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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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Lake County, California
Lake County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Lakeport
Year Organized: 1861
Square Miles: 1,258
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Court House: 255 North Forbes Street
County Courthouse
Lakeport, CA 95453-4759
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Created 1861, from territory formerly included in Napa County.
This county derived its name because of the many charming lakes in the area,
most prominently Clear Lake.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Clear Lake, the 43,000-acre center of Lake County, is the largest natural lake in California; it may very well be the
oldest lake in North America as scientific evidence has proven the lake to be at least 150,000 years old. The area took
shape from volcanic action; Clear Lake's current form was created by a landslide thousands of years age which blocked
the broad valley's drainage west into the Russian River. The water rose until it found a new outlet, Cache Creek, which
drains eastward into the Sacramento River.
Four thousand years before the rise of the Egyptian civilization, the Pomo Indians were hunting, fishing, and collecting
plant foods on the shores of Clear Lake. The lake yielded an abundance of fish, as well as tule reeds from which they
made clothing, boats, dwellings, and household items. Today, Pomo baskets are widely admired throughout the West.
In the 1850's the first European families found their way to Lake County; the first of these settlers lived near what is
now Kelseyville. Farming and ranching grew rapidly and toll roads began climbing over the mountains in the 1860's,
bringing settlers in increasing numbers. The Pomo were gradually forced from their traditional homes to rancherias.
Natural mineral springs became immensely popular, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe to
"take the waters." Huge resort complexes were built, and enjoying wide fame were Bartlett Springs, Soda Bay Springs,
Seigler Springs, Anderson and Adams Springs. Many of these grand resorts were destroyed by fire, and most were not
rebuilt.
Lacking roads along the perimeter of Clear Lake, steamers plied the waters connecting visitors to resorts across the
lake. Steam boats, and then gas powered boats, became a favored means of transportation and recreation.
Automobiles gradually superseded boats, and it was several decades later that boats regained popularity. Today residents
and visitors enjoy canoes, sailboats, fishing boats, speedboats, pontoon boats, and even oarless boat races on the many
lakes of Lake County.
Agriculture has continued its role as a mainstay. Lake County's Bartlett pears, walnuts, and wines enjoy wide
recognition. Wild rice and kiwifruit are products less significant.
In the twenty-first century, Lake County begins a renaissance reminiscent of her former glory as "playground" to the Bay
Area.
The following historical timeline was compiled by Dick Dunn shortly
before his death. In his own words, it was an "Incomplete Chronological History of Lake County". It is
presented as a community resource and will be amended as additional data is perused. (7/98)
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,329 square miles (3,443 kmē),
of which, 1,258 square miles (3,258 kmē) of it is land and 72 square miles (185 kmē) of it (5.38%) is
water.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Glenn County
- East: Colusa County
- Southeast: Yolo County; Napa County
- South: Sonoma County
- Northwest: Mendocino County
Cities and Towns:
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- Clearlake |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lakeport
(County Seat) |
city |
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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