San Benito County, California

County of San Benito
County
Images, from top down, left to right: San Benito County Courthouse, Mission San Juan Bautista, New Idria grounds
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Central Coast
CSA	San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland
Metro	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
Incorporated	1874
County seat	Hollister
Area
• Total	3,600 km2 (1,390 sq mi)
• Land	3,600 km2 (1,389 sq mi)
• Water	5 km2 (1.8 sq mi)
Highest elevation[1]	1,599 m (5,245 ft)
Population (April 1, 2010)[2]
• Total	55,269
• Estimate (2014)[2]	58,267
• Density	15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7)
Area code	831
FIPS code	06-069
GNIS feature ID	277299
Website	www.cosb.us

San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,269.^[2] The county seat is Hollister.^[3]

San Benito County is included in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area.

El Camino Real passes through the county and includes one mission in San Juan Bautista.

History

San Benito County was formed from parts of Monterey County in 1874.

The county is named after the San Benito Valley. Father Juan Crespí, in his expedition in 1772, named a small river in honor of San Benedicto (Saint Benedict), the patron saint of the married, and it is from the contraction of this name that the county took its name.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,390 square miles (3,600 km²), of which 1,389 square miles (3,600 km²) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) (0.1%) is water.^[4]

Sharing a border with Santa Clara County, San Benito County lies adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area and is sometimes considered a part of that region. Frequently, the county is associated with the Monterey Bay Area through governmental organizations such as the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments as well as the Pajaro River, which flows from northern San Benito County into the Monterey Bay. However, the United States Census Bureau includes the county in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA and the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland CSA, which the Census uses as a statistical definition of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The county also borders Merced County and Fresno County in the east, which lead onto California's San Joaquin Valley.

The county is also the location of the Mount Harlan and San Benito American Viticultural Areas. The latter contains the Cienega Valley, Lime Kiln Valley, and Paicines AVAs.

Fauna and flora

There are a number of plant communities that occur in San Benito County including grasslands and chaparral; however, one of the more unusual is the Sargent cypress forest.^[5] Benitoite, the official gem of the State of California, was discovered in San Benito County.^[6] The county is also home to the San Benito evening primrose (Camissonia benitensis);^[7] and Illacme plenipes, a millipede having more legs than any other millipede species, discovered in the county in 1926.^[8] The plant genus Benitoa was named for San Benito County.^[9]

National protected area

• Pinnacles National Park

Demographics

2011

Population, race, and income
Total population[10]	54,873
White[10]	41,820	76.2%
Black or African American[10]	728	1.3%
American Indian or Alaska Native[10]	693	1.3%
Asian[10]	1,336	2.4%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander[10]	0	0.0%
Some other race[10]	7,903	14.4%
Two or more races[10]	2,393	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[11]	30,497	55.6%
Per capita income[12]	$26,300
Median household income[13]	$65,570
Median family income[14]	$73,150

Places by population, race, and income

Places by population and race
Place	Type[15]	Population[10]	White[10]	Other[10] [note 1]	Asian[10]	Black or African American[10]	Native American[10] [note 2]	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[11]
Aromas ‡	CDP	1,175	77.9%	19.1%	0.0%	0.0%	3.0%	18.6%
Hollister	City	34,733	71.2%	23.2%	2.7%	1.6%	1.4%	65.7%
Ridgemark	CDP	3,370	86.3%	7.9%	2.8%	2.2%	0.8%	21.5%
San Juan Bautista	City	1,619	83.8%	6.4%	4.1%	4.4%	1.4%	37.6%
Tres Pinos	CDP	313	97.8%	2.2%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	32.6%
‡ Data for San Benito County area of this CDP

Places by population and income
Place	Type[15]	Population[16]	Per capita income[12]	Median household income[13]	Median family income[14]
Aromas ‡	CDP	1,175	$49,556	$121,964	$163,906
Hollister	City	34,733	$22,433	$62,570	$64,123
Ridgemark	CDP	3,370	$38,800	$90,833	$101,776
San Juan Bautista	City	1,619	$24,527	$56,897	$65,526
Tres Pinos	CDP	313	$41,294	$83,500	$88,929
‡ Data for San Benito County area of this CDP

2010

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	5,584		—
1890	6,412		14.8%
1900	6,633		3.4%
1910	8,041		21.2%
1920	8,995		11.9%
1930	11,311		25.7%
1940	11,392		0.7%
1950	14,370		26.1%
1960	15,396		7.1%
1970	18,226		18.4%
1980	25,005		37.2%
1990	36,697		46.8%
2000	53,234		45.1%
2010	55,269		3.8%
Est. 2014	58,267		5.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[17] 1790–1960[18] 1900–1990[19] 1990–2000[20] 2010–2014[2]

