Solano County () is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield.
Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, combined statistical area. Solano County is the northeastern county in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region.
History
Solano County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.
At the request of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the county was named for Chief Solano of the Suisun people, a Native American tribe of the region and Vallejo's close ally. Chief Solano at one time led the tribes between the Petaluma River and the Sacramento River. The chief was also called Sem-Yeto, which signifies "brave or fierce hand". The chief was given the Spanish name Francisco Solano during baptism at the Catholic Mission, and is named after the Spanish Franciscan missionary Father Francisco Solano.
Travis Air Force Base is located just east of Fairfield. Between 2017 and 2023, California Forever purchased over 50,000 acres of land in the county for an estimated $900 million to develop a new city.
Region
Solano County is the easternmost county of the North Bay. Additionally, a portion of the county extends into the Sacramento Valley, geographically.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which , comprising 9.3%, are covered by water.
Solano County had several cinnabar mines that operated in the first half of the 20th century, including the Hastings Mine and St. John's Mine.
Adjacent counties
- Contra Costa County, California - south
- Sonoma County, California - west
- Napa County, California - west
- Yolo County, California - north
- Sacramento County, California - east
National protected area
- San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Flora and fauna
Solano County has a number of rare and endangered species, including the delta green ground beetle, the wildflower Lasthenia conjugens, commonly known as Contra Costa goldfields, and the annual plant Legenere limosa or false Venus' looking glass.
Transportation
Major highways
thumb|Highway 37 Bridge over the Napa River in Vallejo
thumb|A train sits behind a stop sign at an intersection in Cordelia, California.
Public transportation
Solano County is served by several transit agencies:
- SolTrans, formed as a merger between these two existing transit agencies:
- Vallejo Transit, which also formerly operated the Baylink Ferry to San Francisco
- Benicia Breeze
- San Francisco Bay Ferry, with a terminal in Vallejo
- Fairfield and Suisun Transit
- Vacaville City Coach
- Rio Vista Delta Breeze
Each agency interconnects with the others, enabling transit trips throughout the county. Service also connects with BART stations in Contra Costa County. Transit links are provided to Napa, Yolo and Sacramento counties as well.
Greyhound and Amtrak provide long-distance intercity service.
Airports
General aviation airports in Solano County that are open to the public include the Nut Tree Airport and Rio Vista Municipal Airport.