Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco
Bay Area
in the U.S. state of
California
. It is part of the Napa, California
, Metropolitan Statistical
Area. As of 2000 the population is 124,279.
The county seat is Napa.Napa
County was one of the original counties of California, created in
1850 at the time of statehood.
Parts of the county's territory were given to
Lake
County
in 1861. The word
napa is of
Native
American derivation and has been variously translated as
"
grizzly bear", "house", "motherland",
and "fish" . Of the many explanations of the name's origin, the
most plausible seems to be that it is derived from the
Patwin word
napo meaning house , although
local residents will often cite an urban legend that gives the
translation as "you will always return".
Napa
County, once the producer of many different crops, is known today
for its wine industry,
rising in the 1960s to the first rank of wine
regions with France
, Italy
, and
Spain
.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 124,279
people, 45,402 households, and 30,691 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 165 people per square mile (64/km²). There were 48,554 housing
units at an average density of 64 per square mile (25/km²).
The racial makeup of the county was 79.98%
White, 1.32%
Black or
African American, 0.84%
Native American, 2.97%
Asian, 0.23%
Pacific Islander, 10.95% from
other races, and 3.71%
from two or more races. 23.67% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
11.9% were of German, 9.7% English, 8.6% Irish, 6.7% Italian and 5.3% American
ancestry
according to Census 2000. 75.3%
spoke
English, 19.5%
Spanish and 1.1%
Tagalog as their first language.
There were 45,402 households out of which 31.4% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were
married couples living together, 9.9% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families.
25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.1% under the
age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45
to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,738, and
the median income for a family was $61,410. Males had a median
income of $42,137 versus $31,781 for females. The
per capita income for the county was
$26,395. About 5.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 10.6%
of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Geography and environment
Napa Valley
According to the
U.S.
Census Bureau, the
county has a total area of 788 square miles (2,042 km²),
of which, 754 square miles (1,952 km²) of it is land and
35 square miles (89 km²) of it (4.38%) is water.
Napa is
warmer in the summer than Sonoma County
to the west or Santa Barbara County
, a wine-producing county in southern
California. Thus, the Napa wineries favor varietals such as
Cabernet Sauvignon, while
Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay are more the specialty of Sonoma
wineries and
Santa Barbara wineries.
At the north end of
Napa County, in the Mayacamas Mountains
, lies Mount Saint Helena
, the Bay Area's second tallest peak at 4,344 feet
(1,323 m) and home to Robert Louis Stevenson State
Park
; Snell Valley is also
situated in northern Napa County; the Missimer Wildflower Preserve is
within Snell Valley. At the west side of the Napa Valley is
Hood
Mountain
, elevation 2,750 feet (838 m).
Napa County is home to a variety of
flora and
fauna including numerous
rare and
endangered species such as
Tiburon Indian paintbrush and
Contra Costa
goldfields.
History
In
prehistoric times the valley was
inhabited by the
Patwin Native American, with
possible habitation by
Wappo tribes in the
northwestern foothills. Most villages are thought to have been
constructed near the
floodplains of
watercourses that drain the valley. These people were called
Diggers and their food consisted wild roots,
acorns, small animals,
earthworms,
grasshoppers, and bread made from crushed
California buckeye kernels. In
winter they would construct huts made of tree branches. In summer
they camped near rivers and streams. In winter months, they were
half clad in wild animal skins and at other times they wore no
clothing. The maximum prehistoric population is thought not to have
exceeded 5000 persons.
In
1776 a fort was erected by the Spanish
Governor,
Felipe de Neve a short
distance northwest of Napa, on an elevated
plateau.
Russians from Sonoma County's Fort
Ross
grazed cattle and sheep in the Napa Valley in the
early 1800s and in 1841 a survey party from the fort placed a
plaque on the summit of Mount Saint Helena.
Francis Castro and Father Jose Altimura were the first Europeans to
explore the Napa Valley in 1823. When the first white settlers
arrived in the early 1830s, there were six tribes in the valley
speaking different dialects and they were often at war with each
other.
The Mayacomos tribe lived in the area where
Calistoga
was founded. The Callajomans were in the
area near where the town of St. Helena now stands. Further south,
the Kymus dwelt in the middle part of the valley.
