Sacramento County, California
| County of Sacramento | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| Region | Sacramento Valley | ||
| Metro area | Sacramento metropolitan area | ||
| Incorporated | 1850 | ||
| County seat | Sacramento | ||
| Largest city | Sacramento | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 995 sq mi (2,577 km2) | ||
| - Land | 966 sq mi (2,501.9 km2) | ||
| - Water | 30 sq mi (77.7 km2) | ||
| Population (2000) | 1,223,499 | ||
| - Density | 1,267/sq mi (489.2/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) | ||
| Website | www.saccounty.net | ||
Sacramento County is a county in California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2008, the population of this county was estimated to be 1,394,154.[1]
The Sacramento metropolitan area consists of four counties with Sacramento County being the largest. The County covers about 994 square miles (2,570 km2) in the middle of the California Central Valley, a large agricultural region. Sacramento County extends from the low delta lands between the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River north to about ten miles (16 km) beyond the State Capitol and east to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The southmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to San Francisco Bay.
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History
Sacramento County was one of the original counties of California, which were created in 1850 at the time of statehood.
The county was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border. The river was named by Spanish cavalry officer Gabriel Moraga for the Santisimo Sacramento (Most Holy Sacrament), referring to the Catholic Eucharist.
Alexander Hamilton Willard, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is buried in the old Franklin Cemetery.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 995 square miles (2,578 km²), of which 966 square miles (2,501 km²) is land and 30 square miles (77 km²) (3.00%) is water. Most of the county is at an elevation close to sea level, with some areas below sea level. Hills along the eastern boundary rise to several hundred feet. Major watercourses in the county include the American River, Sacramento River and Dry Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River.
Cities and towns
Incorporated places
- Citrus Heights (incorporated 1997)
- Elk Grove (incorporated 2000)
- Folsom (incorporated 1946)
- Galt (incorporated 1946)
- Isleton (incorporated 1923)
- Rancho Cordova (incorporated 2003)
- Sacramento (incorporated 1850)
Unincorporated census-designated places
- Antelope
- Arden-Arcade
- Carmichael
- Del Paso Heights
- Elverta
- Fair Oaks
- Florin
- Foothill Farms
- Gold River
- Hagginwood
- Herald
- La Riviera
- Laguna
- Locke
- Natomas
- North Highlands
- Orangevale
- Parkway-South Sacramento
- Rancho Murieta
- Rio Linda
- Rosemont
- Vineyard
- Walnut Grove
- Wilton
Adjacent counties
- San Joaquin County, California - south
- Contra Costa County, California - southwest
- Solano County, California - west
- Yolo County, California - west
- Sutter County, California - northwest
- Placer County, California - north
- El Dorado County, California - east
- Amador County, California - east
See also: List of counties bordering eight or more counties
National protected area
- Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Transportation infrastructure
Major highways
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Interstate 5.svg.png)
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 Business.svg.png)
U.S. Route 50
State Route 16
State Route 70
State Route 99
State Route 104
State Route 160
Public transportation
Sacramento Regional Transit (RT) provides bus and light rail service in Sacramento and nearby communities like Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, and Rosemont. Sacramento hosts 37.4 miles (60.2km) of light rail. The cities of Elk Grove, Folsom and Galt also operate their own bus lines. In addition, the transit agencies of the adjacent counties have routes operating into downtown Sacramento, or connecting with the light rail system.
Greyhound and Amtrak both serve Sacramento. The port of Sacramento ships 870,000 short tons (790,000 metric tons) of cargo annually.
Airports
Sacramento International Airport is a major, full-service airport with passenger flights. It is owned by the County of Sacramento. The County also owns Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento Executive Airport, both of which are general aviation airports. There are also privately owned public use airports located in Elk Grove and Rio Linda.
