San Benito County, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
San Benito County
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| County of San Benito | |||
   Images, from top down, left to right: San Benito County Courthouse, Mission San Juan Bautista, New Idria grounds
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Location in the state of California
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| Region | Central Coast | ||
| CSA | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland | ||
| Metro | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | ||
| Incorporated | February 12, 1874 | ||
| Named for | San Benito River | ||
| County seat | Hollister | ||
| Largest city | Hollister | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council–CEO | ||
| • Body | Board of Supervisors | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,390 sq mi (3,600 km2) | ||
| • Land | 1,389 sq mi (3,600 km2) | ||
| • Water | 1.8 sq mi (5 km2) | ||
| Highest elevation | 5,245 ft (1,599 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 64,209 | ||
| • Density | 46.19/sq mi (17.84/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time) | ||
| Area code | 831 | ||
| FIPS code | 06-069 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 277299 | ||
| Congressional district | 18th | ||
San Benito County (
i/ˌsæn bəˈniːtoʊ/; San Benito, Spanish for "St. Benedict"), officially the County of San Benito, is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,209. The county seat is Hollister.
San Benito County is included in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area.
El Camino Real passes through the county and includes one mission in San Juan Bautista.
History
Before the arrival of the first European settlers, the San Benito County area was inhabited by the Mutsun sub-group of the Ohlone Native Americans. In 1772 Father Juan Crespí conducted a brief expedition into the area and named a small river which he found in honor of San Benito de Nursia (Saint Benedict), the patron saint of monasticism. The county was later named after the San Benito Valley, the valley surrounding this river. Thus it was from the Spanish version of the saint's name that the county eventually took its name.
In 1797 Spanish missionaries founded the first European settlement in the county as the San Juan Bautista mission. In 1848 the United States government gained control over what would soon become the state of California, which included the area now known as San Benito county. The town of New Idria was the next town to develop in the area and was founded ca. 1857. New Idria was centered around the New Idria Mercury Mine. When the mine played out fairly recently in 1972, New Idria was abandoned, and the town is now one of California's many ghost-towns.
The town of Hollister was next founded on November 19, 1868, by William Welles Hollister on the grounds of the former Mexican land-grant Rancho San Justo. In 1874 the California legislature formed San Benito County from a section of Monterey County while naming Hollister as the new county seat. Sections of Merced and Fresno Counties were also later reassigned to San Benito County in 1887 as a result of the growth of the New Idria community. Other towns in the county which were founded early in the county's history include Tres Pinos and Paicines.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,390 square miles (3,600 km2), of which 1,388 square miles (3,595 km2) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) is water (0.1%).
Sharing a border with Santa Clara County, San Benito County lies adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Area and is sometimes considered a part of that region. Frequently, the county is associated with the Monterey Bay Area through governmental organizations such as the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments as well as the Pajaro River, which flows from northern San Benito County into the Monterey Bay. The United States Census Bureau includes the county in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA and the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland CSA, which the Census uses as a statistical definition of the San Francisco Bay Area.
The county also borders Merced County and Fresno County on the east, which extend into California's San Joaquin Valley. It borders Santa Cruz County on the west and Monterey County on the southwest border.
The county is also the location of the Mount Harlan and San Benito American Viticultural Areas. The latter contains the Cienega Valley, Lime Kiln Valley, and Paicines AVAs.
Flora
Due to the varied topography, diverse geology, and varied climate from near-coastal to inland, San Benito County contains a high diversity of vegetation types. Common vegetation types include annual grasslands, coastal scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland.
In the extreme southeastern portion of San Benito County at Panoche Valley, Panoche Hills, Tumey Hills, and Vallecitos, the climate is arid and part of the recently recognized San Joaquin Desert biome. The flora there includes saltbush scrub, San Joaquin Desert scrub, and California juniper woodland. Panoche Hills navarretia (Navarretia panochensis) is nearly endemic to this small portion of the San Joaquin Desert in San Benito County.
At the highest elevations of San Benito County at Fremont Peak and San Benito Mountain, the average annual precipitation is high enough and the average annual temperature is cool enough to support mixed conifer forest. At San Benito Mountain, the high elevation climate and extreme geology of the New Idria serpentine, supports a unique mixed-conifer forest that includes foothill pine, Coulter pine, Jeffrey pine, and incense cedar. The extreme conditions of the serpentine soils of the New Idria serpentine mass support many rare local endemic plant species including San Benito evening primrose (Camissonia benitensis), rayless layia (Layia discoidea), Guirado's goldenrod (Solidago guiradonis), and San Benito fritillary (Fritillaria viridea).
