Solano County, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Solano County
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| Solano County | |||
   Images, from top down, left to right: The Solano County Government Center in downtown Fairfield, Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, Vacaville Hills
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Location in the state of California
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| Region | San Francisco Bay Area | ||
| Incorporated | February 18, 1850 | ||
| Named for | Chief Solano of the Suisun people | ||
| County seat | Fairfield | ||
| Largest city | Vallejo (population) Fairfield (area) |
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| Government | |||
| • Type | Council–Administrator | ||
| • Body |
Erin Hannigan
Monica Brown Wanda Williams John Vasquez Mitch Mashburn |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 906 sq mi (2,350 km2) | ||
| • Land | 822 sq mi (2,130 km2) | ||
| • Water | 84 sq mi (220 km2) | ||
| Highest elevation | 2,822 ft (860 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 453,491 | ||
| • Density | 552/sq mi (213/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time) | ||
| Area code | 707 | ||
| FIPS code | 06-095 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 277312 | ||
| Congressional districts | 4th, 7th, 8th | ||
Solano County (
i/səˈlɑːnoʊ/) is a county located 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.
A portion of the South Campus at the University of California, Davis, is in Solano County.
History
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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. "Solano" is a common surname in the north of Spain, especially in Navarra, Zaragoza, and La Rioja.
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. As such, it is sometimes reported by news agencies as being in the East 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 906 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 84 square miles (220 km2), comprising 9.3%, are covered by water.
Solano County had several cinnabar mines that were worked in the first half of the twentieth 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
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
Interstate 80
Interstate 505
Interstate 680
Interstate 780
State Route 12
State Route 29
State Route 37
State Route 84
State Route 113
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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 are the Nut Tree Airport and Rio Vista Municipal Airport.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 580 | — | |
| 1860 | 7,169 | 1,136.0% | |
| 1870 | 16,871 | 135.3% | |
| 1880 | 18,475 | 9.5% | |
| 1890 | 20,946 | 13.4% | |
| 1900 | 24,143 | 15.3% | |
| 1910 | 27,559 | 14.1% | |
| 1920 | 40,602 | 47.3% | |
| 1930 | 40,834 | 0.6% | |
| 1940 | 49,118 | 20.3% | |
| 1950 | 104,833 | 113.4% | |
| 1960 | 134,597 | 28.4% | |
| 1970 | 169,941 | 26.3% | |
| 1980 | 235,203 | 38.4% | |
| 1990 | 340,421 | 44.7% | |
| 2000 | 394,542 | 15.9% | |
| 2010 | 413,344 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 453,491 | 9.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 449,218 | 8.7% | |
| 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) | 168,628 | 155,125 | 40.80% | 34.21% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 58,743 | 60,051 | 14.21% | 13.24% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,864 | 1,624 | 0.45% | 0.36% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 59,027 | 70,953 | 14.28% | 15.65% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3,243 | 3,775 | 0.78% | 0.83% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 1,463 | 2,988 | 0.35% | 0.66% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 21,020 | 30,820 | 5.09% | 6.80% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 99,356 | 128,155 | 24.04% | 28.26% |
| Total | 413,344 | 453,491 | 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.
2014
A 2014 analysis by The Atlantic found Solano County to be the 5th most racially diverse county in the United States, behind Aleutians West Census Area and Aleutians East Borough in Alaska, Queens County in New York, and Alameda County in California.
2011
| Population, race, and income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 411,620 | ||||
| White | 214,436 | 52.1% | |||
| Black or African American | 60,130 | 14.6% | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2,427 | 0.6% | |||
| Asian | 59,143 | 14.4% | |||
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 3,390 | 0.8% | |||
| Some other race | 43,064 | 10.5% | |||
| Two or more races | 29,030 | 7.1% | |||
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 97,268 | 23.6% | |||
| Per capita income | $29,367 | ||||
| Median household income | $69,914 | ||||
| Median family income | $79,316 | ||||
Places by population, race, and income
| Places by population and race | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Type | Population | White | Other |
Asian | Black or African American |
Native American |
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) |
| Allendale | CDP | 1,968 | 86.1% | 10.7% | 3.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 14.7% |
| Benicia | City | 26,981 | 75.6% | 10.4% | 9.3% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 12.2% |
| Dixon | City | 18,141 | 74.9% | 17.0% | 3.8% | 3.0% | 1.3% | 39.4% |
| Elmira | CDP | 251 | 97.2% | 2.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.8% |
| Fairfield | City | 104,404 | 47.1% | 19.4% | 15.5% | 16.6% | 1.5% | 25.7% |
| Green Valley | CDP | 1,719 | 85.7% | 8.7% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 0.0% | 8.0% |
| Hartley | CDP | 2,229 | 85.3% | 4.4% | 1.7% | 7.3% | 1.3% | 12.7% |
| Rio Vista | City | 7,088 | 76.5% | 10.0% | 4.0% | 7.9% | 1.5% | 14.9% |
| Suisun City | City | 27,900 | 34.4% | 24.9% | 19.9% | 19.7% | 1.1% | 25.6% |
| Vacaville | City | 92,217 | 64.8% | 17.0% | 5.9% | 11.1% | 1.2% | 21.7% |
| Vallejo | City | 116,021 | 36.2% | 17.2% | 23.9% | 21.0% | 1.6% | 23.3% |
| Places by population and income | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Type | Population | Per capita income | Median household income | Median family income |
| Allendale | CDP | 1,968 | $41,928 | $112,837 | $119,063 |
| Benicia | City | 26,981 | $41,854 | $90,338 | $102,571 |
| Dixon | City | 18,141 | $27,624 | $72,626 | $76,038 |
| Elmira | CDP | 251 | $22,069 | $73,438 | $85,650 |
| Fairfield | City | 104,404 | $26,785 | $68,037 | $75,717 |
| Green Valley (Solano County) | CDP | 1,719 | $67,828 | $125,669 | $145,781 |
| Hartley | CDP | 2,229 | $41,041 | $87,841 | $106,786 |
| Rio Vista | City | 7,088 | $34,332 | $58,701 | $68,156 |
| Suisun City | City | 27,900 | $26,148 | $71,411 | $76,286 |
| Vacaville | City | 92,217 | $29,687 | $73,302 | $85,790 |
| Vallejo | City | 116,021 | $27,375 | $62,325 | $72,717 |
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Solano County had a population of 413,344. The racial makeup of Solano County was 210,751 (51.0%) White, 60,750 (14.7%) African American, 3,212 (0.8%) Native American, 60,473 (14.6%) Asian, 3,564 (0.9%) Pacific Islander, 43,236 (10.5%) from other races, and 31,358 (7.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 99,356 persons (24.0%). At 52,641 Filipinos in the county making up 12% of the population, Solano County has the largest percentage Filipino population of any county in the United States.
