Calaveras

Formed February 18, 1850 (2^nd county)

Calaveras County (45,285), San Andreas* (2,783), Angels City (3,662)

The Modern style governmental structure of the county courthouse tucks into the mountains in this small community.  It was built in 1966 using the designs of Albert W. Kahl.  A new courthouse is under construction.  It is located east of California State Highway 49 on Mountain Ranch Road.  An 1866 courthouse was also located in San Andreas.  Double Springs (1850), Jackson (1850), Mokelumne Hill (1852), and San Andreas (1866) has all been county seats.  Calaveras County was established on February 18, 1850 as the 2^nd county, an original county.  The Spanish word for “skulls” is the origin for the county name.  San Andreas was named after the Spanish parish Saint Andrew.  

Calaveras County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, controller, and treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Three Superior Court Judges, clerk, and counsel serve Alameda County (judicial.)  The county is in the start of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, southeast of Sacramento, California and northeast of Stockton, California.  The Mokelumne River forms the northern border and the Stanislaus River is the south border.  The county center is 9.4 miles East-Southeast of San Andreas nearer Mountain Ranch.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Amador, Alpine, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties.  San Andreas is the county seat but unincorporated.  Angels City is the largest incorporated city.  San Andreas is 6.1% of the county population while Angels City is 8.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced CAL-A-VAR-AS.  The county seat is pronounced SAN AN-DRAE-AS.

The area of the county is 1020 square miles.  It is 40 out of 58 in the state.  It ranks 44 out of 58 in population in the state.  It has a density of 44.4 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 58 in the state.  Calaveras County has 8.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  San Andreas is slightly north and west of the geographical center of this county.  Angels City is located in the southwest quarter of the county.