The
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
is divided into 58
counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
. The state was first divided into 27 counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen counties were formed through further subdivision from 1861 to 1893. The most recent county to form was
Imperial County
Imperial County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, ranking as the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat and largest city is ...
, in 1907. California is home to
San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...
, the largest county in the contiguous United States, as well as
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
, the most populous county in the United States.
The counties of California are local arms of the
State of California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, described by the
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the judiciary of California, courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly ...
as
agents ("the county is merely a political subdivision of state government, exercising only the powers of the state, granted by the state…'") and the property they hold is held on behalf of all the people of the state.
As such, the
State Legislature
A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of ...
may delegate any of the functions of the State to the counties but likewise can reassume any delegated duties.
California counties are general law counties by default. Still, they may be chartered as provided in Article XI, Section 3 of the
California Constitution
The Constitution of California () is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's constitution was drafted in both English ...
. A charter county is granted limited home rule powers. Of the 58 counties in California, 14 are governed under a charter. They are Alameda, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Tehama.
Nine counties in California are named for saints, tied with
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
for the largest number. This count omits Santa Cruz ("Holy Cross") County, not named for a saint; Merced County and Los Angeles County, both of whose names refer to
Saint Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
(Our Lady of Mercy (Merced) and Our Lady Queen of The Angels (Los Angeles)); and Ventura County, whose name is a shortening of the name of
St. Bonaventure, the namesake of the local mission.
List
Defunct counties
*
Branciforte County was the original name of
Santa Cruz County in 1850. The reference was to the 1797 town of
Branciforte.
*
Klamath County was created in 1851 from the northern half of Trinity County. Part of the county's territory went to Del Norte County in 1857, and in 1874 the remainder was divided between Humboldt and Siskiyou counties.
* Pautah County, California was created in 1852 out of territory which, the state of California assumed, was to be ceded to it by the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
from territory in what is now the state of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
. When the cession never occurred, the
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
officially abolished the never-organized county in 1859.
*
Buena Vista County was created in 1855 by the California State Legislature out of the southeastern territory of Tulare County on the west of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
but was never officially organized. The south of Tulare County was later organized as
Kern County
Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield.
Kern County compris ...
in 1866, with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
*
Coso County was created in 1864 by the California State Legislature out of territory of Mono County and Tulare County on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada but was never officially organized. The region was later organized in 1866 as
Inyo County with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
*
Roop County, Nevada encompassed much of
Lassen County, including the
Honey Lake Valley and the community of
Susanville, California
Susanville (formerly known as Rooptown) (, ''bush creek country'')Simmons, W. S., Morales, R., Williams, V., & Camacho, S. (1997). Honey Lake Maidu Ethnogeography of Lassen County, California . Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropolog ...
; ambiguous organic legislation of
Nevada Territory
The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada.
Prior to the creation of the Neva ...
led to confusion about the geographic extent of Nevada's western border. This was later clarified, with the portions of Roop County in California being assigned to Lassen County; the remaining, sparsely portions of Roop County were eventually combined with
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County () is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 486,492, making it Nevada's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County is included in the Reno, NV Metropolitan Sta ...
.
Proposed counties
*
Mojave County, proposed in 1988 that would have split the northern and eastern 90% of San Bernardino County
*
Cahuilla County, proposed in the 1980s by the residents of eastern Riverside County
*
Corona County, proposed in 2002 by residents of Corona and surrounding communities in Riverside County
*
High Desert County, proposed in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s to split from portions of Los Angeles, Kern and San Bernardino counties
*
Los Padres County, proposed in 1978 to split the northern portion of Santa Barbara County
*
Mission County, proposed in 2006 to split the northern portion of Santa Barbara County
*
Sequoia County, proposed in the 1990s, split from parts of southern Humboldt and Northern Mendocino counties
See also
*
List of municipalities in California
California is a U.S. state, state located in the Western United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by population, most populous state and the List of U.S. states and territories by area, third largest by area after Alaska an ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
California State Association of Counties*
ttp://www.counties.org/general-information/creation-our-58-counties California State Association of Counties- The Creation of Our 58 Counties, with Maps of the 58 Counties Each Decade ca.1850–1900California State Association of Counties, Map of California Counties: c. 1907–Present
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Counties In California
Counties
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
California, counties in