Napa County, California

Prehistory–18th century In prehistoric times, the valley was inhabited by the Patwin Native Americans, with possible habitation by Wappo tribes in the northwestern foothills. Most villages are thought to have been constructed near the floodplains of watercourses that drain the valley. Their food consisted of wild roots, acorns, small animals, earthworms, grasshoppers, and bread made from crushed California buckeye kernels. In winter they would construct huts made of tree branches. In summer they camped near rivers and streams. In winter months, they were half-clad in wild animal skins and at other times they wore no clothing. The maximum prehistoric population is thought not to have exceeded 5000 persons. The prisoners were utilized to supplement a dwindled able bodied agricultural labor force caused by the needs of the American war effort. Following the war, several new small and medium size businesses began operating in the county. A large majority of these businesses were related to the wine industry and tourism. Agriculture in the county remained very diverse until late in the 20th century when wine grapes again became the primary focus. While vineyards were planted on well over 90% of the agricultural land in the county, by the end of the 20th century, modern day farmers have recently begun exploring the possibility of raising other food crops in order to again diversify and take advantage of growing conditions. In October 2019, heavy smoke and unscheduled black outs by Pacific Gas and Electric Company of up to 20,000 customers affected the county due to fierce winds and threats from the Kincade Fire. ==Geography==

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.1%) is water. Napa is warmer in the summer than Sonoma County, to the west, or Santa Barbara County, a wine-producing county in southern California. Thus, the Napa wineries favor varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, while Pinot noir and Chardonnay are more the specialty of Sonoma and Santa Barbara wineries. At the north end of Napa County, in the Mayacamas Mountains, lies Mount Saint Helena, the Bay Area's second tallest peak at and home to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park; Snell Valley is also situated in northern Napa County; the Missimer Wildflower Preserve is within Snell Valley. On the west side of the Napa Valley is Hood Mountain, elevation . Napa County is home to a variety of flora and fauna including numerous rare and endangered species such as Tiburon Indian paintbrush and Contra Costa goldfields. Adjacent counties • Lake County - northwest • Yolo County - northeast • Solano County - east • Sonoma County - west National protected area • San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part) Rivers and creeks • Napa River • Milliken Creek • Putah Creek Lakes, marshes and reservoirs • East Napa Reservoir • East Side Reservoir • Fiege Reservoir • Lake Berryessa • Lake Hennessey • Lake Marie • Lake Orville • Lake Whitehead • Milliken Reservoir • Napa Sonoma Marsh • Rector Reservoir • West Napa Reservoir ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 138,019. The median age was 42.9 years. 20.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.6 males. There were 49,738 households in the county, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 85.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.7% lived in rural areas. Racial and ethnic composition 2010 census The 2010 United States census reported Napa County had a population of 136,484. The racial makeup of Napa County was 97,525 (71.5%) White, 2,668 (2.0%) African American, 1,058 (0.8%) Native American, 9,223 (6.8%) Asian, 372 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 20,058 (14.7%) from other races, and 5,580 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44,010 persons (32.2%). 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 124,279 people, 45,402 households, and 30,691 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 48,554 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county in 2010 was 56.4% non-Hispanic White, 1.8% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 6.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 32.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 11.9% were of German, 9.7% English, 8.6% Irish, 6.7% Italian and 5.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 75.3% spoke English, 19.5% Spanish and 1.1% Tagalog as their first language. There were 45,402 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.16. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. ==Government==

Napa County is a General Law County governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. The supervisors are: • District 1: Joelle Gallagher, • District 2: Liz Alessio, • District 3: Anne Cottrell, • District 4: Amber Manfree, and • District 5: Belia Ramos In the United States House of Representatives, Napa County is in . In the California State Legislature, Napa County is in , and . The county is one of three counties in California to establish a separate department to deal with corrections pursuant to California Government Code §23013, along with Santa Clara County and Madera County. ==Politics==

Overview Historically, Napa County was heavily Republican. It only supported a Democrat for president seven times – four of which were for Franklin D. Roosevelt – in the thirty-two presidential elections between 1860 and 1988. However, a Republican hasn't carried the county since George H. W. Bush in 1988. It is now one of the most Democratic counties in California, and is reckoned as part of the solid bloc of blue counties in the northern part of the state. On November 4, 2008, Napa County voted 56 percent against Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2017, Napa County has 76,038 registered voters, out of 93,926 eligible (81.0%). Of those, 35,660 (46.9%) are registered Democrats, 18,417 (24.2%) are registered Republicans, and 17,827 (23.4%) have declined to state a political party. Voter registration Cities by population and voter registration ==Economy==

