User:Jegesbubu~enwiki and Napa County, California: Difference between pages

Napa County
County
Official seal of Napa County Seal
Location within the U.S. state of California
California's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°30′N 122°19′W
Country	United States
State	California
Founded	1850
Seat	Napa
Population  (2000)
• Total	124,279
Website	www.co.napa.ca.us

Napa Valley is most famous for its wine.

Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2000 the population is 124,279. The county seat is Napa.

Napa County, once the producer of many different crops is known today for its wine industry, rising in the 1960s to the first rank of wine regions with France and Italy. The combination of natural beauty, pleasant Mediterranean climate, and proximity to San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento has made it into one of the United States' most desirable areas in which to live. However, its citizens are famous for their resistance to suburban development, with the result that 33 of California's 58 counties--including many that are far from major urban areas--are more populous. The relative poverty of the city of Napa, which houses most of the Latino migrant workers who tend and harvest the county's vineyards, produces a significant downward bias on its apparent wealth: estates in the county, particularly those with views of San Pablo Bay, have been known to sell for nearly ten million dollars.

Additionally, the city is well-known for shutting down clubs and venues that cater to those under the age of 21.

The Napa wine country was the inspiration for the fictional Tuscany Valley on the nighttime soap opera Falcon Crest.

History

Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Lake County in 1861.

The word napa is of Native American derivation and has been variously translated as "grizzly bear," "house," "motherland" or "fish." Of the many explanations of the name's origin, the most plausible seems to be that it is derived from the Patwin word napo meaning house.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,042 km² (788 mi²). 1,952 km² (754 mi²) of it is land and 89 km² (35 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.38% water.

Napa is warmer in the summer than Sonoma County to the west or Santa Barbara to the south. Thus, the Napa wineries favor varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are more the specialty of Sonoma wineries and Santa Barbara wineries. At the north end of Napa County lies Mount St. Helena, the Bay Area's tallest peak at 4,344 feet and home to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 124,279 people, 45,402 households, and 30,691 families residing in the county. The population density is 64/km² (165/mi²). There are 48,554 housing units at an average density of 25/km² (64/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 79.98% White, 1.32% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 2.97% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 10.95% from other races, and 3.71% from two or more races. 23.67% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 45,402 households out of which 31.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.20% are married couples living together, 9.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% are non-families. 25.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.62 and the average family size is 3.16.

In the county the population is spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $51,738, and the median income for a family is $61,410. Males have a median income of $42,137 versus $31,781 for females. The per capita income for the county is $26,395. 8.30% of the population and 5.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.60% of those under the age of 18 and 5.60% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Politics

Presidential elections results

Year	GOP	Dems
2004	39.0% 22,059	59.5% 33,666
2000	39.9% 20,633	54.3% 28,097
1996	36.1% 17,439	50.9% 24,588
1992	29.3% 15,662	45.3% 24,415
1988	50.2% 23,235	48.1% 22,283
1984	57.8% 26,322	40.8% 18,599
1980	53.7% 23,632	33.8% 14,898
1976	51.8% 20,839	44.9% 18,048
1972	59.6% 23,403	37.0% 14,529
1968	43.8% 14,270	45.3% 14,762
1964	37.1% 11,567	62.7% 19,580
1960	52.6% 33,428	43.4% 25,805

Trivia

The default wallpaper for the Windows XP operating system is Bliss, a JPEG photograph of a landscape in the Napa Valley, with rolling green hills and a blue sky with stratocumulus and cirrus clouds. The photograph inspired Windows XP's 200-million USD advertising campaign Yes you can.

Cities and towns

• American Canyon
• Angwin
• Calistoga
• Deer Park
• Napa
• St. Helena
• Yountville

Wine

Napa Valley has played a central role in the importance of California Wine. Before 1976, California wines, no matter how excellent, tended not to be taken seriously. However, that changed permanently after the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976.

The creme de la creme of the French wine establishment blind tasted wines from California and France. To their surprise, California wines won first place in both red and white wine categories; they wines won three of the top four ranking among the whites.

After the famous tasting, the number of wineries in Napa Valley increased many-fold. Wine tourism is now big business, with the Valley welcoming about five million travellers each year, making it the state's second most popular touirist destination after Disleyland.

Napa Valley Wineries (Partial List)

Napa Valley contains many vineyards, such as this one.

• Artesa Winery
• Acacia
• Andretti Winery
• Atlas Peak Vineyards
• Beaulieu Vineyards
• Beringer Blass Wine Estates
• Cakebread Cellars
• Caymas
• Carneros Creek Winery
• Chappellet Winery and Vineyard
• Chateau Montelena (selected for Paris Wine Tasting of 1976)
• Chimney Rock Winery
• Clos Du Val Winery (selected for Paris Wine Tasting of 1976)
• Conn Creek Winery
• Delectus Winery
• Domaine Carneros
• Domaine Chandon
• Duckhorn Vineyards
• Dutch Henry Winery
• Far Niente Winery
• Folie a Deux
• Frank Family Winery
• Franciscan
• Freemark Abbey Winery (selected for Paris Wine Tasting of 1976)
• Frog's Leap Winery
• Goosecross Cellars
• Grgich Hills Winery
• Hans Kornell
• Heitz Wine Cellars (selected for Paris Wine Tasting of 1976)
• Hess Collection
• Honig Vineyard & Winery
• Howell Mountain Vineyards
• Charles Krug
• Markham Vineyards
• Louis Martini
• Mayacamas Vineyards(selected for Paris Wine Tasting of 1976)
• Merryvale Vineyards
• Monticello Vineyards
• Mount Veeder Winery
• Peju Province
• Pepi Winery
• Raymond Vineyard & Cellar
• Robert Mondavi
• Robert Pecota Winery
• Robert Sinskey Vineyards
• Rutherford Hill Winery
• Rutherford Ranch Vineyards
• Mumm Napa Valley
• Niebaum-Coppola Winery
• Opus One
• Plump Jack Winery
• Pope Valley Winery
• Rutherford Hill Winery
• Saintsbury
• Schramsberg
• Seavey Vineyard
• Sequoia Grove Vineyards
• Shafer Vineyards
• Silver Oak Cellars
• Silverado Vineyards
• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (selected for Paris Wine Tasting of 1976)
• Stags' Leap Winery
• Sterling Vineyards
• Stony Hill Vineyard
• Sutter Home
• Trefethen
• Turnbull Wine Cellars
• V. Sattui
• Whitehall Lane Winery
• William Hill Winery
• ZD Wines

See also

• List of school districts in Napa County, California

External links

• All about Napa Valley
• Napalinks.com
• Napa County official website
• Niebaum-Coppola Winery, Napa Valley, CA
• Napa Valley Economic Development Corporation