." | 17,531 | ( 3,758 km2) |
1,451 sq mi|
Mendocino County | 045 | Ukiah | 1850 | original | Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of New Spain. | 87,649 | ( 9,088 km2) |
3,509 sq mi|
Merced County | 047 | Merced | 1855 | Mariposa | The city of Merced, derived from the original Spanish name El Río de Nuestra Señora de la Merced ("River of Our Lady of Mercy"). | 268,455 | ( 4,996 km2) |
1,929 sq mi|
Modoc County | 049 | Alturas | 1874 | Siskiyou | The Modoc people. | 8,965 | ( 10,215 km2) |
3,944 sq mi|
Mono County | 051 | Bridgeport | 1861 | Calaveras, Fresno and Mariposa | Mono Lake; derived from Monachi, a Yokut name for native peoples of the Sierra Nevada. | 13,909 | ( 7,884 km2) |
3,044 sq mi|
Monterey County | 053 | Salinas | 1850 | original | Monterey Bay; monterey is a Spanish portmanteau of monte ("hill") and rey ("king"). | 433,898 | ( 8,604 km2) |
3,322 sq mi|
Napa County | 055 | Napa | 1850 | original | Disputed origin; possibly derived from the Patwin word napo, meaning "home." | 142,456 | ( 1,953 km2) |
754 sq mi|
Nevada County | 057 | Nevada City | 1851 | Yuba | The bordering state of Nevada; nevada is Spanish for "snow-covered," referencing the area's high elevation. | 98,877 | ( 2,481 km2) |
958 sq mi|
Orange County | 059 | Santa Ana | 1889 | Los Angeles | Oranges, which were widely cultivated in the area at the time the county was established. | 3,169,776 | ( 2,046 km2) |
790 sq mi|
Placer County | 061 | Auburn | 1851 | Sutter and Yuba | Placer is a Spanish term for gravel deposits containing gold, a reference to the California Gold Rush, which was centered in the area. | 375,391 | ( 3,893 km2) |
1,503 sq mi|
Plumas County | 063 | Quincy | 1854 | Butte | The Feather River; plumas is Spanish for "feathers." | 18,409 | ( 6,615 km2) |
2,554 sq mi|
Riverside County | 065 | Riverside | 1893 | San Bernardino and San Diego | The city of Riverside, named for its location on the Santa Ana River. | 2,361,026 | ( 18,669 km2) |
7,208 sq mi|
Sacramento County | 067 | Sacramento | 1850 | original | The city of Sacramento, named after the Santisimo Sacramento (Spanish for "Most Holy Sacrament"). | 1,501,335 | ( 2,502 km2) |
966 sq mi|
San Benito County | 069 | Hollister | 1874 | Monterey | Saint Benedict (Benito is a Spanish diminutive of Benedict). | 58,792 | ( 3,597 km2) |
1,389 sq mi|
San Bernardino County | 071 | San Bernardino | 1853 | Los Angeles | The city of San Bernardino, named after Saint Bernardino of Siena (Spanish for Saint Bernardine). | 2,128,133 | ( 51,960 km2) |
20,062 sq mi|
San Diego County | 073 | San Diego | 1850 | original | The city of San Diego (Spanish for Saint Didacus). | 3,299,521 | ( 10,888 km2) |
4,204 sq mi|
City and County of San Francisco | 075 | San Francisco | 1850 | original | The city of San Francisco, named after Saint Francis of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Francis). | 864,816 | ( 122 km2) |
47 sq mi|
San Joaquin County | 077 | Stockton | 1850 | original | Spanish for Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary. | 726,106 | ( 3,623 km2) |
1,399 sq mi|
San Luis Obispo County | 079 | San Luis Obispo | 1850 | original | The city of San Luis Obispo, named after Saint Louis of Toulouse (Spanish for Saint Louis, the Bishop). | 281,401 | ( 8,557 km2) |
3,304 sq mi|
San Mateo County | 081 | Redwood City | 1856 | San Francisco and Santa Cruz | Spanish for Saint Matthew. | 765,135 | ( 1,163 km2) |
449 sq mi|
Santa Barbara County | 083 | Santa Barbara | 1850 | original | The city of Santa Barbara (Spanish for Saint Barbara). | 444,769 | ( 7,091 km2) |
2,738 sq mi|
Santa Clara County | 085 | San Jose | 1850 | original | Mission Santa Clara de Asís, named for Saint Clare of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Clare). | 1,918,044 | ( 3,344 km2) |
1,291 sq mi|
