Counties of California
IM SD RV OR SB LA KE VE BR LO MT BN FR KG TL IN MN AL TU MR MD ME SC SZ SM SF AM CC SJ ST CA AD ED SA SL YO NA MA SN MC LK CO SR YU PL NV SE BU GL TE PM LS MO SH SK TR HU DN
Location	State of California
Created	1850 (27 original counties)
Number	58 counties
Populations	Minimum: Alpine, 1,110 Maximum: Los Angeles, 10,170,292
Areas	Minimum: San Francisco, 47 square miles (120 km2) Maximum: San Bernardino, 20,062 square miles (51,960 km2)
Government	Local government in California
Subdivisions	Charter cities

The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties.^[1] 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 through 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. The most recent county to form was Imperial County, in 1907.

California counties are general law counties by default, but may be chartered as provided in Article XI, Section 3 of the California Constitution.^[2] A charter county is granted considerably more home rule authority than a general law county. Of the 58 counties in California, 14 are governed under a charter. They are Alameda, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Tehama.^[3]

More counties in California are named for saints than in any other state.^[4]

List[edit]

County	FIPS code[5]	County seat[6]	Established[6]	Formed from	Etymology[7]	General Law or Charter [8]	Population[9]	Area[6]	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".	Charter	7006166319000000000♠1,663,190	7002738000000000000♠738 sq mi (7003191100000000000♠1,911 km2)
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.	General Law	7003112000000000000♠1,120	7002739000000000000♠739 sq mi (7003191400000000000♠1,914 km2)
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.	General Law	7004386260000000000♠38,626	7002606000000000000♠606 sq mi (7003157000000000000♠1,570 km2)
Butte County	007	Oroville	1850	original	Sutter Buttes, which were mistakenly thought to be in the county at the time of its establishment.	Charter	7005229294000000000♠229,294	7003164000000000000♠1,640 sq mi (7003424800000000000♠4,248 km2)
Calaveras County	009	San Andreas	1850	original	Calaveras River; calaveras is Spanish for "skulls".	General Law	7004456700000000000♠45,670	7003102000000000000♠1,020 sq mi (7003264200000000000♠2,642 km2)
Colusa County	011	Colusa	1850	original	Rancho Colus land grant from Mexico.	General Law	7004218050000000000♠21,805	7003115100000000000♠1,151 sq mi (7003298100000000000♠2,981 km2)
Contra Costa County	013	Martinez	1850	original	Location across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco; contra costa is Spanish for "opposite coast".	General Law	7006114743900000000♠1,147,439	7002720000000000000♠720 sq mi (7003186500000000000♠1,865 km2)
Del Norte County	015	Crescent City	1857	Klamath	Location along California's northern border; del norte is Spanish for "northern".	General Law	7004274700000000000♠27,470	7003100800000000000♠1,008 sq mi (7003261100000000000♠2,611 km2)
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.	Charter	7005188987000000000♠188,987	7003171200000000000♠1,712 sq mi (7003443400000000000♠4,434 km2)
Fresno County	019	Fresno	1856	Mariposa, Merced and Tulare	The city of Fresno; fresno is Spanish for "ash tree".	Charter	7005989255000000000♠989,255	7003596300000000000♠5,963 sq mi (7004154440000000000♠15,444 km2)
Glenn County	021	Willows	1891	Colusa	Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, a California businessman and politician.	General Law	7004280940000000000♠28,094	7003131500000000000♠1,315 sq mi (7003340600000000000♠3,406 km2)
Humboldt County	023	Eureka	1853	Trinity	Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and explorer.	General Law	7005136754000000000♠136,754	7003357300000000000♠3,573 sq mi (7003925400000000000♠9,254 km2)
Imperial County	025	El Centro	1907	San Diego	Imperial Valley, named after the Imperial Land Company.	General Law	7005182830000000000♠182,830	7003417500000000000♠4,175 sq mi (7004108130000000000♠10,813 km2)
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.	General Law	7004180260000000000♠18,026	7004101920000000000♠10,192 sq mi (7004263970000000000♠26,397 km2)
Kern County	029	Bakersfield	1866	Los Angeles and Tulare	Edward Kern, cartographer for John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition.	General Law	7005893119000000000♠893,119	7003814200000000000♠8,142 sq mi (7004210880000000000♠21,088 km2)
Kings County	031	Hanford	1893	Tulare	Kings River; original Spanish name Rio de los Santos Reyes ("River of the Holy Kings").	General Law	7005150101000000000♠150,101	7003139000000000000♠1,390 sq mi (7003360000000000000♠3,600 km2)
Lake County	033	Lakeport	1861	Napa	Clear Lake.	General Law	7004642460000000000♠64,246	7003125800000000000♠1,258 sq mi (7003325800000000000♠3,258 km2)
