Yolo County

About Yolo County

Agriculture is the primary industry in 1,034-square-mile Yolo County, which rules the state's tomato industry. It's one of California's original 27 counties established in 1850 at the time of statehood. Experts say that Yolo might be California's next up-and-coming wine-producing region, but so far it has not rivaled neighboring Napa.

Bisected by the 5 and the 505 freeways, Yolo County has just four incorporated cities and a number of small towns. All of Yolo's incorporated cities are located in the southern portion of the county, including Woodland, which is the county seat.

Situated along Highway 5, Woodland has served as county seat for nearly 150 years. Woodland residents obviously enjoy the outdoors, made evident by the 40+ parks, baseball fields, and public swimming pools found throughout this city of about 50,000. Interestingly, in the 1950s, Woodland had the most millionaires per capita of any city in California and recently boasted the highest percentage increase in property values in the nation. Woodland is also home to the Yolo County Historical Museum, which outlines the history of the region through various displays, photographs, and artifacts.

Though Woodland is the county seat, visitors might be more familiar with the city of Davis, located at the bottom of Yolo County near Solano. In 1906, the University of California built a 780-acre university farm there, which would serve as part of the College of Agriculture. It is now a full-fledged campus of the University of California - better known as UC Davis - and has become renowned for its research and education work in the field of agriculture.

The city of West Sacramento is located on the Sacramento River, which separates it from the capital city, and is within a short driving distance of the Sacramento International Airport. Incorporated in 1987, West Sacramento is one of the fastest growing areas in the county and the West Sacramento real estate market is booming. Much of the city's population of about 35,000 works across the river in the state's capital.

Winters, the fourth incorporated city, is situated in the southwest corner of the county. This town of about 7,000 residents is conveniently located near Napa County's Lake Berryessa, where visitors and locals can enjoy boating, fishing, swimming, and other outdoor activities.

Most of Yolo County's small, unincorporated towns are sustained by the agricultural industry. While there isn't much to see in most of the towns, the people are friendly and if you're driving through, you may be fortunate enough to catch one of the many Yolo County festivals and other special events that take place in these towns, usually centered on some aspect of the farming industry. These towns include Clarksburg, Zamora, Dunnigan, Madison, Esparto, Brooks, and Guinda.

The Sacramento River, which forms the boundary between Yolo County and neighboring Sutter County to the east, is a source of great enjoyment for visitors to this region of Northern California. Elkhorn Regional Park, not far from West Sacramento, includes 55 acres along the river and is an ideal spot for boating, fishing, and picnicking. The Fremont-Weir Wildlife area in the Yolo County town of Knights Landing offers both hunting and fishing and is a great place for bird watching as well. Other portions of the Sacramento River accommodate canoeing and kayaking, tubing, and swimming.

On the opposite side of Yolo County, tucked in the northwest corner, guests can visit Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park. About 6 miles north of the town of Rumsey, Cache Creek offers hiking and horseback riding trails, tubing, fishing (expect to catch bass, pike, carp, or catfish), picnicking, and camping. Private outfitters also offer whitewater rafting though the rapids here are fairly tame.

Various other small parks, like Grasslands Regional Park and Vernon A. Nichols Park, provide a variety of recreational opportunities, including playgrounds, picnic tables, and areas for archery and horseshoes.

Yolo County lodging is limited. Davis and Woodland are home to a handful of motels and inns while some of the areas along the Sacramento River and Cache Creek offer campgrounds. The largest variety of Yolo County restaurants are also found in Davis and Woodland.