Lake County, California

County of Lake
—  County  —
Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in Lake County
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Metro area
Incorporated	1861
Named for	Clear Lake
County seat	Lakeport
Area
– Total	1,329.48 sq mi (3,443.3 km2)
– Land	1,257.96 sq mi (3,258.1 km2)
– Water	71.52 sq mi (185.2 km2)
Population (2010)
– Total	64,665
– Density	51/sq mi (19.7/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
– Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Website	www.co.lake.ca.us

Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California (unlike Lake Tahoe which is partially in Nevada). As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,665, up from 58,309 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Lakeport.

History

Lake County was formed in 1861 from parts of Napa and Mendocino counties. Lake County has long been known as a farming community. Vineyards were planted in the 1870s. By the early 20th century the area was earning a reputation for producing some of the world's greatest wines. However, in 1920, Prohibition ended Lake County's wine production. Most of the vineyards were ripped out and replanted with walnut and pear farms.

A re-emergence of the wine industry began in the 1960s when a few growers rediscovered the area's grape growing potential and began planting vineyards. The area went from fewer than 100 acres (0.4 km²) of grapevines in 1965 to over 8,800 acres (36 km²) of vineyards today, and has seen the recent establishment of several American Viticultural Areas such as High Valley AVA and Red Hills Lake County AVA. Many of the vineyards in Lake County today support sustainable farming practices.

Geography and environment

Spring Time in the Vineyards

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,329.48 square miles (3,443.3 km²), of which 1,257.96 square miles (3,258.1 km²) (or 94.62%) is land and 71.52 square miles (185.2 km²) (or 5.38%) is water.^[1] A number of watercourses drain the county including Cache Creek, Forbes Creek and Scotts Creek.

Clear Lake is believed to be the oldest lake in North America, due to a geological fluke. The lake sits on a huge block of stone which slowly tilts in the northern direction at the same rate as the lake fills in with sediment, thus keeping the water at roughly the same depth. The geology of the county is chaotic, being based on Franciscan Assemblage hills. Numerous small faults are present in the south end of the lake as well as many old volcanoes, the largest being Mount Konocti. The geologic history of the county shows events of great violence, such as the eruption of Mount Konocti and Mount St. Helena, and the collapse of Cow Mountain, which created the hills around the county seat of Lakeport. Blue Lakes, Lake Pillsbury, and Indian Valley Reservoir are the county's other major bodies of water.

Lake County has habitats for a variety of species of concern including the uncommon herb, Legenere limosa, the rare Eryngium constancei and the tule elk. Waterfowl, bear and other wildlife abound in the Clear Lake basin.

Due to its hilly terrain, Lake is the only one of California's 58 counties never to have been served by a railroad line.

Cities and towns

• Clearlake
• Clearlake Oaks
• Cobb
• Crabtree Hot Springs
• Hidden Valley Lake
• Kelseyville
• Lakeport
• Loch Lomond
• Lower Lake
• Lucerne
• Middletown
• Nice
• North Lakeport
• Parramore Springs
• Upper Lake
• Whispering Pines

Adjacent counties

• Napa County, California - south
• Sonoma County, California - southwest
• Mendocino County, California - west, northwest
• Glenn County, California - northeast
• Colusa County, California - east
• Yolo County, California - southeast

National protected areas

• Mendocino National Forest (part)
• Cow Mountain Recreation Area
• Cache Creek Wilderness and Cache Creek Wildlife Area

State protected areas

• Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest
• Anderson Marsh State Historic Park
• Loch Lomond Vernal Pool Ecological Reserve
• Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve
• Clear Lake State Park
• Rodman Slough Preserve (108 acres managed by California Department of Fish and Game)

Transportation infrastructure

Major highways

• State Route 20
• State Route 29
• State Route 53
• State Route 175
• State Route 281

There are also several numbered county routes in Lake County.

Public transportation

Lake Transit serves all areas around Clear Lake, with most service focused on the city of Clearlake. Connections are also provided to St. Helena (Napa County) and Ukiah (Mendocino County).

Airports

Lampson Field is the county's public airport. There are also several private airstrips located throughout the county.

Politics

Lake County vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2008	38.9% 9,935	58.2% 14,854	3.3% 840
2004	44.9% 11,093	53.2% 13,141	2.8% 1,089
2000	41.6% 8,699	51.2% 10,717	7.2% 1,503
1996	35.0% 7,458	48.9% 10,432	16.1% 3,445
1992	28.8% 6,678	45.4% 10,548	25.8% 5,987
1988	48.0% 9,366	50.4% 9,828	1.6% 308
1984	54.8% 10,874	43.6% 8,648	1.6% 309
1980	53.6% 8,934	35.9% 5,978	10.5% 1,742
1976	44.5 5,462	51.9% 6,374	3.7% 449
1972	55.1% 6,477	40.1% 4,715	4.8% 558
1968	49.0% 4,464	41.5% 3,777	9.6% 870
1964	43.6% 3,616	56.4% 4,680	0.1% 6
1960	58.7% 4,176	40.8% 2,897	0.5% 36
1956	64.8% 4,073	34.8% 2,185	0.4% 24
1952	67.5% 4,367	31.5% 2,038	1.0% 63
1948	57.3% 3,054	37.5% 1,999	5.3% 280
1944	55.0% 2,059	44.6% 1,671	0.4% 16
1940	53.4% 2,215	45.7% 1,897	0.9% 39
1936	48.7% 1,797	49.8% 1,837	1.4% 53
1932	34.8% 1,301	62.6% 2,344	2.6% 99
1928	65.4% 1,820	33.3% 926	1.4% 38
1924	44.9% 795	14.8% 261	40.3% 713
1920	57.2% 993	32.9% 571	9.9% 171

Lake County leans Democratic in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Lake is part of California's California's 1st congressional district, which is held by Democrat Mike Thompson. In the state legislature, Lake is part of the 1st Assembly district, which is held by Democrat Wesley Chesbro, and the 2nd Senate district, which is held by Democrat Noreen Evans.