Major Economic Activity in Napa County (Highest number in each category highlighted) Wine Napa Valley is widely considered one of the top American Viticultural Areas in California, and all of the United States, with a history dating back to the early nineteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were more than 140 wineries in the area. Several still exist in the valley including Charles Krug Winery, Schramsberg, Chateau Montelena, Nichelini and Beringer. Viticulture in Napa suffered a setback when Prohibition was enacted in 1920. Furthering the damage was an infestation of the phylloxera root louse which killed many of the vines through the valley. These two events caused many wineries to shut down and stalled the growth of the wine industry in Napa County for years. But for many Italian and Swiss families as farm labourers in the vineyards, Prohibition offered the unique opportunity for the growing and shipping of grapes to immigrant home winemakers across the country. Charles Forni, who received a gold coin as his first U.S. dollar upon arriving, rose to be a large shipper. The Mondavi family came West from the Minnesota ore country to Lodi to ship grapes to the "Italian Club" miners. When Prohibition stopped in 1933, the price of grapes crashed to below $24 per ton. Then A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America in San Francisco, started to promote to rebuild the commerce of wine and viticulture. Following the Second World War, the wine industry in Napa again began to grow. In 1965, Napa Valley icon Robert Mondavi broke away from his family's Charles Krug estate to found his own. This was the first new large scale winery to be established in the valley since before prohibition. After the establishment of the Mondavi estate, the number of wineries in the valley continued to grow, as did the region's reputation. Consumer trends followed the 60s free lifestyle for experimentation. The old "paesano" customers of "dego red" gallon jug wines changed to young women who considered white wine, not beer, as their new drink of choice for romance. Robert Mondavi Winery attracted new wine aficionados by introducing the larger, 1.5-liter wine bottle for an image of affordable quality. In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley's boutique wineries produce some of the world's best wines. The producers of these wines include but are not limited to: Araujo, Bryant Family, Monticello Vineyards, Ceja Vineyards, Chimney Rock Winery, Colgin Cellars, Dalla Valle Maya, Diamond Creek, Dominus Estate, Duckhorn Vineyards, Dunn Howell Mountain, Grace Family Vineyards, Harlan Estate, Husic, Kistler, Jericho Canyon Vineyards, Marcassin, Rutherford Hill Winery, Screaming Eagle, Sequoia Grove, Shafer Hillside Select, Steltzner Vineyards, and Bouchaine Vineyards. Today Napa Valley features more than four hundred wineries and grows many different grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. As many as five million people visit the area each year. ==Agricultural preservation==

Napa County has maintained a rural agricultural environment in a large part of the valley floor while neighboring Sonoma, Solano, and Yolo counties have allowed large tracts of former farmland to be rezoned for commercial and residential development. In 1968 vintners and civic leaders in the county seized an opportunity to preserve farmland by taking advantage of the Williamson Act enacted by the California Legislature to give landowners property tax relief for designating their land for agricultural purposes. This agricultural preserve on the floor of the valley in unincorporated areas between Napa and Calistoga was the first of its kind in the state. Initially, the preserve encompassed ,but it has grown to more than . In 2010, legislation was passed by the California State Senate and State Assembly and sent to the Governor for signing in the form of Senate Bill 1142. This bill was created to provide relief stream of funding to augment the Williamson Act. The county has resisted encroachment on the preserve since it was created with voters reaffirming their desire to keep it intact on several occasions. In 1990 voters passed Measure J adopting an initiative freezing all county zoning changes until the year 2020 unless there is a two-thirds majority vote to adopt such changes. Measure J was reaffirmed by a 5–2 vote of the California Supreme Court in 1995 in the case of Devita v. County of Napa. The Land Trust of Napa County was founded in 1976 by a group of local citizens with a mission to protect the natural diversity, scenic open space and agricultural vitality of the county. The trust acquires conservation easements, facilitates land transfers to local, state and federal agencies along with accepting outright donations of land within and outside the boundary of the agricultural preserve. The trust now covers over . While establishment of the agricultural preserve and the land trust has slowed residential development in much of the county, residential growth within the incorporated cities has continued at a moderate pace. Several substantial homes have been built on the hills surrounding the valley in areas not covered by the preserve or the land trust. A large portion of the land south of the City of Napa remained undeveloped for many decades until the 1980s. Several wine bottling facilities and wine storage warehouses now stand on what was once vacant land. A number of light industries have also sprung up in this region as new business parks have been built. The growth of American Canyon, Napa County's southernmost and newest city, incorporated in 1992, has prompted the establishment of several new retail outlets in the southern end of the county in recent years. American Canyon has also established a green belt preserve of over on the western and eastern sides of the city. In November 2009, the Napa Valley Vintners Association, the Napa Farm Bureau, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and an advocacy group called Preserving the Integrity of Napa's Agriculture completed a two-year study of Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs), and released a joint letter recommending no GEO usage in Napa County until the risks and benefits of GEOs are reevaluated and a "satisfactory" regulatory framework is put in place. ==Education==