| Population racial makeup reported at 2010 United States Census | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Solano County | 413,344 | 210,751 | 60,750 | 3,212 | 60,473 | 3,564 | 43,236 | 31,358 | 99,356 |
|
cities and towns |
population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Benicia | 26,997 | 19,568 | 1,510 | 135 | 2,989 | 102 | 895 | 1,798 | 3,248 |
| Dixon | 18,351 | 13,023 | 562 | 184 | 671 | 58 | 2,838 | 1,015 | 7,426 |
| Fairfield | 105,321 | 48,407 | 16,586 | 869 | 15,700 | 1,149 | 13,301 | 9,309 | 28,789 |
| Rio Vista | 7,360 | 6,003 | 372 | 53 | 359 | 15 | 288 | 270 | 914 |
| Suisun City | 28,111 | 10,805 | 5,713 | 196 | 5,348 | 340 | 2,898 | 2,811 | 6,753 |
| Vacaville | 92,428 | 61,301 | 9,510 | 846 | 5,606 | 532 | 8,136 | 6,497 | 21,121 |
| Vallejo | 115,942 | 38,064 | 25,572 | 757 | 28,895 | 1,239 | 12,759 | 8,656 | 26,165 |
|
places |
population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| Allendale | 1,506 | 1,239 | 49 | 22 | 42 | 2 | 79 | 73 | 235 |
| Elmira | 188 | 150 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 47 |
| Green Valley | 1,625 | 1,412 | 41 | 6 | 82 | 9 | 20 | 55 | 121 |
| Hartley | 2,510 | 1,956 | 70 | 24 | 70 | 16 | 248 | 126 | 510 |
|
unincorporated areas |
population |
|
American |
American |
|
Islander |
races |
more races |
or Latino (of any race) |
| All others not CDPs (combined) | 13,005 | 8,823 | 764 | 110 | 709 | 102 | 1,757 | 740 | 4,027 |
2000
At the 2000 census there were 394,542 people, 130,403 households, and 97,411 families in the county. The population density was 476 inhabitants per square mile (184/km2). There were 134,513 housing units at an average density of 162 per square mile (63/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 56.4% White, 14.9% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 12.8% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, 8.0% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. 17.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.5% were of German, 6.4% Irish and 6.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 75.7% spoke English, 12.1% Spanish and 6.6% Tagalog as their first language. Of the 130,403 households 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 19.6% of households were one person and 6.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.33.
The age distribution was 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median household income was $54,099 and the median family income was $60,597. Males had a median income of $41,787 versus $31,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,731. About 6.1% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
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People line up at the gate to the Solano County Fair in Vallejo, California
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A building on the Solano County Fairgrounds
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
- Bahia
- Batavia
- Birds Landing
- Bucktown
- Collinsville
- Cordelia
- Denverton
- Maine Prairie
- Mankas Corner
- Rockville
- Scandia
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Solano County.
† county seat
| Rank | Settlement | Municipal type | Population (2020 census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vallejo | City | 126,090 |
| 2 | † Fairfield | City | 119,881 |
| 3 | Vacaville | City | 102,386 |
| 4 | Suisun City | City | 29,518 |
| 5 | Benicia | City | 27,131 |
| 6 | Dixon | City | 18,988 |
| 7 | Rio Vista | City | 10,005 |
| 8 | Hartley | CDP | 2,430 |
| 9 | Green Valley | CDP | 1,654 |
| 10 | Allendale | CDP | 1,651 |
| 11 | Elmira | CDP | 193 |
Miscellania
- In 1985 Humphrey the humpback whale strayed off his migration route and ended up in Shag Slough north of Rio Vista. Rescuers from the Marine Mammal Center and other volunteers dismantled a county bridge before being able to turn him around in the narrow slough.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Solano para niños