On November 4, 2008, Lake County voted 52.6% for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.^[2]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	2,969		—
1880	6,596		122.2%
1890	7,101		7.7%
1900	6,017		−15.3%
1910	5,526		−8.2%
1920	5,402		−2.2%
1930	7,166		32.7%
1940	8,069		12.6%
1950	11,481		42.3%
1960	13,786		20.1%
1970	19,548		41.8%
1980	36,366		86.0%
1990	50,631		39.2%
2000	58,309		15.2%
2010	64,665		10.9%
[3][4][5]

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Lake County had a population of 64,665. The racial makeup of Lake County was 52,033 (80.5%) White, 1,232 (1.9%) African American, 2,049 (3.2%) Native American, 724 (1.1%) Asian, 108 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 5,455 (8.4%) from other races, and 3,064 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11,088 persons (17.1%).^[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)
Lake County	64,665	52,033	1,232	2,049	724	108	5,455	3,064	11,088
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Clearlake	15,250	11,262	614	400	161	27	1,805	981	3,248
Lakeport	4,753	3,932	46	147	99	5	337	187	799
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Clearlake Oaks	2,359	2,054	54	45	34	1	60	111	192
Clearlake Riviera	3,090	2,641	36	75	40	5	167	126	424
Cobb	1,778	1,625	14	31	13	1	26	68	113
Hidden Valley Lake	5,579	4,830	63	80	75	12	326	193	733
Kelseyville	3,353	2,213	22	51	32	2	888	145	1,337
Lower Lake	1,294	1,031	20	18	13	1	125	86	219
Lucerne	3,067	2,581	60	105	26	9	94	192	367
Middletown	1,323	985	5	28	18	0	225	62	413
Nice	2,731	2,187	65	159	42	7	123	148	384
North Lakeport	3,314	2,685	28	126	40	4	271	160	571
Soda Bay	1,016	843	16	14	12	0	102	29	171
Spring Valley	845	766	15	10	6	3	24	21	71
Upper Lake	1,052	842	7	33	7	0	104	59	242
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)	13,861	11,556	167	727	106	31	778	496	1,804

2005

There were a total of 34,031 homes in Lake County in 2005. This county has gone through a growth in housing units, adding a sum of 1,414 residential structures since 2001, a change of 4.3 percent. Lake County ranks 978 of 3,141, compared to change in residential structure growth in counties throughout the Unities States.

Lake County had a median home value in the year 2005 of $255,300, according to the American Community Survey. This median is less than the overall California 2005 home median value of $477,700 and greater than median home value of $167,500 for the rest of the nation in that year. In 2005, the American Community Survey reported that 14.4% of Lake County's owner-occupied dwellings are valued over a half a million dollars.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,627, and the median income for a family was $55,818. Males had a median income of $45,771 versus $44,026 for females. The per capita income for the county was $43,825. About 6.90% of families and 4.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

The recent sharp increase in per capita income can be directly linked to those people who have recently relocated to Lake County and telecommute to their jobs in the Bay Area. In addition, real estate values have risen due to a boom from 2003 to 2006, caused by Bay Area residents' discovery that Lake County residential real estate was lower in cost than that in adjacent Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Within Lake County are two incorporated cities, the county seat of Lakeport and Clearlake, the largest city, and the communities of Kelseyville, Blue Lakes, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Park, Cobb, Finley, Glenhaven, Hidden Valley Lake, Clearlake Riviera, Loch Lomond, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Middletown, Nice, Spring Valley, Upper Lake, Whispering Pines, and Witter Springs.

The income of residents of the county varies widely. The county is the largest employer thus far, followed by large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Kmart. Several franchised retailers have recently entered the county (up 28% since 2003) and have created a diverse employment environment. Employment statistics continue to improve, again supported by the influx of Bay Area relocations and the benefit of telecommuting. Lake County is mostly agricultural, with tourist facilities and some light industry. Major crops include pears, walnuts and, increasingly, wine grapes.

Famous people

Lillie Langtry, British actress and royal mistress

Notes

1. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
2. ^ California Secretary of State: "Statement of Vote for November 4, 2008, General Election", page 62.
3. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/ca190090.txt
4. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
5. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
6. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/California/. 

See also

• California wine
• Hiking trails in Lake County
• Lampson Field Airport
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, California

External links

• Lake County government website
• Lake County visitor website
• Lake County News
• Observer American Clear Lake Newspaper
• Lake County Record Bee Newspaper
• Lake County Travel and Resource Guide
• Wine country moves north (San Francisco Chronicle)
• The Ample Charms of a Well-Fed Lake, by Richerson & Richerson
• Lake County, California: History of the County

Coordinates: 39°05′N 122°46′W / 39.09°N 122.76°W / 39.09; -122.76