Government and politics
| Year | DEM | GOP |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 58.6% 316,506 | 39.6% 213,583 |
| 2004 | 49.6% 236,657 | 49.3% 235,539 |
| 2000 | 49.3% 212,792 | 45.3% 195,619 |
| 1996 | 49.8% 203,019 | 40.8% 166,049 |
| 1992 | 43.6% 197,540 | 35.4% 160,366 |
| 1988 | 47.7%188,557 | 51.0% 201,832 |
| 1984 | 43.1%159,128 | 55.6% 204,922 |
| 1980 | 40.4% 130,031 | 47.7% 153,721 |
| 1976 | 52.3% 144,203 | 44.6% 123,110 |
| 1972 | 47.6% 137,287 | 49.0% 141,218 |
| 1968 | 50.9% 118,769 | 41.7% 97,177 |
| 1964 | 65.7% 149,668 | 34.2% 77,871 |
| 1960 | 56.3% 109,695 | 43.3% 84,252 |
Sacramento County is governed by an elected five-member Sacramento County Board of Supervisors[2] according to the Sacramento County Charter and the Sacramento County Code. The county is administered by the County Executive[3] appointed by the Board, and an elected Assessor, District Attorney, Sheriff, and Board of Education.[4][5]
Sacramento County is politically competitive in presidential elections, though marginally Democratic. Candidates from the Democratic Party have carried the county in the past five presidential elections, but have won a majority of the county's votes only once during that time (in 2008). The city of Sacramento is strongly Democratic, while rural areas are strongly Republican; suburban areas are more divided. This pattern is also present in congressional and state legislative elections. The last Republican presidential candidate to win a majority in the county was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
In the House of Representatives, all of California's 5th congressional district, part of the 3rd district, as well as small portions of the 4th and 10th districts, are in the county. The 3rd and 4th districts are represented by Republicans Dan Lungren and Tom McClintock, respectively, while the 5th and 10th are represented by Democrats Doris Matsui and John Garamendi, respectively.
In the State Assembly, all of the 9th district and parts of the 4th, 5th, 10th, and 15th districts are in the county. The 9th, represented by Dave Jones, the 10th by Alyson Huber, and the 15th by Joan Buchanan are represented by Democrats, the other two districts are represented by Republicans: the 4th by Ted Gaines and the 5th by Roger Niello.
In the State Senate, all of the 6th district and parts of the 1st and 5th districts are in the county. The 1st district is represented by Republican Dave Cox and the 5th and 6th districts are represented by Democrats, Lois Wolk and Darrell Steinberg, respectively.
As of 2008, approximately 45% of registered voters were Democratic and 31% were registered Republicans; the remaining 23% declined to state their affiliation.[6]
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 45,915 |
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| 1910 | 67,806 | 47.7% | |
| 1920 | 91,029 | 34.2% | |
| 1930 | 141,999 | 56.0% | |
| 1940 | 170,333 | 20.0% | |
| 1950 | 277,140 | 62.7% | |
| 1960 | 502,778 | 81.4% | |
| 1970 | 631,498 | 25.6% | |
| 1980 | 783,381 | 24.1% | |
| 1990 | 1,041,219 | 32.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,223,499 | 17.5% | |
| Est. 2006 | 1,347,799 | 10.2% | |
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 1,223,499 people, 453,602 households, and 297,562 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,267 people per square mile (489/km²). There were 474,814 housing units at an average density of 492/sq mi (190/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.02% White, 10.56% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 13.53% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 7.48% from other races, and 5.84% from two or more races. 19.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 10.2% were of German, 7.0% English, 6.7% Irish and 5.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 75.7% spoke English, 10.0% Spanish, 1.5% Hmong, 1.4% Chinese or Mandarin, 1.3% Vietnamese, 1.2% Tagalog and 1.2% Russian as their first language.
There were 453,602 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.60% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,816, and the median income for a family was $50,717. Males had a median income of $39,482 versus $31,569 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,142. About 10.3% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
See also
- History of Sacramento, California
- List of school districts in Sacramento County, California
- List of California Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County
- Hiking trails in Sacramento County
References
- ↑ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06067.html
- ↑ California Government Code §25000(a)
- ↑ Sacramento County Charter §20
- ↑ Sacramento County Charter §23(e)
- ↑ Sacramento County Charter §24
- ↑ http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/15day-presgen-08/county.pdf
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- Official Sacramento County website
- Sacramento County transit website
- Sacramento Metro Chamber - representing Sacramento County and surrounding counties
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Sutter County | Placer County | |
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| Solano County and Yolo County |  |
El Dorado County and Amador County | ||
 Sacramento County, California  |
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| Contra Costa County | San Joaquin County |
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