In addition to its many public and private schools, two colleges also operate in the county. Pacific Union College, classified as a National Liberal Arts College by the Carnegie Foundation, is the county's only four-year college and serves roughly 1,500 students. Napa Valley College, a community college, offers two-year degrees in the county. K-12 schools K-12 school districts include: Unified: • Calistoga Joint Unified School District • Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District • Napa Valley Unified School District • St. Helena Unified School District Elementary: • Howell Mountain Elementary School District • Pope Valley Union Elementary School District Library The Napa County Library, is the public library of Napa California. The main branch is in downtown Napa. There are three branch libraries, in American Canyon, Calistoga and Yountville. Napa County Library is a member of LINK+, a union catalog of contributed holdings from participating libraries in California and Nevada. ==Media==

Napa County receives media from the rest of the Bay Area. The county also has several media outlets that serve the local community: • Napa Valley Register • St. Helena Star • Weekly Calistogan • American Canyon Eagle • Calistoga Tribune • Yountville Sun • Napa Valley Life • KVON 1440 kHz AM • K245DK translating KVON 96.9 MHz in early 2019 • KVYN 99.3 MHz FM • K278AH 103.5 MHz in Calistoga • KCMU-LP FM 103.3 MHz ==Transportation==

Major highways • • • • • • Public transportation Vine Transit operates local bus service in Napa, along with intercity routes that serve along State Route 29 between Vallejo (Solano County) and Calistoga, and State Route 12/I-80 to Fairfield and Suisun City, along with an Express route to El Cerrito Del Norte BART (WEEKDAYS ONLY) also another WEEKDAY ONLY Express route to Suisun City Amtrak. All routes within city of Napa only operate Monday to Saturday and regional routes operate everyday but all routes DO NOT operate on holidays. Airports • Napa County Airport is a general aviation airport south of the City of Napa. • Angwin-Parrett Field is a public use airport east of Angwin and is owned by Pacific Union College. Rail The Napa Valley Railroad is owned by the Napa Valley Wine Train, a dining/excursion service. The Napa Wine train offers a variety of different experience packages some including: wine tasting including dinner, rides with Santa during Christmas time, special offers showcasing some of the valley's new releases. Customer will be seated in the 100 year old vintage train while they take a 36-mile round trip from Napa to St. Helena and back. ==Events==

Napa County hosts numerous cultural events throughout the year. The county fair takes place annually in early July at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga. The Napa Town and Country Fair takes place in mid-July at the Napa Valley Expo in Napa. In order to boost tourism during the normally slow winter months, area hotels, restaurants, tourist-based businesses partnered with the county's local arts agency Arts Council Napa Valley and visitor management bureau Visit Napa Valley to develop Arts in April], a program celebrating the diverse cultural offerings featured in wine and hospitality institutions, beginning in 2011. In March every year since the late '70s, the county plays host to the Napa Valley Marathon. In June, the annual Napa Valley Wine Auction takes place. Wineries throughout the valley donate wines and other prizes to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. This annual event raises several million dollars per year, benefiting charities throughout Napa County. Festival Napa Valley In 2006, Napa Valley became home to the Festival Napa Valley, an annual food, wine, art, and music festival held at various venues throughout the valley. Additional music festivals, including Music in the Vineyards, Live in the Vineyard, the Robert Mondavi Summer Concert Series, all taking place annually in locations throughout the valley. Napa Valley Film Festival The Napa Valley Film Festival was founded in 2011 to recognize independent filmmaking of different genres. The festival occurs in November at various venues. BottleRock Napa Valley BottleRock Napa Valley is a music festival that took place for the first time in May 2013 on the grounds of the Napa Valley Exposition in Napa. The five-day festival featured over 60 bands and participation by over 300 wineries. A three-day event was held the following year, and every year since (excluding during COVID) on Memorial Day weekend, and features over 40 musical acts. A year-round arts and cultural resource for the county, Napa Valley Now, is presented by Arts Council Napa Valley. It is free for the public to use and contribute to and features all major happenings throughout the Valley. ==Communities==

Cities • American Canyon • Calistoga • Napa (county seat) • St. Helena • Yountville Census-designated places • Angwin • Deer Park • Moskowite Corner • Oakville • Rutherford • Silverado Resort Other unincorporated communities • Aetna Springs • Berryessa Highlands • Circle Oaks • Lokoya • Pope Valley • Vichy Springs Population ranking The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Napa County. † county seat ==In popular culture==

• Bottle Shock (2008) is based on the true story of the famous 1976 "Judgment of Paris," an important event in the history of Napa Valley winemaking. • The setting for the 1995 movie A Walk in the Clouds is Napa Valley in 1945. • In the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, the girls' father was portrayed as a Napa Valley winemaker. • The Napa Valley Film Commission lists other films with a setting in Napa or with film shot in Napa County. • Ursula K. Le Guin's book Always Coming Home is a fictional anthropological dossier about a future, post-societal collapse Indigenous people living in the Napa Valley, which they call the Valley of the Na. ==Notable residents==

• Michael Chiarello, chef • Francis Ford Coppola, director • Margaret Keane, artist • Thomas Keller, chef • Robert Mondavi, winemaker • Gustave Niebaum, winemaker • Warren Winiarski, winemaker and grape grower • Robin Williams, actor ==See also==