The Napa and Ulcus
tribes occupied part of the area where the City of Napa
now exists
while the Soscol tribe occupied the portion that now makes up the
southern end of the valley. Many of the native peoples died
during a small-pox epidemic in 1838. Settlers also killed several
over claims of cattle theft.
During
the era between 1836 and 1846 when California was a province of
independent Mexico
, the
following 13 ranchos were
granted in Napa County:
George Calvert Yount was an early
settler in Napa County and is believed to be the first
Anglo-Saxon resident in the county. In 1836
Yount obtained the Mexican grant Rancho Caymus where he built what
is said to be the first log house in California. Soon afterward, he
built a sawmill and grain mill, and was the first person to plant a
vineyard in the county.
Following Yount's death in 1865 at age 71,
the town of Yountville
was named in his honor. Following his
marriage to
General
Vallejo’s niece Maria Guadalupe Soberanes,
Edward Turner Bale became a citizen of
Mexico and was granted Rancho Carne Humana in the northern end of
the valley.
Bale completed building the Bale Grist
Mill
a few miles north of St.
Helena
in 1846. Colonel Joseph B. Chiles a guide
for one of the earliest immigrant trains to California, was granted
Rancho Catacula in 1844. The Town of Napa was founded on Rancho
Entre Napa by
Nathan Coombs in 1847.
Following
the event of the Mexican–American War, Bear Flag
Revolt
in 1846 and the Mexican
Cession in 1848, settlers were granted deeds from the original
ranchos during the 1850s through 1870s. To this day, a
number of streets and landmarks around the valley reflect the names
of these ranchos and original grantees.
Descendents of George Yount and Edward Bale played key roles in the
early development of Napa County's wine industry. Yount's
granddaughter Elizabeth Yount married Thomas Rutherford in 1864.
The couple received as a wedding gift from George Yount, land in
the area of the valley now known as Rutherford. Rutherford
established himself as a serious grower and producer of fine wines
in the following years. Bale's daughter Caroline married winemaker
Charles Krug in 1860. Bale provided a dowry that included land
north of St. Helena. Krug planted a vineyard and established the
valley's first commercial winery on this land.
Napa Valley Scenery
Napa
County was formed and became one of the original California
counties when the state became part of the United States
in 1849.
The county's population began to swell in mid century as pioneers,
prospectors and entrepreneurs moved in and set up residence. During
this period, settlers primarily raised cattle, farmed grain and
fruit crops. Mineral mining also played a role in the economics of
the county. While gold was being prospected in other areas of the
state in the 1850s, Napa County became a center for
silver and
quick
silver mining.
In 1866 John Lawley established a toll road from Calistoga over
Mount Saint Helena to Lake County.
Robert Louis Stevenson's book
The Silverado
Squatters provides a snapshot of life and insight into
some of the characters that lived around the valley during the
later part of the 19th century. Stevenson, accompanied by his new
bride
Fanny Vandegrift and her 12
year old son from a previous marriage,
Lloyd Osbourne, spent the late spring and
early summer of 1880 honeymooning in an abandoned bunk house at a
played out mine near the summit of Mount Saint Helena. In the book,
Stevenson's descriptive writing style documented his ventures in
the area and profiled several of the early pioneers who played a
role in shaping the region's commerce and society.
In the mid 1880's, entrepreneur
Samuel
Brannan purchased land in the northern end of the valley at the
foot of Mount Saint Helena and founded Calistoga. He began
developing it as a resort town taking advantage of or the area’s
numerous mineral hot springs.
He also founded the Napa Valley Railroad
Company in 1864 to bring tourists to Calistoga from San Francisco ferry boats that
docked in Vallejo
. Brannan’s railroad venture failed and was
sold at a foreclosure sale in 1869. The railroad eventually came
under ownership of
Southern
Pacific Railroad late in the 19th century.
The
Veterans Home was established
in Yountville in 1884 by the San Francisco chapter of the
Grand Army of the Republic. The
State of California assumed administration of the Home in
1897.
