Sacramento County is a county of the U.S. state of California. The county seat is the city of Sacramento. 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. The County is bordered by Contra Costa and San Joaquin Counties on the south, Amador and El Dorado Counties on the east, Placer and Sutter Counties on the north, and Yolo and Solano Counties on the west. 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.

History

Sacramento County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.

The county was named by Captain Gabriel Moraga after the Sacramento River. The word sacramento signifies "Sacrament" or "Lord's Supper."

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 is water. The total area is 3.00% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 1,223,499 people, 453,602 households, and 297,562 families residing in the county. The population density is 489/km² (1,267/mi²). There are 474,814 housing units at an average density of 190/km² (492/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 453,602 households out of which 33.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% are married couples living together, 14.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% are non-families. 26.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.64 and the average family size is 3.24.

In the county the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $43,816, and the median income for a family is $50,717. Males have a median income of $39,482 versus $31,569 for females. The per capita income for the county is $21,142. 14.10% of the population and 10.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.20% of those under the age of 18 and 6.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns

Miscellaneous Information

• Average Annual Maximum Temperature - 73.6 degrees
• Average Annual Minimum Temperature - 49 degrees
• Average Rainfall - 19.6 inches
• 20.5 miles of light rail system (an additional 22.1 miles is under construction)
• 3 mainline railroad tracks
• 7.4 million passengers annually through Sacramento International airport
• Port of Sacramento ships 870,000 short 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
• Persons per square mile - 1,252
• Leading agricultural crops include: milk, wine grapes, Bartlett pears, field corn, turkeys

External links

• Official Sacramento County website
• Sacramento County transit website