Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,163. The county seat is Lakeport. The county takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest non-extinct natural lake wholly within California. (Lake Tahoe is partially in Nevada; the Salton Sea was formed by flooding; Tulare Lake was drained by the agricultural industry.)
Lake County forms the Clearlake, California micropolitan statistical area. It is directly north of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Lake County is part of California's Wine Country, which also includes Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. It includes nine American Viticultural Areas and around 20 bonded wineries.
History
Lake County has been inhabited by Pomo Native Americans for over ten thousand years. Pomos had been fishermen and hunters, known especially for their intricate basketry made from lakeshore tules and other native plants and feathers. Pomo people continue to live in Lake County.
The area had European American settlers since at least the 1840s. Lake County was created in 1861 from parts of Napa and Mendocino counties. The eastern boundary of Lake County, which was not clearly specified in the 1861 act, was clarified by legislative acts passed in 1864 and 1868. A major effect of the 1868 act was to include in Lake County the entire watershed of North Fork Cache Creek, which had previously been claimed by Colusa County.
The 1911 California Blue Book lists the major crops as Bartlett pears and beans. Other crops include grain, alfalfa, hay, prunes, peaches, apples, grapes and walnuts. Stockraising included goats, hogs, turkeys and dairying.
Some vineyards were planted in the 1870s by European Americans, but the first in the state were established in the 18th century by Spanish missionaries. By the early 20th century, the area was earning a reputation for producing some of the world's greatest wines. However, in 1920, national prohibition essentially ended Lake County's wine production. With authorized cultivation limited to sacramental purposes, most of the vineyards were ripped out and replanted with walnut and pear orchards.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.5%, is water. Two main watercourses drain the county: Cache Creek, which is the outlet of Clear Lake; and Putah Creek. Both of these flow to the Sacramento River. The main streams which flow into Clear Lake are Forbes Creek, Scotts Creek, Middle Creek, and Kelsey Creek. At the extreme north of the county Lake Pillsbury and the Van Arsdale Reservoir dam the Eel River, providing water and power to Ukiah in Mendocino County.
Clear Lake is believed to be the oldest warmwater 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 Cobb Mountain. 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 surrounding hilly terrain, Lake County is the only one of California's 58 counties never to have been served by a railroad line.
Adjacent counties
- Glenn County - northeast
- Colusa County - east
- Yolo County - southeast
- Napa County - southeast
- Sonoma County - southwest
- Mendocino County - west
National protected areas
- Mendocino National Forest (part)
- Cow Mountain Recreation Area
- Cache Creek Wilderness and Cache Creek Wildlife Area
In 2015, President Barack Obama created the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, incorporating these and other areas.
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
Mineral springs
In the late 19th century, the worldwide popularity of mineral water for the relief of myriad physical ailments resulted in the development of mineral resorts around Clear Lake.
- Greene Bartlett discovered Bartlett hot springs in 1870. The springs were developed into a resort and by 1900 included a mineral water bottling plant. The resort burned down in 1934.
- Harbin Hot Springs was developed by settlers in the 1860s and burned to the ground in the Valley Fire of 2015. The resort partially reopened in January 2019, including the main pools and sauna, and a limited cafeteria service.
- Highland Springs opened in 1891 and was destroyed by fire in 1945. During its time, Highland had an elegant dining room and a spacious hotel.
Climate
Lake County has a Mediterranean climate with hot summer daytime temperatures in its lower elevations. Nighttime temperatures remain cool year-round, somewhat moderating average temperatures and relieving the summer heat.
Air quality
Lake County has been ranked by the American Lung Association as having the cleanest air in the nation, including in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Lake County has also been ranked 24 times as having the cleanest air in California.
Demographics
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Lake County is in California's 4th congressional district, represented by .
In the state legislature, Lake is in , and .
Voter registration
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|-
! colspan="3" | Eligible and registered voters
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Eligible
| colspan="2" | 51,169
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total registered voters
| 37,368
| 73.03%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Democratic
| 13,867
| 37.11%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Republican
| 11,953
| 31.98%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | American Independent
| 2,321
| 6.21%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Green
| 318
| 0.85%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Libertarian
| 551
| 1.47%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Peace and Freedom
| 341
| 0.91%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Unknown
| 126
| 0.33%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Other
| 272
| 0.80%
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | No party preference
| 7,619
| 20.39%
|}
Crime
The table below includes the number of actual offenses (including attempts) as reported by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense (crime for the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake is not included, being listed in separate table further below).
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
|-
! colspan="3" | Population and crime rates (2020)
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Population
| 1 || 0.01
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Rape data-sort-type="number" | Violent crimes!
Economy
The county's largest employers are the healthcare industry, Native American casinos, grocery stores, school districts, and electricity company Calpine, which operates in the Geysers geothermal field in the Mayacamas Mountains.
The only significant manufacturing operations in Lake County are Stokes Ladders in Kelseyville, which builds orchard and industrial ladders, and Reynolds Systems in Middletown, which specializes in detonators, igniters, precision initiating couplers, leads and boosters for the aerospace industry.