Stevenson's book also brought attention to the various spas and hot
springs in the county. From Calistoga to Æetna Springs in Pope
Valley to Soda Springs Resort a few miles east of Napa, tourists of
the late 1800s and early 1900s made the county their destination
much the same as modern day tourists. The resorts became very
popular with San Franciscans anxious to escape the infamously cold
and foggy weather that often plagues the city to enjoy the warmer
climate that Napa County offered.
By the end of the 20th century's first decade farmers had planted
over 500,000 fruit and nut trees in the county. This helped to
soften the blows to the agricultural economy caused by the
phylloxera infestation in the county's vineyards and upcoming
prohibition that crippled the wine industry.
Wine in Napa Valley
Napa Valley is widely considered one of the top
American Viticultural Areas in
California, and all of the United States, with a history dating
back to the early nineteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth
century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the
area.
Of
those original wineries several still exist in the valley today
including Charles Krug Winery, Shramsburg, Chateau
Montelena
and Beringer. Viticulture in Napa suffered a
setback when
prohibition was enacted
across the country in 1920. Furthering the damage was an
infestation of the
phylloxera root louse
which killed many of the vines through the valley. These two events
caused many wineries to shut down and stalled the growth of the
wine industry in Napa County for years. Following the
Second World War, the wine industry in Napa
began to thrive again.
Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa
In 1965, Napa Valley icon
Robert
Mondavi broke away from his family's Charles Krug estate to
found his own. This was the first new large scale winery to be
established in the valley since before prohibition. Following the
establishment of the Mondavi estate, the number of wineries in the
valley continued to grow, as did the region's reputation.
Chateau Montelena
In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley's boutique
wineries produce some of the world's best wines. The producers of
these wines include but are not limited to: Araujo, Bryant Family,
Colgin Cellars, Dalla Valle Maya,
Diamond Creek,
Dominus Estate,
Duckhorn Vineyards, Dunn Howell
Mountain, Grace Family,
Harlan Estate,
Husic, Kistler,
Jericho Canyon
Vineyards, Marcassin,
Screaming Eagle, Shafer
Hillside Select, Sine Qua Non,
Spencer-Roloson Winery and Vineyard
29.
Today Napa Valley features more than three hundred wineries and
grows many different grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon,
Chardonnay,
Merlot,
Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. Napa
Valley is visited by as many as five million people each
year.
Growth, rural and agricultural preservation
Mustard growing in a Napa Valley
vineyard.
County has maintained a rural agricultural environment in a large
portion of the valley floor while neighboring Sonoma, Solano and
Yolo counties have allowed large tracts of former farmland to be
rezoned for commercial and residential development. In 1968
vintners and civic leaders in the county seized an opportunity to
preserve farmland by taking advantage of the
Williamson Act enacted by the California
Legislature to give landowners property tax relief for designating
their land for agricultural purposes. This agricultural preserve on
the floor of the valley in unincorporated areas between Napa and
Calistoga was the first of its kind in the state. Initially, the
preserve encompassed , since founding it has grown to more than
.
The county has resisted encroachment on the preserve since it was
created with voters reaffirming their desire keep it intact on
several occasions. In 1990 voters passed Measure J adopting an
initiative freezing all county zoning changes until the year 2020
unless there is a ⅔ majority vote to adopt such changes. Measure J
was reaffirmed by a 5-2 vote of the California Supreme Court in
1995 in the case of Devita v. County of Napa.
The Land Trust of Napa County was founded in 1976 by a group of
local citizens with a mission to protect the natural diversity,
scenic open space and agricultural vitality of the county. The
trust acquires conservation easements, facilitates land transfers
to local, state and federal agencies along with accepting outright
donations of land within and outside the boundary of the
agricultural preserve. The trust now covers over .
While establishment of the agricultural preserve and the land trust
has slowed residential development in much of the county,
residential growth within the incorporated cities has continued at
a moderate pace. Several substantial homes have been built on the
hills surrounding the valley in areas not covered by the preserve
or the land trust. A large portion of the land south of the City of
Napa remained undeveloped for many decades until the 1980s. Several
wine bottling facilities and
wine
storage warehouses now stand on what was once vacant land. A
number of light industries have also sprung up in this region as
new business parks have been built. The growth of American Canyon,
Napa County’s southernmost and newest city; incorporated in 1992
has prompted the establishment of several new retail outlets in the
southern end of the county in recent years. American Canyon has
also established a green belt preserve of over on the western and
eastern sides of the city.
