Sacramento County, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sacramento County, California | |
| Image:Sacramento County ca seal.gif | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
|
 California's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1850 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Sacramento |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,578 km² (995 mi²) 2,501 km² (966 mi²) 77 km² (30 mi²), 3.00% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
1,223,499 489/km² |
| Website: www.saccounty.net | |
Sacramento County is a county of the U.S. state of California. The county seat is the city of Sacramento, the state capital. As of 2000 the population was 1,223,499.
Sacramento County covers about 994 square miles in the middle of the Central Valley, California's prime agricultural region. Sacramento County extends from the low delta lands between the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers north to about ten miles beyond the State Capitol and east to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The southernmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to the San Francisco Bay.
Contents |
[edit] History
Sacramento County was one of the original counties of California, 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 Eucharist.
Alexander Hamilton Willard of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is buried in the old Franklin Cemetery.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,578 km² (995 mi²). 2,501 km² (966 mi²) of it is land and 77 km² (30 mi²) of it (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.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] Incorporated Places
[edit] Unincorporated Census Designated Places |
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[edit] 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
[edit] Transportation Infrastructure
[edit] Major Highways
Interstate 5
Interstate 80
U.S. Highway 50
California State Route 16
California State Route 70
California State Route 99
California State Route 104
[edit] Public Transportation
Sacramento Regional Transit (RT) provides bus and light rail service in Sacramento and nearby communities. 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 1,223,499 people, 453,602 households, and 297,562 families residing in the county. The population density was 489/km² (1,267/mi²). There were 474,814 housing units at an average density of 190/km² (492/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.02% White, 9.96% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 11.03% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 7.48% from other races, and 5.84% from two or more races. 16.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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 10.30% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.20% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Miscellaneous Information
- Average annual maximum temperature: 73.6 degrees Fahrenheit (23.1 degrees Celsius)
- Average annual minimum temperature: 49 °F (9.5 °C)
- Average rainfall: 19.6 inches (500 mm)
- Climate is mild winter rainy seasons typically in the 40's and 50's and long dry summer seasons with many hot spells of over 100 for several days in a row, (average temperature does not tell the whole story), with very pleasant dry weather most other times.
- 20.5 miles (33.0 km) of light rail system (an additional 22.1 miles or 35.6 km is under construction)
- 3 mainline railroad tracks
- 7.4 million passengers annually through Sacramento International airport
- Port of Sacramento ships 870,000 short tons (790,000 metric tons) of cargo annually
- 14 Regional Parks Districts
- 6 million trees
- 19 major public & private colleges & universities
- 16 public school districts
- 15 major art and historical museums
- 26 public libraries
- 10 hospitals
- 69.6% of eligible voters are registered to vote
- Population density: 1,252/mi² (483/km²)
- Leading agricultural crops include: milk, wine grapes, Bartlett pears, field corn, turkeys
[edit] See also
- List of school districts in Sacramento County, California
- List of California Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County
[edit] External links
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Sacramento County, California County Seat: Sacramento |
|---|---|
| Incorporated places |
Citrus Heights • Elk Grove • Folsom • Galt • Isleton • Rancho Cordova • Sacramento |
| CDPs |
Arden-Arcade • Carmichael • Fair Oaks • Florin • Foothill Farms • Gold River • La Riviera • Laguna • Laguna West-Lakeside • North Highlands • Orangevale • Parkway-South Sacramento • Rancho Murieta • Rio Linda • Rosemont • Vineyard • Walnut Grove • Wilton |
| Other unincorporated communities |
