Napa County is in north-central California

Napa Valley is most famous for its wine.

Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. As of 2000 the population is 124,279. The county seat is Napa.

Napa County is world famous for its wine industry, leaping to the first rank of wine regions (much to the indignation of traditionalist vintners in France and Italy) in the 1960s. The combination of natural beauty, pleasant Mediterranean climate, and proximity to San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento has made it into one of the United States' most desirable areas in which to live. However, its citizens are famous for their resistance to suburban development, with the result that 33 of California's 58 counties--including many that are far from major urban areas--are more populous. The relative poverty of the city of Napa, which houses most of the Latino migrant workers who tend and harvest the county's vineyards, produces a significant downward bias on its apparent wealth: estates in the county, particularly those with views of San Pablo Bay, have been known to sell for nearly ten million dollars.

The Napa wine country was the inspiration for the fictional Tuscany Valley on the nighttime soap opera Falcon Crest.

History

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" or "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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,042 km² (788 mi²). 1,952 km² (754 mi²) of it is land and 89 km² (35 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.38% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 124,279 people, 45,402 households, and 30,691 families residing in the county. The population density is 64/km² (165/mi²). There are 48,554 housing units at an average density of 25/km² (64/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 45,402 households out of which 31.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.20% are married couples living together, 9.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% are non-families. 25.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.62 and the average family size is 3.16.

In the county the population is spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $51,738, and the median income for a family is $61,410. Males have a median income of $42,137 versus $31,781 for females. The per capita income for the county is $26,395. 8.30% of the population and 5.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.60% of those under the age of 18 and 5.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns

• American Canyon
• Angwin
• Calistoga
• Deer Park
• Napa
• St. Helena
• Yountville

Napa Valley Winemakers

Napa Valley contains many vineyards, such as this one.

• Artesa Winery
• Atlas Peak Vineyards
• Beaulieu Vineyards
• Beringer Blass Wine Estates
• Cakebread Cellars
• Carneros Creek Winery
• Chimney Rock Winery
• Clos du Val
• Duckhorn Vineyards
• Dutch Henry Winery
• Frank Family Winery
• Goosecross Cellars
• Charles Krug
• Robert Mondavi
• Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery
• Rutherford Hill Winery
• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
• Stags' Leap Winery
• Sterling Vineyards
• Stony Hill Vineyard
• Turnbull Wine Cellars

External links

Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to:

Napa County, California

• Napalinks.com (http://napalinks.com/index.html)
• Napa County official website (http://www.co.napa.ca.us/)