Santa Cruz County | 087 | Santa Cruz | 1850 | original | The city of Santa Cruz; santa cruz is Spanish for "holy cross." | 274,146 | ( 1,155 km2) |
446 sq mi|
Shasta County | 089 | Redding | 1850 | original | Mount Shasta; the indigenous Shasta people. | 179,533 | ( 9,806 km2) |
3,786 sq mi|
Sierra County | 091 | Downieville | 1852 | Yuba | Sierra is Spanish for "mountain range", a reference to the area's topography. | 2,967 | ( 2,468 km2) |
953 sq mi|
Siskiyou County | 093 | Yreka | 1852 | Shasta and Klamath | Siskiyou Mountains; exact etymology of Siskiyou is disputed. | 43,554 | ( 16,283 km2) |
6,287 sq mi|
Solano County | 095 | Fairfield | 1850 | original | Chief Solano of the Suisunes. | 436,092 | ( 2,145 km2) |
828 sq mi|
Sonoma County | 097 | Santa Rosa | 1850 | original | Exact etymology disputed; probably a Pomo term meaning "valley of the moon," which references a native legend about spiritual activity in the area. | 502,146 | ( 4,082 km2) |
1,576 sq mi|
Stanislaus County | 099 | Modesto | 1854 | Tuolumne | Stanislaus River, named after Estanislao, a native of the area when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule. | 538,388 | ( 3,872 km2) |
1,495 sq mi|
Sutter County | 101 | Yuba City | 1850 | original | John Sutter, a Swiss pioneer of California associated with the California Gold Rush. | 96,463 | ( 1,562 km2) |
603 sq mi|
Tehama County | 103 | Red Bluff | 1856 | Butte, Colusa and Shasta | The city of Tehama, probably a native term describing its location. | 63,308 | ( 7,643 km2) |
2,951 sq mi|
Trinity County | 105 | Weaverville | 1850 | original | The city of Trinidad, Spanish for "trinity." | 13,069 | ( 8,234 km2) |
3,179 sq mi|
Tulare County | 107 | Visalia | 1852 | Mariposa | Tulare Lake, which is named after the tule rush (Schoenoplectus acutus) that grew in the marshes and sloughs along its shores. | 459,863 | ( 12,494 km2) |
4,824 sq mi|
Tuolumne County | 109 | Sonora | 1850 | original | Exact etymology disputed; probably a corruption of the native term talmalamne, which means "cluster of stone wigwams," a reference to local cave dwelling tribes. | 53,709 | ( 5,791 km2) |
2,236 sq mi|
Ventura County | 111 | Ventura | 1872 | Santa Barbara | The city of Ventura, derived from San Buenaventura, Spanish for St. Bonaventure. | 850,536 | ( 4,781 km2) |
1,846 sq mi|
Yolo County | 113 | Woodland | 1850 | original | The Yolan people, a local Native American tribe. | 213,016 | ( 2,621 km2) |
1,012 sq mi|
Yuba County | 115 | Marysville | 1850 | original | Named either by the Maidu people, a local Native American tribe who live on the banks of the Feather and Yuba Rivers, for one of their villages, or by Gabriel Moraga for the wild grapes (Vitis californica) that grow abundantly at the edge of the rivers (uva is Spanish for "grape"). | 74,492 | ( 1,632 km2) |
630 sq mi
Defunct counties
- Klamath County was created in 1851 from the northern half of Trinity County. Part of the county's territory went to Del Norte County in 1857, and in 1874 the remainder was divided between Humboldt and Siskiyou counties.
- 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-organized county in 1859.
- Buena Vista County - created in 1855 by the California legislature out of the southeastern territory of Tulare County on the west of the Sierra Nevada but was never officially organized. The south of Tulare County was later organized as Kern County in 1866, with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
- Coso County - created in 1864 by the California legislature out of territory of Mono County and Tulare County on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada but was never officially organized. The region was later organized in 1866 as Inyo County with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Condados de California para niños
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List of counties in California Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.