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California State...
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California Counties
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California Counties
The U.S. state of California is divided into fifty-eight 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. |
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Butte County, California
Butte County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Oroville
Year Organized: 1850
Square Miles: 1,640 |
Court House: 25 County Center Drive
Oroville, CA 95965-3316
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Its name is derived from the Marysville or Sutter Buttes, which
lay within the boundaries when it was created. The word butte is derived from
the Teutonic word meaning "a blunt extension or elevation." In the French
language, it signifies "a small hill or mound of earth detached from any
mountain range."
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Butte County, the “Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty” was one of the original California counties, founded on
February 18, 1850. Butte County was one of California's first counties, created at time of statehood. Part of the
county's territory was given to Plumas County in 1854 and to Tehama County in 1856. Its name is derived from the Marysville or Sutter Buttes, which lay within the boundaries of the
county when it was created. Butte County is the home of 210,500 people, living in the cities of Chico, Oroville,
Gridley, Biggs, Paradise or other parts of the county.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,677 square miles (4,344 kmē),
of which, 1,639 square miles (4,246 kmē) of it is land and 38 square miles (97 kmē) of it (2.24%) is
water.
The county is drained by the Feather River and Butte Creek. Part of the county's western border is
formed by the Sacramento River. The county lies along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the steep
slopes making it prime territory for the siting of hydroelectric power plants. About a half dozen of
these plants are located in the county.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Plumas County
- Southeast: Yuba County
- South: Sutter County
- Southwest: Colusa County
- West: Glenn County
- Northwest: Tehama County
Cities and Towns:
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- Biggs |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Chico |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Gridley |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Oroville
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Paradise |
town |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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