Lassen County	035	Susanville	1864	Plumas and Shasta, and now defunct Lake County, Nevada	Peter Lassen, a Danish naturalist and explorer.	General Law	7004311630000000000♠31,163	7003455800000000000♠4,558 sq mi (7004118050000000000♠11,805 km2)
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").	Charter	7007101635070000000♠10,163,507	7003406000000000000♠4,060 sq mi (7004105150000000000♠10,515 km2)
Madera County	039	Madera	1893	Mariposa	The city of Madera, which was named for the forested landscape; madera is Spanish for "wood".	General Law	7005156890000000000♠156,890	7003213800000000000♠2,138 sq mi (7003553700000000000♠5,537 km2)
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.	General Law	7005260955000000000♠260,955	7002520000000000000♠520 sq mi (7003134700000000000♠1,347 km2)
Mariposa County	043	Mariposa	1850	original	The city of Mariposa; mariposa is Spanish for "butterfly".	General Law	7004175690000000000♠17,569	7003145100000000000♠1,451 sq mi (7003375800000000000♠3,758 km2)
Mendocino County	045	Ukiah	1850	original	Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of New Spain.	General Law	7004880180000000000♠88,018	7003350900000000000♠3,509 sq mi (7003908800000000000♠9,088 km2)
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").	General Law	7005272673000000000♠272,673	7003192900000000000♠1,929 sq mi (7003499600000000000♠4,996 km2)
Modoc County	049	Alturas	1874	Siskiyou	The Modoc people.	General Law	7003885900000000000♠8,859	7003394400000000000♠3,944 sq mi (7004102150000000000♠10,215 km2)
Mono County	051	Bridgeport	1861	Calaveras, Fresno and Mariposa	Mono Lake; derived from Monachi, a Yokut name for native peoples of the Sierra Nevada.	General Law	7004141680000000000♠14,168	7003304400000000000♠3,044 sq mi (7003788400000000000♠7,884 km2)
Monterey County	053	Salinas	1850	original	Derived from Monterey Bay, which was named for a Viceroy of New Spain, Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey.	General Law	7005437907000000000♠437,907	7003332200000000000♠3,322 sq mi (7003860400000000000♠8,604 km2)
Napa County	055	Napa	1850	original	Disputed origin; possibly derived from the Patwin word napo, meaning "home".	General Law	7005140973000000000♠140,973	7002754000000000000♠754 sq mi (7003195300000000000♠1,953 km2)
Nevada County	057	Nevada City	1851	Yuba	The phrase Sierra Nevada; nevada is Spanish for "snow-covered," referencing the area's high elevation. The neighboring state was named after the county, which was named after Nevada City.	General Law	7004998140000000000♠99,814	7002958000000000000♠958 sq mi (7003248100000000000♠2,481 km2)
Orange County	059	Santa Ana	1889	Los Angeles	Oranges, which were widely cultivated in the area at the time the county was established.	Charter	7006319040000000000♠3,190,400	7002948000000000000♠948 sq mi (7003245500000000000♠2,455 km2)
Placer County	061	Auburn	1851	Sacramento	California Gold Rush, a reference to the area being a center of the California Gold Rush.	Charter	7005386166000000000♠386,166	7003140700000000000♠1,407 sq mi (7003364400000000000♠3,644 km2)
Plumas County	063	Quincy	1854	Butte	The Feather River; plumas is Spanish for "feathers".	General Law	7004187420000000000♠18,742	7003255400000000000♠2,554 sq mi (7003661500000000000♠6,615 km2)
Riverside County	065	Riverside	1893	San Bernardino and San Diego	The city of Riverside, named for its location on the Santa Ana River.	General Law	7006242326600000000♠2,423,266	7003720800000000000♠7,208 sq mi (7004186690000000000♠18,669 km2)
Sacramento County	067	Sacramento	1850	original	The city of Sacramento, named after the Santisimo Sacramento (Spanish for "Most Holy Sacrament").	Charter	7006153061500000000♠1,530,615	7002966000000000000♠966 sq mi (7003250200000000000♠2,502 km2)
San Benito County	069	Hollister	1874	Monterey	Saint Benedict (Benito is a Spanish diminutive of Benedict).	General Law	7004603100000000000♠60,310	7003138900000000000♠1,389 sq mi (7003359700000000000♠3,597 km2)
San Bernardino County	071	San Bernardino	1853	Los Angeles	The city of San Bernardino, named after Saint Bernardino of Siena (Spanish for Saint Bernardine).	Charter	7006215740400000000♠2,157,404	7004200620000000000♠20,062 sq mi (7004519600000000000♠51,960 km2)
San Diego County	073	San Diego	1850	original	The city of San Diego, from Mission San Diego (Spanish for Saint Didacus).	Charter	7006333768500000000♠3,337,685	7003420400000000000♠4,204 sq mi (7004108880000000000♠10,888 km2)
San Francisco	075	San Francisco	1850	original	The city of San Francisco, from Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asís, named after Saint Francis of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Francis).	Charter	7005884363000000000♠884,363	7001470000000000000♠47 sq mi (7002122000000000000♠122 km2)