Lake County's economy is largely driven by agriculture. The main crops in 2022 were:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Crop
! Production (tons)
! Value
! Bearing acres
|-
| Grapes (wine) || 45,637 || $84,756,086 || 10,987
|-
| Pears || 16,371 || $16,286,443
The region is host to nine American Viticultural Areas, notably Guenoc Valley, High Valley and the Red Hills, and about 20 winery operations.
Transportation
Major highways
- 20px|link= |alt= State Route 20
- 20px|link= |alt= State Route 29
- 20px|link= |alt= State Route 53
- 25px|link= |alt= State Route 175
- 25px|link= |alt= State Route 281
There are also several numbered county routes in Lake County.
Public transportation
Lake Transit serves all areas around Clear Lake. Local routes serve Lakeport, Clearlake and Lower Lake. Connections are also provided to St. Helena (in Napa County) and Ukiah (in Mendocino County). Some routes operate on weekdays only; no service is provided on Sundays and observed public holidays.
Airports
Lampson Field is the county's public airport. A airstrip is located in Gravelly Valley, north of Lake Pillsbury. There are also several private airstrips located throughout the county. The county was once host to the Paul Hoberg Airport in the Cobb area, which by the early 1980s was considered abandoned.
Historical railroads
In 1888 the Vaca Valley and Clear Lake Railroad reached Rumsey, but the planned line to Clear Lake was never built. The Clear Lake Railroad started work on a line from Hopland to Lakeport: "In November 1911 first ground was broken for the Hopland-Clear Lake railroad to Hopland. Mrs Harriet Lee Hammond, wife of the president of the road started construction. ... There were six miles of track out of Hopland ...", but this was also abandoned.
Culture
The Lake County Arts Council is the official arts council for Lake County, California, founded in 1981. It runs under the California Arts Council (CAC). The Lake County Arts Council runs the Main Street Gallery, a small gallery for visual arts with space for arts classes in Lakeport, Ca. This space is also used for the Lake County Arts Council's literary program, which hosts the county's Poetry Out Loud Program, recurring Writer's Circles, and more. In addition, the Lake County Arts Council has other events and programs including Art in Public Places, the Spring Dance Festival, and the Summer Youth Art Camp. The Lake County Arts Council also owns and operates the Soper Reese Theatre, Lake County's only fixed seating theatre located in Lakeport, California. The Soper Reese Theatre is a live performance venue that shows live theatrical shows, dance, live music, and has a Classic Cinema showing twice a month.
Communities
thumb|Topological map of central Lake County
Cities
- Clearlake
- Lakeport (county seat)
Census-designated places
- Clearlake Oaks
- Kelseyville Riviera
- Cobb
- Hidden Valley Lake
- Kelseyville
- Lower Lake
- Lucerne
- Middletown
- Nice
- North Lakeport
- Soda Bay
- Spring Valley
- Upper Lake
As of 2022, the U.S. Census continues to use the community's former name of Clear Lake Riviera.
Unincorporated communities
- Finley
- Glenhaven
- Loch Lomond
- Parramore Springs
- Riviera Heights
- Riviera West
- Whispering Pines
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Lake County.
† county seat
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Rank
! City/Town/etc.
! Municipal type
! Population (2010 Census)
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 1
| Clearlake
| City
| 15,250
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 2
| Hidden Valley Lake
| CDP
| 5,579
|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"
| 3
| † Lakeport
| City
| 4,753
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 4
| Kelseyville
| CDP
| 3,353
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 5
| North Lakeport
| CDP
| 3,314
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 6
| Clearlake Riviera
| CDP
| 3,090
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 7
| Lucerne
| CDP
| 3,067
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 8
| Nice
| CDP
| 2,731
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 9
| Clearlake Oaks
| CDP
| 2,359
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 10
| Cobb
| CDP
| 1,778
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 11
| Middletown
| CDP
| 1,323
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 12
| Lower Lake
| CDP
| 1,294
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 13
| Upper Lake
| CDP
| 1,052
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 14
| Soda Bay
| CDP
| 1,016
|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"
| 15
| Spring Valley
| CDP
| 845
|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"
| 16
| Robinson Rancheria (Pomo Indians)
| AIAN
| 207
|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"
| 17
| Big Valley Rancheria (Pomo Indians)
| AIAN
| 139
|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"
| 18
| Upper Lake Rancheria (Pomo Indians)
| AIAN
| 87
|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"
| 19
| Sulphur Bank Rancheria (Pomo Indians)
| AIAN
| 61
|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"
| 20
| Middletown Rancheria (Pomo Indians)
| AIAN
| 56
|}
Notable people
- Michael Berryman, American actor
- Benjamin Dewell, early settler and rancher
- Andrew Kelsey, who was killed in 1849 for his mistreatment of local Wappo and Pomo Indians
- Ellis O. Knox, first African American to be awarded a Ph.D. on the West Coast of the United States
- Lillie Langtry, British actress and royal mistress
See also
- Lake County wine
- Lampson Field Airport
- List of lakes of Lake County, California
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, California
Notes
References
External links
- Lake County Tourism Improvement District