Sacramento County, California

County of Sacramento
—  County  —
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the US
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Sacramento Valley
Metro area	Greater Sacramento
Incorporated	February 18, 1850
County seat	Sacramento
Largest city	Sacramento
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Body	Board of Supervisors
• Board of Supervisors	Supervisors Phil Serna Jimmie R. Yee Susan Peters Roberta MacGlashan Don Nottoli
• County Executive Officer	Brad Hudson
Area
• Total	995.48 sq mi (2,578.3 km2)
• Land	965.65 sq mi (2,501.0 km2)
• Water	29.83 sq mi (77.3 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,418,788
• Density	Bad rounding here1,400/sq mi (Bad rounding here550/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC−8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7)
FIPS code	06-067
Website	www.saccounty.net

Sacramento County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2010 the county had a population of 1,418,788.

The Greater Sacramento metropolitan area consists of eight 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, on into Gold Country. 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 into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The southmost portion of Sacramento County has direct access to San Francisco Bay.

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 2000 census, the county has a total area of 995.48 square miles (2,578.3 km²), of which 965.65 square miles (2,501.0 km²) (or 97.00%) is land and 29.83 square miles (77.3 km²) (or 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

Sacramento

Pocket-Greenhaven

Elk Grove

Folsom Lake

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
• Clay
• Courtland
• Elverta
• Fair Oaks
• Florin
• Foothill Farms
• Franklin
• Freeport
• Fruitridge Pocket
• Gold River
• Herald
• Hood
• La Riviera
• Lemon Hill
• Locke
• Mather
• McClellan Park
• North Highlands
• Orangevale
• Parkway
• 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

Government and politics

Government

Main article: Government of Sacramento County, California

Further information: Government of California

The Government of Sacramento County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law, and the Charter of the County of Sacramento. Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of Sacramento County, while municipalities such as the city of Sacramento and Folsom provide additional, often non-essential services.

It is composed of the elected five-member Board of Supervisors, several other elected offices including the Sheriff, District Attorney, and Assessor, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Executive Officer. In addition, several entities of the government of California have jurisdiction conterminous with Sacramento County, such as the Sacramento County Superior Court.

Under its foundational Charter, the five-member elected Sacramento County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is the county legislature. The board operates in a legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial capacity. The current members are:

• Phil Serna, district 1
• Jimmie R. Yee, district 2
• Susan Peters, district 3
• Roberta MacGlashan, district 4
• Don Nottoli, district 5

The Sacramento County Code is the codified law of Sacramento County in the form of local ordinances passed by the Board of Supervisors.

Politics

Sacramento County vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2012	39.2% 202,514	58.1% 300,503	2.7% 12,875
2008	39.5% 213,583	58.5% 316,506	2.4% 12,770
2004	49.3% 235,539	49.5% 236,657	1.2% 5,670
2000	45.3% 195,619	49.3% 212,792	5.4% 23,139
1996	40.8% 166,049	49.8% 203,019	9.4% 38,346
1992	35.4% 160,366	43.6% 197,540	21.1% 95,606
1988	51.0% 201,832	47.7% 188,557	1.3% 5,301
1984	55.6% 204,922	43.1% 159,128	1.3% 4,791
1980	47.7% 153,721	40.4% 130,031	11.9% 38,368
1976	44.6% 123,110	52.3% 144,203	3.1% 8,563
1972	49.0% 141,218	47.6% 137,287	3.4% 9,716
1968	41.7% 97,177	50.9% 118,769	7.4% 17,300
1964	34.2% 77,871	65.7% 149,668	0.2% 332
1960	43.3% 84,252	56.3% 109,695	0.4% 809
1956	45.1% 67,686	54.7% 82,134	0.2% 260
1952	49.0% 67,207	50.4% 69,066	0.6% 837
1948	37.8% 35,074	58.4% 54,197	3.9% 3,571
1944	33.2% 24,611	66.3% 49,204	0.5% 403
1940	30.8% 23,201	68.1% 51,351	1.2% 864
1936	20.1% 12,119	78.5% 47,265	1.3% 800
1932	27.7% 14,553	69.3% 36,370	2.9% 1,542
1928	50.8% 20,762	48.2% 19,684	1.0% 403
1924	41.1% 13,400	7.0% 2,285	51.9% 16,932
1920	64.9% 15,634	29.7% 7,150	5.5% 1,316

Sacramento County vote
by party in gubernatorial elections

Year	GOP	DEM
2010	38.5% 162,369	56.7% 239,599
2006	60.5% 218,889	34.2% 123,685
2003	52.3% 195,435	26.5% 98,877
2002	46.6% 147,456	40.8% 129,143
1998	39.7% 142,970	57.4% 206,870
1994	54.8% 196,229	40.9% 146,423
1990	50.3% 167,982	44.7% 149,215
1986	68.1% 207,086	30.1% 91,660
1982	52.4% 171,176	44.7% 146,167
1978	34.7% 88,445	54.9% 139,821
1974	45.9% 104,595	51.6% 117,711
1970	46.0% 105,523	52.5% 120,365
1966	50.9% 109,801	49.1% 105,861
1962	37.7% 71,788	60.7% 115,462

Sacramento County is politically competitive in presidential elections, though marginally Democratic. Candidates from the Democratic Party have carried the county in the past six presidential elections, but have won a majority of the county's votes only twice during that time (in 2008 and 2012). 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 7th congressional district and portions of its 3rd, 6th, and 9th districts are in the county.

