Yuba County was one of California's original counties, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Placer County in 1851, to Nevada County in 1851, and to Sierra County in 1852.
The county was named after the Yuba River by Captain John Sutter for the Maidu village Yubu, Yupu, or Juba near the confluence of the Yuba and Feather Rivers. General Mariano Vallejo said the river was named Uba by an exploring expedition in 1824 because of the quantities of wild grapes (uvas silvestres in Spanish) that they found growing on its banks.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 644 square miles (1,670 km2), of which 12 square miles (31 km2) (1.9%) are covered by water.[9] It is California's fifth-smallest county by area. The county lies along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the steep slopes making it prime territory for the siting of hydroelectric power plants.
Part of the county, where Marysville (the county seat) and most of the population lives, is west of the mountains on the valley floor; a great deal of agricultural business occurs in this part of the county, especially fruit orchards, rice fields, and cattle ranching.[10]
Ecology
Yuba is the most biodiverse county in the contiguous United States, with a documented 1,968 native vascular plant species per 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 sq mi),[11] and 2,772 total species verifiably observed.[12] Flowering plant species include the yellow mariposa lily (Calochortus luteus).[13]
Yuba is a strongly Republican county in presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
United States presidential election results for Yuba County, California[18][note 3]
Yuba County, California – Racial and ethnic composition 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 may be of any race.
The 2010 United States census reported that Yuba County had a population of 72,155. The racial makeup of Yuba County was 49,332 (68.4%) White, 2,361 (3.3%) African American, 1,675 (2.3%) Native American, 4,862 (6.7%) Asian, 293 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 8,545 (11.8%) from other races, and 5,087 (7.1%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 18,051 persons (25.0%).[34]
As of the census[35] of 2000, 60,219 people, 20,535 households, and 14,805 families resided in the county. The population density was 96 inhabitants per square mile (37/km2). The 22,636 housing units had an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 70.6% White, 3.2% African American, 2.6% Native American, 7.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 10.0% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. About 17.4% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Ancestry distribution was 11.2% German, 10.4% American, 7.6% Irish, and 7.5% English according to Census 2000; 78.8% spoke English, 13.2% Spanish, and 4.7% Hmong as their first language.
Of the 20,535 households, 38.1% had children under living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were not families. About 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.87, and the average family size was 3.34.
In the county, the age distribution was 31.0% under 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,460, and for a family was $34,103. Males had a median income of $27,845 versus $21,301 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,124. About 16.3% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^ abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^ abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved October 21, 2013.