San Joaquin County	077	Stockton	1850	original	Spanish for Saint Joachim, father of the Virgin Mary.	General Law	7005745424000000000♠745,424	7003139900000000000♠1,399 sq mi (7003362300000000000♠3,623 km2)
San Luis Obispo County	079	San Luis Obispo	1850	original	The city of San Luis Obispo, from Mission San Luis Obispo, named after Saint Louis of Toulouse (Spanish for Saint Louis, the Bishop).	General Law	7005283405000000000♠283,405	7003330400000000000♠3,304 sq mi (7003855700000000000♠8,557 km2)
San Mateo County	081	Redwood City	1856	San Francisco and Santa Cruz	Spanish for Saint Matthew.	Charter	7005771410000000000♠771,410	7002449000000000000♠449 sq mi (7003116300000000000♠1,163 km2)
Santa Barbara County	083	Santa Barbara	1850	original	The city of Santa Barbara, from Mission Santa Barbara, (Spanish for Saint Barbara).	General Law	7005448150000000000♠448,150	7003273800000000000♠2,738 sq mi (7003709100000000000♠7,091 km2)
Santa Clara County	085	San Jose	1850	original	City of Santa Clara, from Mission Santa Clara de Asís, named for Saint Clare of Assisi (Spanish for Saint Clare).	Charter	7006193815300000000♠1,938,153	7003129100000000000♠1,291 sq mi (7003334400000000000♠3,344 km2)
Santa Cruz County	087	Santa Cruz	1850	original	The city of Santa Cruz, from Mission Santa Cruz (Spanish for "holy cross").	General Law	7005275897000000000♠275,897	7002446000000000000♠446 sq mi (7003115500000000000♠1,155 km2)
Shasta County	089	Redding	1850	original	Mount Shasta; the indigenous Shasta people.	General Law	7005179921000000000♠179,921	7003378600000000000♠3,786 sq mi (7003980600000000000♠9,806 km2)
Sierra County	091	Downieville	1852	Yuba	Sierra is Spanish for "mountain range", a reference to the area's topography.	General Law	7003299900000000000♠2,999	7002953000000000000♠953 sq mi (7003246800000000000♠2,468 km2)
Siskiyou County	093	Yreka	1852	Shasta and Klamath	Siskiyou Mountains; exact etymology of Siskiyou is disputed.	General Law	7004438530000000000♠43,853	7003628700000000000♠6,287 sq mi (7004162830000000000♠16,283 km2)
Solano County	095	Fairfield	1850	original	Chief Solano of the Suisunes.	General Law	7005445458000000000♠445,458	7002828000000000000♠828 sq mi (7003214500000000000♠2,145 km2)
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.	General Law	7005504217000000000♠504,217	7003157600000000000♠1,576 sq mi (7003408200000000000♠4,082 km2)
Stanislaus County	099	Modesto	1854	Tuolumne	Stanislaus River, named after Estanislao, a native of the area when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule.	General Law	7005547899000000000♠547,899	7003149500000000000♠1,495 sq mi (7003387200000000000♠3,872 km2)
Sutter County	101	Yuba City	1850	original	John Sutter, a Swiss pioneer of California associated with the California Gold Rush.	General Law	7004966480000000000♠96,648	7002603000000000000♠603 sq mi (7003156200000000000♠1,562 km2)
Tehama County	103	Red Bluff	1856	Butte, Colusa and Shasta	The city of Tehama, probably a native term describing its location.	Charter	7004639260000000000♠63,926	7003295100000000000♠2,951 sq mi (7003764300000000000♠7,643 km2)
Trinity County	105	Weaverville	1850	original	The city of Trinidad, Spanish for "trinity".	General Law	7004127090000000000♠12,709	7003317900000000000♠3,179 sq mi (7003823400000000000♠8,234 km2)
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.	General Law	7005464493000000000♠464,493	7003482400000000000♠4,824 sq mi (7004124940000000000♠12,494 km2)
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.	General Law	7004542480000000000♠54,248	7003223600000000000♠2,236 sq mi (7003579100000000000♠5,791 km2)
Ventura County	111	Ventura	1872	Santa Barbara	The city of Ventura, derived from Mission San Buenaventura (Spanish for St. Bonaventure).	General Law	7005854223000000000♠854,223	7003184600000000000♠1,846 sq mi (7003478100000000000♠4,781 km2)
Yolo County	113	Woodland	1850	original	The Yolan people, a local Native American tribe.	General Law	7005219116000000000♠219,116	7003101200000000000♠1,012 sq mi (7003262100000000000♠2,621 km2)
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").	General Law	7004770310000000000♠77,031	7002630000000000000♠630 sq mi (7003163200000000000♠1,632 km2)

Defunct counties[edit]

• 
  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 was created in 1855 by the California State 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 was created in 1864 by the California State 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.

Notes[edit]

External links[edit]

• California State Association of Counties


• State map showing the county names and linking to county data


• California State Association of Counties- The Creation of Our 58 Counties, with Maps of the 58 Counties Each Decade ca.1850–1900


• California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1907-Present