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Benito County had a population of 55,269. The racial makeup of San Benito County was 35,181 (63.7%) White, 483 (0.9%) African American, 895 (1.6%) Native American, 1,443 (2.6%) Asian, 94 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 14,471 (26.2%) from other races, and 2,702 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31,186 persons (56.4%).^[21]

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
San Benito County	55,269	35,181	483	895	1443	94	14,471	2,702	31,186
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Hollister	34,928	20,761	341	617	929	63	10,437	1,780	22,965
San Juan Bautista	1,862	1,125	12	58	52	2	494	119	907
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Aromas ‡	1,292	961	9	13	14	3	207	85	413
Ridgemark	3,016	2,520	23	14	105	3	248	103	623
Tres Pinos	476	390	3	8	6	0	57	12	112
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	13,695	9,424	95	185	337	23	3,028	603	6,166
‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of this CDP in San Benito County

2000

As of the census^[22] of 2000, there were 53,234 people, 15,885 households, and 12,898 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 16,499 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county in 2010 was 38.3% non-Hispanic White, 0.6% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 56.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 7.6% were of German, 6.3% Irish and 5.4% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 62.8% spoke English and 35.3% Spanish as their first language. As of the 2010 United States Census, San Benito County was the only county in the greater San Francisco Bay Area with a Hispanic majority and where a minority race formed the largest race composition.

There were 15,885 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.64.

In the county the population was spread out with 32.2% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,469, and the median income for a family was $60,665. Males had a median income of $44,158 versus $29,524 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,932. About 6.7% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

County government is overseen by a five-member elected Board of Supervisors, who serve four-year terms of office. Other elected county leaders include:

• Assessor
• Clerk-Auditor-Recorder
• District Attorney
• Marshal
• Sheriff-Coroner
• Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator

San Benito County has the last elected Marshal in California. Shasta and Trinity Counties still have appointed Marshals.

State and federal representation

In the United States House of Representatives, San Benito County is part of California's 20th congressional district, represented by Democrat Sam Farr.^[23]

In the California State Legislature, San Benito County is in the 12th Senate District, represented by Republican Anthony Cannella, and in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Luis Alejo.^[24]

Politics

San Benito County vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2012	38.6% 7,343	59.2% 11,276	2.2% 425
2008	37.7% 7,425	60.5% 11,917	2.3% 446
2004	46.5% 8,698	52.6% 9,851	0.9% 176
2000	41.7% 7,015	54.3% 9,131	4.1% 685
1996	38.7% 5,384	50.6% 7,030	10.7% 1,492
1992	32.3% 4,112	42.0% 5,354	25.7% 3,273
1988	54.1% 5,578	44.2% 4,559	1.7% 171
1984	60.7% 5,695	37.9% 3,554	1.4% 131
1980	53.3% 4,054	36.2% 2,749	10.5% 799
1976	50.9% 3,398	46.7% 3,122	2.4% 160
1972	57.6% 3,961	37.5% 2,582	4.9% 338
1968	47.5% 2,961	45.1% 2,809	7.4% 459
1964	39.2% 2,444	60.6% 3,779	0.2% 14
1960	51.4% 3,056	48.4% 2,876	0.2% 13
1956	59.5% 3,252	40.3% 2,201	0.2% 10
1952	65.2% 3,733	34.4% 1,968	0.4% 22
1948	55.6% 2,775	42.0% 2,096	2.3% 116
1944	52.8% 2,253	46.8% 1,998	0.4% 16
1940	49.3% 2,407	50.0% 2,441	0.7% 35
1936	36.6% 1,515	61.9% 2,565	1.5% 62
1932	33.9% 1,269	61.0% 2,283	5.1% 192
1928	58.9% 1,971	40.8% 1,366	0.3% 11
1924	53.5% 1,443	13.4% 361	33.1% 891
1920	65.0% 1,965	29.8% 900	5.2% 158

San Benito is a Democratic-leaning county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was George H.W. Bush in 1988. San Benito is also considered a bellwether county for California in presidential elections; the last candidate to carry the state without winning this county was Harry S. Truman in 1948.

As of May, 2010, the California Secretary of State reports that San Benito County has 34,562 eligible voters. Of those 24,736 (71.57%) are registered voters. Of those, 11,959 (48.35%) are registered Democratic, 7,477 (30.23%) are registered Republican, 565 (2.28%)are registered American Independent, and 116 (0.47%) are Green Party. The two incorporated municipalities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista have Democratic majorities on their voter rolls, whereas the unincorporated areas of San Benito County have a small Republican plurality in voter registration.