The plant species Benitoa occidentalis was named for San Benito County. Camissonia benitensis, Monardella antonina subsp. benitensis, and Arctostaphylos benitoensis were named in recognition of their being endemic or near-endemic to San Benito County. The species Hollisteria lanata was named after William Welles Hollister, namesake of the city of Hollister.
Fauna
Illacme plenipes, a millipede having more legs than any other millipede species, was discovered in the county in 1926.
A California condor was found shot to death in the county on July 22, 2022, leading to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posting a $5,000 reward for information on the killer.
National protected area
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 5,584 | — | |
| 1890 | 6,412 | 14.8% | |
| 1900 | 6,633 | 3.4% | |
| 1910 | 8,041 | 21.2% | |
| 1920 | 8,995 | 11.9% | |
| 1930 | 11,311 | 25.7% | |
| 1940 | 11,392 | 0.7% | |
| 1950 | 14,370 | 26.1% | |
| 1960 | 15,396 | 7.1% | |
| 1970 | 18,226 | 18.4% | |
| 1980 | 25,005 | 37.2% | |
| 1990 | 36,697 | 46.8% | |
| 2000 | 53,234 | 45.1% | |
| 2010 | 55,269 | 3.8% | |
| 2020 | 64,209 | 16.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 68,175 | 23.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 21,154 | 19,785 | 38.27% | 30.81% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 355 | 479 | 0.64% | 0.75% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 231 | 221 | 0.42% | 0.34% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,298 | 2,189 | 2.35% | 3.41% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 65 | 127 | 0.12% | 0.20% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 67 | 332 | 0.12% | 0.52% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 913 | 1,835 | 1.65% | 2.86% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 31,186 | 39,241 | 56.43% | 61.11% |
| Total | 55,269 | 64,209 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2011
| Population, race, and income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 54,873 | ||||
| White | 41,820 | 76.2% | |||
| Black or African American | 728 | 1.3% | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 693 | 1.3% | |||
| Asian | 1,336 | 2.4% | |||
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% | |||
| Some other race | 7,903 | 14.4% | |||
| Two or more races | 2,393 | 4.4% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 30,497 | 55.6% | |||
| Per capita income | $26,300 | ||||
| Median household income | $65,570 | ||||
| Median family income | $73,150 | ||||
Places by population, race, and income
| Place | Type | Population | White | Other |
Asian | Black or African American |
Native American |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aromas ‡ | CDP | 1,175 | 77.9% | 19.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.0% | 18.6% |
| Hollister | City | 34,733 | 71.2% | 23.2% | 2.7% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 65.7% |
| Ridgemark | CDP | 3,370 | 86.3% | 7.9% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 0.8% | 21.5% |
| San Juan Bautista | City | 1,619 | 83.8% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 1.4% | 37.6% |
| Tres Pinos | CDP | 313 | 97.8% | 2.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 32.6% |
| ‡ Data for San Benito County area of this CDP | ||||||||
| Place | Type | Population | Per capita income | Median household income | Median family income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aromas ‡ | CDP | 1,175 | $49,556 | $121,964 | $163,906 |
| Hollister | City | 34,733 | $22,433 | $62,570 | $64,123 |
| Ridgemark | CDP | 3,370 | $38,800 | $90,833 | $101,776 |
| San Juan Bautista | City | 1,619 | $24,527 | $56,897 | $65,526 |
| Tres Pinos | CDP | 313 | $41,294 | $83,500 | $88,929 |
| ‡ Data for San Benito County area of this CDP | |||||
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that San Benito County had a population of 55,269. The racial makeup of San Benito County was 35,181 (63.7%) White, 483 (0.9%) African American, 895 (1.6%) Native American, 1,443 (2.6%) Asian, 94 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 14,471 (26.2%) from other races, and 2,702 (4.9%) from two or more races. There were 31,186 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (56.4%).
| Population reported at 2010 United States Census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| San Benito County | 55,269 | 35,181 | 483 | 895 | 1443 | 94 | 14,471 | 2,702 | 31,186 |
|
cities |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Hollister | 34,928 | 20,761 | 341 | 617 | 929 | 63 | 10,437 | 1,780 | 22,965 |
| San Juan Bautista | 1,862 | 1,125 | 12 | 58 | 52 | 2 | 494 | 119 | 907 |
|
places |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Aromas ‡ | 1,292 | 961 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 207 | 85 | 413 |
| Ridgemark | 3,016 | 2,520 | 23 | 14 | 105 | 3 | 248 | 103 | 623 |
| Tres Pinos | 476 | 390 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 57 | 12 | 112 |
|
unincorporated areas |
Population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| All others not CDPs (combined) | 13,695 | 9,424 | 95 | 185 | 337 | 23 | 3,028 | 603 | 6,166 |
| ‡ Note: these numbers reflect only the portion of this CDP in San Benito County | |||||||||
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 53,234 people, 15,885 households, and 12,898 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 16,499 housing units at an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county in 2010 was 38.3% non-Hispanic White, 0.6% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 56.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 7.6% were of German, 6.3% Irish and 5.4% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 62.8% spoke only English at home, while 35.3% spoke Spanish. As of the 2010 census, San Benito County was the only county in the greater San Francisco Bay Area with a Hispanic majority.