Government and politics
Presidential election results
| Year |
DEM |
GOP |
Others |
| 2008 |
65.3%
38,849 |
32.8% 19,484 |
1.9% 1,214 |
| 2004 |
59.5%
33,666 |
39.0% 22,059 |
1.5% 874 |
| 2000 |
54.3%
28,097 |
39.9% 20,633 |
5.8% 2,994 |
| 1996 |
50.9%
24,588 |
36.1% 17,439 |
13.0% 6,292 |
| 1992 |
45.3%
24,215 |
29.3% 15,662 |
25.4% 13,578 |
| 1988 |
48.1% 22,283 |
50.2%
23,235 |
1.7% 772 |
| 1984 |
40.8% 18,599 |
57.8%
26,322 |
1.4% 640 |
| 1980 |
33.8% 14,898 |
53.7%
23,632 |
12.5% 550 |
| 1976 |
44.9% 18,048 |
51.8%
20,839 |
3.3% 1,318 |
| 1972 |
37.0% 14,529 |
59.6%
23,403 |
3.4% 1,329 |
| 1968 |
45.3%
14,762 |
43.8% 14,270 |
11.0% 3,580 |
| 1964 |
62.7%
19,580 |
37.1% 11,567 |
0.2% 63 |
| 1960 |
46.9% 13,499 |
52.6%
15,125 |
0.5% 154 |
|
The County Administration Building at
the county seat, the City of Napa
Napa County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. The
current supervisors are: Board Chairman Mark Luce (term expires
November 2012), Brad Wagenknecht (term expires November 2010), Bill
Dodd (term expires November 2012), Diane Dillon (term expires
November 2010) and Keith Caldwell (term expires November
2012).
Napa has become a strongly
Democratic county in
Presidential and
congressional elections. The
last Republican to win a majority in the county was
George H. W. Bush
in
1988.
Napa is part of
California's 1st
congressional district, which is held by Democrat
Mike Thompson. In the
state legislature Napa is in
the 7th Assembly district, which is held by Democrat
Noreen Evans, and the 2nd Senate district,
which is held by Democrat
Pat
Wiggins.
On Nov. 4, 2008 Napa County voted 55.9 % against Proposition 8
which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex
marriages.
The
county is among one of three counties in California to establish a
separate department to deal with corrections pursuant to California Government
Code §23013, the Napa County Department of
Corrections, along with Santa Clara County
and Madera
County
.
Cities and towns
| Unincorporated Communities A-L |
Unincorporated Communities M-Z |
|
|
|
Adjacent counties
National protected area
Rivers and creeks
Lakes, marshes and reservoirs
- East Napa Reservoir
- East Side Reservoir
- Fiege Reservoir
- Lake Berryessa
- Lake Hennessey
- Lake Marie
- Lake Orville
- Lake Whitehead
- Milliken Reservoir
- Napa Sonoma Marsh
- Rector Reservoir
- West Napa Reservoir
Transportation infrastructure
Major highways
Public transportation
Napa Valley VINE operates local
bus service in Napa, along with an intercity route along State
Route 29 between Vallejo (Solano County) and Calistoga. Limited
service runs from Calistoga to Santa Rosa (Sonoma County).
Airports
Napa County
Airport
is a general aviation airport located just
south of the City of Napa.
Rail
Napa Valley Railroad is owned by the
Napa Valley
Wine Train
, a dining/excursion service.
Media
See also
References
- Environmental Assessment for the Napa Valley Wine
Train, Napa County and the California Public Utilities
Commission, Earth Metrics Inc. report 10072, January, 1990
- Napa County Mexican Land Grants
- explanation of Williamson Act
- Napa Chamber of Commerce info on Napa County Agricultural
Preserve
- article about Measure J
- Devita v County of Napa
- Land Trust of Napa County
- Land
Trust of Napa County website
- City of American Canyon website
External links
- south, southeast
- west
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