California Travel Tips
How 58 California Counties Got Their Names
Published on: January 27, 2020
Maybe you know that California is comprised of 58 counties. But do you know when the counties were established–and how they got their names?
It’s likely if you live in the state you’re somewhat familiar with your local county which provides an array of services, issues property tax bills, and is your point of contact for legal matters ranging from lawsuits and jury duty summonses to traffic court.
How CA counties got their names
34 counties were named more than 100 years ago for attributes and things that may (or may not) be relevant today:
- Animals, insects: butterfly (Mariposa), grizzly bear or fish (Napa), bold as a bear (San Bernardino), bob-tailed horse (Siskiyou)
- Nature: cottonwood tree (Alameda), alps (Alpine), mound (Butte), ash tree (Fresno), lakes (Lake), oranges (Orange), timber (Madera), head of the river (Modoc), snow-covered (Nevada), rivers (Riverside), river of feathers (Plumas), hot low-lands (Tehama), cattail (Tulare), abounding in rushes (Yolo), wild grapes (Yuba)
- Geographic: place of gold (Placer), valley of the moon (Sonoma), cluster of stone wigwams (Tuolumne),
- Spiritual: skulls (Calaveras), dwelling of great spirit (Inyo), kings (Kings), angels (Los Angeles), fly people (Mono), king of the mountain (Monterey), sacrament (Sacramento), holy cross (Santa Cruz), of three closely-related things (Trinity), fortune (Ventura)
24 California counties were named for people, groups and saints
- Soldier, rancher and miner (Amador)
- Native American tribe (Colusa)
- Mythical chief covered with gold dust (El Dorado)
- Saints (San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara)
- See more…>
Comments are closed.
