County Overviews 8# - CA, TX, & OH

Hello everybody and welcome back to part eight of the County Overviews. Today, we're doing a lot more than usual with four counties in this overview. They are: Santa Clara County, California (suggested by Gekko0923), Santa Barbara County, California (suggested by ItzIngenious), McLennan County, Texas (suggested by Capybarra), and Athens County, Ohio (suggested by Gademotsili99). Yay.

Santa Clara County is a county located in western California. Its county seat is San Jose, and is also its largest city. It is named Santa Clara after Saint Clare of Assisi. The county was incorporated on February 18, 1850.

As of 2022, the population was 1,870,945 at a total area of 1,304 mi², making the population density 1,450/mi². 40% of residents in Santa Clara County are Asian. Over 40% of the population is between the ages of 20 to 49 years old. The median household income is $153,792. The poverty rate is 6.9%.

Before explorers, the Ohlone and Miwok people lived in the vicinity of the modern county. Spanish explorers came to the area in the late 1700s, which brought diseases that wiped out the native populations. In the mid-1800s, a gold rush brought lots of people to the area, though agriculture became really popular in the county, earning it the nickname "Valley of Heart's Delight." Since then, Santa Clara has gained a lot of fame for its many places, such as Silicon Valley, an area in the county that is the center of high technology and innovation.

Santa Clara is the sixth most populous county in California and the eighteenth most populous county in the country. The county is home to Stanford University. It has the headquarters for about 6,500 high-technology companies, such as Google, Nvidia, Intel, and Yahoo!. The biggest sources of foreign residents are from China, the Philippines, and Mexico. It is shifted towards Democratic due to its urban population. It is experiencing a population loss due to high cost of living.

Santa Barbara County is a county located in southwestern California. Its county seat is Santa Barbara. Population-wise, Santa Maria is the biggest city in the county, but Santa Barbara is the biggest city in terms of area. It is named after Saint Barbara. The county was incorporated on February 18, 1850.

As of 2022, the population was 443,837 at a total area of 3,789 mi², though 2,735 mi² is land. This makes the population density 162.3/mi². The majority of residents are Hispanic/Latino or White. 24% of the residents are throughout the ages of 20 to 34. The median household income is $89,334. The poverty rate is 13.8%. The most common source of foreign residents is Mexico.

The area that is now Santa Barbara County was inhabited by Paleoindians. The Chumash and some Clovis traces were found near the area of this county. In 1542, Spanish ships under the command of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo contacted the Chumash. The first land expedition to the area was led by Gaspar de Portolà. Many missionaries went to this area to spread religion. Pasture lands made by the missions were broken up and granted to local people from the Mexican secularization in the 1830s, and they were confirmed by the State of California. Santa Barbara was one the 27 original counties of California; Ventura County was made from Santa Barbara County in 1873.

Santa Barbara County is shifted towards Democratic due to its urban population. It is considered the cultural and geographical boundary between Southern and Northern California. The county is home to the Santa Ynez Mountains, Channel Islands, the Islands south of the county, and many wilderness areas, such as the Los Padres National Forest, San Rafael Wilderness, and the Dick Smith Wilderness. Santa Barbara the city is known as 'The American Riviera.'

McLennan County is a county located in central-eastern Texas. Its county seat is Waco, which is also its largest city. It is named after Neil McLennan, an early Scottish settler. The county was founded in January 22, 1850.

As of 2022, the population was 266,836 at a total area of 1,060 mi², making the population density 257/mi². The majority of residents are from the age ranges of 5 to 34. The median household income is $59,781. The poverty rate is 17.1%.

Many native tribes that were ancestors of the Tonkawa Indians had lived in the area for centuries. The Wichita tribe moved south to the area in the 17th century, and the Caddo and Delaware tribes settled in the area by the early 18th century. Some expeditions were made in the area, such as Athanase de Mézières in 1779 and Pedro Vial in 1786. The area was part of a colonization grant from Robert Leftwich in 1825. Throughout the 1830s, settling was delayed due to Indian raids. In 1837, a radio station named Fort Fisher was built near current-day Waco, but was abandoned. The Republic of Texas made a judicial district named Waco County, but was deemed "unconstitutional." Plans for a permanent settlement were made in 1848 and came into fruition next year. George B. Erath and other surveyors suggested "Waco Village" as the name of the settlement in honor of the previous inhabitants. The settlement was finally established on January 22, 1850.

Dr. Pepper was developed here by Charles Alderton. It is the former home of the Dr. Pepper headquarters. Locally, the first sustained flight happened in Tokio by a man flying a gyrocopter. The county is home to the Texas State Technical College and Baylor University. Crush was a city established in the county that hosted a stunt where two steam locomotives crashed into each other. Needless to say, it did not go well, as three people died and six were injured. The county is largely shifted towards Republican.

Before Europeans, many Native American tribes lived in the area, such as the Cherokee and Shawnee. The first permanent Europeans arrived in 1797. In 1803, Ohio became a state. The following year, Ohio University was made public in Athens. Finally, in 1805, Athens County was formed from Washington County, named for the ancient center of learning, Athens, Greece.

Athens County is shifted towards Democratic likely to its urban population in Athens. The county is home to Ohio's first state university. It is one of Ohio's poorest counties. The Hocking River passes through this county.

Visit the Stuart's Opera House, White's-Vale Mill, Kidwell Covered Bridge, Dew House, the Courthouse, and the Downtown Historic District if you ever find yourself in the county.

I hope you enjoyed and learned something for the eighth blog of the series! My mental health is kind of depleting, but that's alright. Hope you enjoy this blog again and hope you have a fun time I suppose. Goodbye?

Here's the current list of upcoming counties:

9# - Charleston County, South Carolina (LuckyCat)

9# - Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (Neodymium)

9# - Door County, Wisconsin (Lingonax)

9# - Jefferson County, West Virginia (FlabberBapper)

?? - The Washington Counties (Rockum99) {Sorry Rockum! This one might be a bit difficult!}

Again, you can recommend a county and you'll be on the list! See you next time!