There were 15,885 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.64.
In the county 32.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $57,469, and the median income for a family was $60,665. Males had a median income of $44,158 versus $29,524 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,932. About 6.7% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The economy is statistically included in metro San Jose, though the dominant activity is agriculture. Agritourism is growing as the county has destination wineries, organic farms and quaint inns with views of cattle grazing. With concerns about how oil and gas operations could impact this sector of the economy and agriculture in general, the county voters approved a measure in 2014 that bans well stimulation techniques such as fracking, acidizing and steam injection, along with conventional drilling in some areas. In the 1950s, the oil drilling industry had many wells and the county is over the Monterey Shale formation but there is very little activity now.
Top employers
According to the San Benito County Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County, the top employers in the county are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earthbound Farm | 1,000+ |
| 2 | R&R Labor | 500-999 |
| 3 | Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital | 250–499 |
| 4 | Mcelectronics Inc. | 250–499 |
| 5 | San Benito High School | 250–499 |
| 6 | True Leaf Farms | 250–499 |
| 7 | Corbin Sparrow | 100–249 |
| 8 | Denise & Filice Packing Co | 100–249 |
| 9 | Nob Hill Foods | 100–249 |
| 10 | San Benito Foods | 100–249 |
| 11 | San Benito County Sheriff | 100–249 |
| 12 | Target | 100–249 |
| 13 | Trical Inc. | 100–249 |
| 14 | West Marine | 100–249 |
Media
San Benito County receives media in Monterey County, including the major Monterey County TV and radio stations.
The county also has several media outlets that serve the local community:
Television
CMAP TV - Community Media Access Partnership, based in Gilroy, operates Channels 17, 18, 19 & 20 on Charter/Spectrum Cable as well as streaming online, offering public access and educational programming to Gilroy and San Benito County as well as offering live civic meetings, including county government.
Radio
- KMPG, at 1520 AM daytime, plays regional Mexican music;
- KQKE, at 97.5 FM, "The Quake" San Benito County Community Radio provides a low power signal.
- KHRI, at 90.7 FM, is an affiliate of Air 1 playing contemporary Christian music;
- KXSM, at 93.1 FM, broadcasts a regional Mexican format.
- K206BQ, at 89.1 FM, rebroadcasts KLVM.
- K265DG, at 100.9 FM, rebroadcasts KPRC-FM.
- The Hollister Free Lance, founded in 1873, is published weekly on Thursdays. The Freelance is now owned by New SV Media, Inc.and its main office is in Gilroy. New SV Media owns Good Times, Metro Silicon Valley, Pajaroan, Gilroy Dispatch, SantaCruz.com, King City Rustler and California Wheelin'.
- Mission Village Voice is a monthly paper based in San Juan Bautista. It is oriented toward arts, culture and community-wide events.
Online
- BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website covering San Benito County, run by local and regional residents.
- San Benito Live is a local news website, primarily focused on culture-related media.
Transportation
Major highways
U.S. Route 101 to San Francisco
State Route 25
State Route 129 to Santa Cruz
State Route 146
State Route 156
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Public transportation
San Benito County Express provides fixed route service in the city of Hollister, and intercity service in the northern portion of the county. Service operates as far north as Gilroy, in Santa Clara County.
Airports
Hollister Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located just north of Hollister.
Communities
Cities
- Hollister (county seat)
- San Juan Bautista
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Bitterwater
- Dunneville
- Hudner
- Paicines
- Panoche
- River Oaks
- San Benito
- Tres Pinos
Ghost town
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of San Benito County.
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2010 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † Hollister | City | 34,928 |
| 2 | Ridgemark | CDP | 3,016 |
| 3 | Aromas (partially in Monterey County) | CDP | 2,650 |
| 4 | San Juan Bautista | City | 1,862 |
| 5 | Tres Pinos | CDP | 476 |
See also
In Spanish: Condado de San Benito para niños