Voter registration

Population and registered voters
Total population[10]	54,873
Registered voters[25][note 3]	26,694	48.6%
Democratic[25]	12,643	47.4%
Republican[25]	7,847	29.4%
Democratic–Republican spread[25]	+4,796	+18.0%
Independent[25]	679	2.5%
Green[25]	144	0.5%
Libertarian[25]	143	0.5%
Peace and Freedom[25]	73	0.3%
Americans Elect[25]	1	0.0%
Other[25]	46	0.2%
No party preference[25]	5,118	19.2%

Cities by population and voter registration

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population[10]	Registered voters[25] [note 3]	Democratic[25]	Republican[25]	D–R spread[25]	Other[25]	No party preference[25]
Hollister	34,733	43.8%	53.6%	23.2%	+30.4%	6.3%	19.4%
San Juan Bautista	1,619	59.8%	50.8%	23.0%	+27.8%	9.8%	20.4%

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population[10]	54,873
Violent crime[26]	246	4.48
Homicide[26]	0	0.00
Forcible rape[26]	9	0.16
Robbery[26]	54	0.98
Aggravated assault[26]	183	3.33
Property crime[26]	748	13.63
Burglary[26]	445	8.11
Larceny-theft[26][note 4]	535	9.75
Motor vehicle theft[26]	129	2.35
Arson[26]	8	0.15

Cities by population and crime ratable

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population[27]	Violent crimes[27]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes[27]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Hollister	35,766	162	4.53	724	20.24

Economy

The economy is statistically included in metro San Jose, though the dominant activity is agriculture. Agritourism is growing as the county has destination wineries, organic farms and quaint inns with views of cattle grazing. With concerns about how oil and gas operations could impact this sector of the economy and agriculture in general, the county voters approved a measure in 2014 that bans well stimulation techniques such as fracking, acidizing and steam injection, along with conventional drilling in some areas. In the 1950s, the oil drilling industry had many wells and the county is over the Monterey Shale formation but there is very little activity now.^[28] Citadel Exploration, a local exploration company, claims that it could have extracted 20-40 million barrels of oil over the life of its project and that the County’s ban constitutes a regulatory taking.^[29]

Top employers

According to the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce,^[30] the top employers in the county are:

#	Employer	# of employees
1	Earthbound Farm	1000+
2	Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital	250-499
3	Milgard	250-499
4	Pacific Scientific	250-499
5	San Benito High School	250-499
6	True Leaf Farms	250-499
7	Nob Hill Foods	100-249
8	Target	100-249
9	Trical	100-249
10	Corbin	100-249
11	West Marine	100-249
12	Ridgemark	100-249
13	Casa de Fruta	100-249
14	Cedar Valley Shingle Systems	100-249
15	Tanimura & Antle	100-249
16	El Modeno Gardens[31]	100-249
17	LifeSparc	100-249
18	MC Electronics	100-249
19	San Benito Foods	100-249

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Route 101 to San Francisco
• State Route 25
• State Route 129 to Santa Cruz
• State Route 146
• State Route 152 to Los Banos and Merced
• State Route 156

Public transportation

San Benito County Express provides fixed route service in the city of Hollister, and intercity service in the northern portion of the county. Service operates as far north as Gilroy, in Santa Clara County.

Airports

Hollister Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located just north of Hollister.

Communities

Cities

• Hollister (county seat)
• San Juan Bautista

Census-designated places

• Aromas
• Ridgemark
• Tres Pinos

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• New Idria

See also

• List of museums in the California Central Coast
• National Register of Historic Places listings in San Benito County, California
• George H. Moore, San Benito County district attorney

Notes

References

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1879 American Cyclopædia article San Benito.

• Official website
• History of San Benito County

Coordinates: 36°37′N 121°05′W / 36.61°N 121.08°W / 36.61; -121.08

	Santa Cruz County	Santa Clara County	Merced County
	Monterey County		Fresno County
		San Benito County, California
	Monterey County	Monterey County	Fresno County

Municipalities and communities of San Benito County, California, United States County seat: Hollister Cities Hollister San Juan Bautista CDPs Aromas‡ Ridgemark Tres Pinos Unincorporated communities Bitterwater Dunneville Hudner Llanada Paicines Panoche River Oaks San Benito Ghost town New Idria Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

California Central Coast Counties Monterey San Benito San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Ventura Cities and towns 100k-250k Oxnard Salinas Santa Maria Ventura Cities and towns 25k-100k Atascadero Camarillo Goleta Hollister Lompoc Monterey Orcutt Paso Robles San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Seaside Soledad Watsonville Cities and towns 10k-25k Arroyo Grande Capitola Carpinteria Greenfield Grover Beach Isla Vista King City Live Oak Los Osos Marina Montecito Morro Bay Nipomo Pacific Grove Port Hueneme Prunedale Scotts Valley Sub-regions Big Sur Channel Islands of California Monterey Bay Oxnard Plain Salinas Valley Santa Maria Valley Santa Ynez Valley Counties in italics sometimes included in the definition of the Central Coast

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