California County Seats
From 1850 to Present, in Alphabetical Order

Notes on Individual County Seats

These are notes on county seats listed above marked with an asterisk. Included here are county seats which are difficult or impossible to find on current maps of the State of California. These communities no longer exist or they have changed names.

Adamsville in Stanislaus County was south of the Tuolumne River just east of the San Joaquin River. A State historic landmark plaque is southwest of Modesto.

Agua Fria, former County seat of Mariposa County, was 1/4 mile north of Carson Creek, a tributary of Agua Fria Creek. State historical landmark No. 518 is at 4189 State Highway 140, 3.2 miles west of Mariposa.

Alturas was first known as Dorris Bridge.

Alvarado’s tenure as Alameda County seat was interrupted in 1855 when San Leandro became the county seat as the result of a contested election. When a court ruled the election invalid, Alvarado again became the county seat, but a valid election followed, again making San Leandro the County seat. Alvarado is now a district of Union City.

Auburn became the county seat of Sutter County in 1851, but very shortly afterwards that part of the county was made part of the new Placer County.

Aurora is in Nevada. California’s middle eastern boundary was difficult to survey, partly because of the mountains and partly because one end of the boundary was in Lake Tahoe where it is difficult to place a surveyor’s tripod. Eventually it was discovered that Aurora was about three miles outside of California and thus not an appropriate county seat for Mono County.

Bidwell Bar in Butte County is now under the waters of Lake Oroville fed by the Feather River.

Brooklyn is now part of the City of Oakland. It is immediately south and east of Lake Merritt.

Cacheville in Yolo County was a community on Cache Creek, previously called Huttons, then renamed Cacheville at the time it was designated the county seat. It is now known as the town of Yolo.

Chico became the Butte County seat based on a provision in the 1850 statute creating counties that the Butte County seat would be Butte or Chico, whichever was chosen by the voters at the first election for county judges.

Coloma became the El Dorado County seat based on a provision in the 1850 statute creating counties that El Dorado county seat would be “Colloma” or Placerville, whichever was chosen by the voters at the first election for county judges. The spelling in the statute was “Colloma” but the name was later changed to “Coloma”.

Crescent City was the county seat of Klamath County. When the seat was moved to Orleans Bar, that action strengthened an effort to establish Del Norte County with Crescent City as its county seat. That reduction of Klamath County to mostly very steep mountain mining country with an often moving population, and with officials considered not always honest, contributed to the eventual death of Klamath County in 1875.

Double Springs of Calaveras County is no longer an active community but has a state historical landmark plaque on Highway 12 and a private plaque on Double Springs Road 3.6 miles east of Valley Springs.

Downieville is the Sierra County seat, but the Board of Supervisors each month has one meeting in Downieville and one meeting in Loyalton, a larger city many miles away.

El Centro, in Imperial County, is the most recently created county seat and the lowest in elevation, several feet below sea level.

Empire City in Stanislaus County was at the head of navigation of the Tuolumne River and contained a naval supply depot. The city was destroyed by flood 1861-1862. State Historical landmark plaque 418 is a tenth of a mile south of Empire on Highway J-7.

Fremont in Yolo County was on Sacramento River south of present Knights Landing. Yolo County’s Fremont should not be confused with the very different city in Alameda County created in 1956.

Jackson in Amador County and Jackson in Calaveras County are the same city, the county seat in different counties at different times.

Millerton in Fresno County is now under the waters of Millerton Lake behind Friant Dam.

Monroeville did not become the Colusa County seat promptly after the county was created because Colusa County was first attached to Butte County for judicial purposes. The location of former Monroeville is now in Glenn County at the mouth of Stony Creek on the west side of the Sacramento River, about 20 miles north of the present Colusa County.

Napa was described as Napa City in the Statutes of 1850.

Nicolaus had three terms as Sutter County seat. Between its first and second terms Auburn and Vernon served as county seats. Between its second and third terms Yuba City served briefly.

Orleans Bar, formerly of Klamath County, is now known as Orleans. It is on the Klamath River in Humboldt County.

Oro was very briefly the Sutter County seat. It was about two miles from Nicolaus. Although approved by the state legislature as the county seat, at the time of the approval it had no buildings. It existed only on paper, supported by a smooth talking state senator.

Pleasant Valley was designated as the Calaveras County seat when the county was created, but the name of the community was soon changed to Double Springs. Its site was close to the present community of Valley Springs. The Calaveras County community formerly named Pleasant Valley should not be confused with the present communites of the same name in Alpine and El Dorado Counties.

Quincy was known as American Ranch until it became the county seat.

Redding’s Ranch in Shasta County is now called Redding.

Sacramento was described as Sacramento City in the Statutes of 1850.

San Leandro’s tenure was interrupted in late 1895 and early 1896 by Alvarado.

San Rafael did not become the Marin County seat promptly after the county was created because Marin County was first attached to Sonoma County for judicial purposes.

Shasta City is now known as Shasta. It is the last city to lose its designation as a California county seat.

Silver Mountain City in Alpine County was about 15 miles south of Markleeville on Highway 4, past the Monitor Pass junction. As you head south, the only landmark is on the left hand side of the highway in a small fenced area with some stone blocks. It is very easy to miss.

Stewart, previously known as Senoranian Camp, is now known as Sonora.

Trinidad, formerly the county seat of Klamath County, is now in Humboldt County.

Ukiah did not become the Mendocino County seat promptly after the county was created in 1850 because Mendocino County was first attached to Sonoma County for judicial purposes.

Uniontown in Humboldt County is now known as Arcata, the city in the county with the second largest population.

Ventura is the common name, but the city charter uses the name San Buenaventura.

Vernon was in southern Sutter County near the community of Verona. Vernon in Sutter County should not be confused with the City of Vernon in Los Angeles County which has the smallest population of California’s 473 cities. It had 85 people in 1999.

Visalia was a county seat with no specific boundaries when it was first designated as the county seat. After it became incorporated, Tulare County proposed to construct a new courthouse outside, but adjacent to, the city limits. A court determined that action was not a violation of the county seat statute since Visalia had no precise boundaries when it was designated as the county seat.

Washington in Yolo County was later called Broderick, across the river from Sacramento.

Weaverville did not become the Trinity County seat promptly after the county was created because Trinity County was first attached to Shasta County for judicial purposes.