Sacramento County was one of the original counties when California became a

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — As gold was discovered in California in the late 1840s, Sacramento drew a mass migration of miners, pioneers, and gold seekers.

The population kept growing, leading to Sacramento County becoming incorporated in 1850 and making it one of the original 27 counties when California became a state.

After the county was founded, the city of Sacramento, which serves as the county seat, became the capital of the Golden State in 1854.

Before California became divided into 58 counties, the following were the state’s original 27 counties:

Branciforte County (Now Santa Cruz County)
Butte County
Calaveras County
Contra Costa County
El Dorado County
Los Angeles County
Marin County
Mariposa County
Mendocino County
Monterey County
Napa County
Sacramento County
San Diego County
San Francisco County
San Joaquin County
San Luis Obispo County
Santa Barbara County
Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County
Shasta County
Solano County
Sonoma County
Sutter County
Trinity County
Tuolumne County
Yuba County

Notable changes in county land

According to the California State Association of Counties, the state had 32 counties created after 1850, but many of them either added or lost land to another county. Since 1850, the only counties to not lose any land are Alameda, Alpine, Imperial, Madera, Modoc, Orange and Riverside.

The counties that went through the most notable changes are Mariposa and San Diego counties, as both were at one time the largest in the state. When Mariposa County was founded, it was the largest of the original counties and has since lost land to 12 other counties.

The 12 counties that were at one time part of Mariposa County are:

Fresno County
Inyo County
Kern County
Kings County
Los Angeles County
Madera County
Merced County
Mono County
San Benito County
San Bernardino County
San Luis Obispo County
Tulare County

As for territory in San Diego County, it has not gained any land since its inception. At one time, land in Imperial, Inyo, Riverside and San Bernardino counties was part of San Diego County’s territory.