In the State Assembly, all of the 7th and 8th districts and parts of the 6th, 9th, and 11th districts are in the county.

In the State Senate, parts of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th districts are in the county.

According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 22, 2012, Sacramento County has 698,899 registered voters, out of 944,243 eligible (74%). Of those, 306,960 (44%) are registered Democrats, 225,688 (32%) are registered Republicans, and 134,677 (19%) have declined to state a political party.

Transportation infrastructure

Major highways

• Interstate 5
• Interstate 80
• Interstate 80 Business
• U.S. Route 50
• State Route 12
• State Route 16
• State Route 70
• State Route 99
• State Route 104
• State Route 160
• State Route 220
• State Route 244

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 (60.2 km) 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.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	9,087		—
1860	24,142		165.7%
1870	26,830		11.1%
1880	34,390		28.2%
1890	40,339		17.3%
1900	45,915		13.8%
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%
2010	1,418,788		16.0%
Est. 2012	1,450,121		2.2%

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Sacramento County had a population of 1,418,788. The racial makeup of Sacramento County was 815,151 (57.5%) White, 200,228 (15.4%) African American, 14,308 (1.0%) Native American, 203,211 (14.3%) Asian, 13,858 (1.0%) Pacific Islander, 131,691 (9.3%) from other races, and 93,511 (6.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 306,196 persons (21.6%).

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)
Sacramento County	1,418,788	815,151	147,058	14,308	203,211	13,858	131,691	93,511	306,196
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Citrus Heights	83,301	66,856	2,751	753	2,714	363	5,348	4,516	13,734
Elk Grove	153,015	70,478	20,172	965	40,261	1,807	10,231	12,101	27,581
Folsom	72,203	53,627	4,140	427	9,000	173	1,818	3,018	8,064
Galt	23,647	15,639	430	361	815	108	4,834	1,460	10,113
Isleton	804	542	10	10	41	4	139	58	316
Rancho Cordova	64,776	39,123	8,561	668	7,831	556	5,517	4,520	12,740
Sacramento	466,488	210,006	80,005	5,291	85,503	6,655	57,573	33,125	125,276
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)
Antelope	45,770	29,200	4,039	402	6,090	407	2,284	3,348	6,635
Arden-Arcade	92,186	64,688	8,977	948	5,152	531	7,420	5,470	17,147
Carmichael	61,762	49,776	4,972	546	2,653	287	2,035	3,493	7,218
Clay	1,195	981	6	24	8	0	108	68	242
Courtland	355	247	0	6	4	0	75	23	200
Elverta	5,492	4,453	117	77	208	48	302	287	859
Fair Oaks	30,912	26,479	729	255	1,289	57	738	1,365	2,954
Florin	47,513	15,034	9,521	543	13,605	815	6,756	3,239	13,048
Foothill Farms	33,121	21,249	4,628	357	1,731	208	3,362	2,586	7,579
Franklin	155	119	0	0	5	0	20	11	42
Freeport	38	34	0	0	2	0	1	1	6
Fruitridge Pocket	5,800	1,704	1,047	105	1,113	67	1,317	447	2,345
Gold River	7,912	5,837	195	20	1,426	28	97	309	515
Herald	1,184	934	20	13	64	7	105	41	254
Hood	271	135	0	15	15	1	70	35	137
La Riviera	10,802	7,315	1,084	76	766	87	671	803	1,756
Lemon Hill	13,729	5,091	3,493	246	2,394	196	3,487	822	6,790
Mather	4,451	467	99	13	27	21	31	85	110
McClellan Park	743	2,477	393	42	850	84	267	338	704
North Highlands	45,794	27,000	6,003	603	2,067	300	4,709	3,132	10,077
Orangevale	33,960	29,679	463	316	1,040	75	879	1,508	3,448
Parkway	15,670	5,225	3,696	182	1,997	300	3,161	1,109	6,185
Rancho Murieta	5,488	4,874	130	33	158	6	81	206	425
Rio Linda	15,106	11,654	502	235	665	62	1,304	821	3,033
Rosemont	22,681	13,496	2,720	310	2,419	134	1,754	1,848	4,587
Vineyard	24,836	11,306	2,426	163	7,293	256	1,682	1,710	4,414
Walnut Grove	1,542	943	15	24	110	0	402	48	673
Wilton	5,363	4,234	169	45	289	13	343	270	683
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)	24,823	14,249	2,472	234	3,606	202	2,770	1,290	6,306

2000

As of the census 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 64.0% White, 10.6% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 13.5% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 7.5% from other races, and 5.8% from two or more races. 19.3% 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 only English at home; 10.0% spoke Spanish, 1.5% Hmong, 1.4% Chinese or Mandarin, 1.3% Vietnamese, 1.2% Tagalog and 1.2% Russian.

There were 453,602 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% 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 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 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

• Hiking trails in Sacramento County
• History of Sacramento, California
• List of California Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County
• List of school districts in Sacramento County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sacramento County, California
• Elwood Bruner, district attorney in 1893

External links

• Official Sacramento County website
• Sacramento County transit website
• Sacramento Metro Chamber – representing Sacramento County and surrounding counties