Lake County, California

Lake County is a county in California, United States, about 100 miles north of San Francisco,
centred on Clear Lake. It had a population of 68,163 at the 2020 census and covers 1,256 square
miles (3,250 km2) of land, centred near 39°05′N 122°46′W.

Lakeport is the county seat; its postal code is 95453. The county holds 2 incorporated cities
and about a dozen unincorporated communities and census-designated places around Clear Lake and
in the surrounding hills, and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 06033.

Towns & Villages in Lake County

Lake County has 13 named places with reliable 2020 census figures: 2 incorporated cities
(Clearlake and Lakeport) and 11 census-designated places (CDPs) with no local government of
their own. Dozens of smaller rural place names — old resort camps and mineral-springs
communities such as Bartlett Springs, Harbin Springs and Seigler Springs — appear on maps
and older place lists but carry no Census Bureau population count of their own; they’re noted
below rather than listed with invented numbers.

Two names cause confusion on older lists. Kelseyville Riviera was previously carried under two
different scrape spellings, “Clear Lake Riviera” and “Clearlake Riviera”
— it is one CDP, renamed Kelseyville Riviera by the Census Bureau. Clearlake Park and
Clearlake Highlands, both listed separately on the county’s old page, are historic
neighborhood names now inside the Clearlake city limits, not standalone places with their own
population count.

ZIP Codes

• 95422 — Clearlake
• 95453 — Lakeport
• 95467 — Hidden Valley Lake
• 95451 — Kelseyville
• 95458 — Lucerne
• 95464 — Nice
• 95423 — Clearlake Oaks
• 95457 — Lower Lake
• 95426 — Cobb
• 95461 — Middletown
• 95485 — Upper Lake
• 95435 — Finley
• 95443 — Glenhaven

Kelseyville Riviera, Soda Bay and Spring Valley have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is
delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Lake County sits in California’s North Coast Ranges, a belt of steep, forested hills between
the Sacramento Valley and the Pacific coast. Clear Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake
entirely within California, dominates the county’s center and gives the county its name; Lake
Tahoe is partly in Nevada, and the Salton Sea and Tulare Lake are artificial or drained. The
Geysers, the world’s largest developed geothermal field, straddles the county’s southern border
with Sonoma County and supplies power across the North Coast region.

Mendocino County lies to the west, Glenn County to the north, Colusa County to the east, Yolo
and Napa counties to the southeast, and Sonoma County to the south. Mendocino County, Glenn County, Colusa County, Yolo County, Napa County and Sonoma County all border Lake County
directly.

Demographics

Lake County had a population of 68,163 at the 2020 census. Clearlake and Lakeport are the two
largest communities; Clearlake alone holds close to a quarter of the county’s residents. Median
household income for California runs $95,521 (2023 ACS), well above Lake County’s own figure,
which has historically been one of the lowest among California’s 58 counties. Population density
works out to roughly 54 people per square mile of land, low for a coastal California county and a
reflection of its rural, mountainous terrain.

Economy & Local Life

Health care, Native American tribal casinos, agriculture and public-sector jobs form the
backbone of the county’s economy. Wine is the leading crop: Lake County has five American
Viticultural Areas and more than 35 wineries, and its wine grapes are the single most valuable
agricultural product, followed by pears and walnuts. Calpine Corporation operates most of The
Geysers geothermal field, one of the county’s larger private employers and a major renewable
power source for the North Coast. Several Pomo tribal governments — including the Robinson
Rancheria, the Big Valley Band and the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake — run casinos and
tribal enterprises that employ residents countywide. The county’s biggest annual event is the
Kelseyville Pear Festival each September, celebrating the region’s pear harvest.

History

California’s legislature formed Lake County on May 20, 1861, carving it out of Napa County.
The county takes its name directly from Clear Lake, its dominant geographic feature. Lakeport was
established as the county seat.

Wildfire has repeatedly reshaped the county in the last decade. The 2015 Valley Fire burned
76,067 acres and destroyed much of Cobb, Middletown and Whispering Pines, along with parts of
Hidden Valley Lake, killing four people. The 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire’s Ranch Fire component
burned 410,203 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in modern California history at the time
(later surpassed by the 2020 August Complex), and forced evacuations across Lakeport, Kelseyville,
Lucerne, Upper Lake and Nice.

Getting There

No interstate highway crosses Lake County. State Routes 20, 29, 53, 175 and 281 carry most
through-traffic; Route 29 connects Lakeport and Middletown to Napa County to the south.

• Santa Rosa — about 45 miles southwest
• Napa — about 50 miles south
• Ukiah — about 35 miles west
• Sacramento — about 100 miles southeast

Lampson Field (CKE), a county-owned general-aviation airport near Lakeport, is the county’s
own airfield; the nearest major commercial airport is Sacramento International, roughly 100 miles
southeast. Lake County has no Amtrak station; the nearest stops are on the Capitol Corridor line
in the Sacramento area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lake County located?
It sits in California’s North Coast Ranges around Clear Lake, about 100 miles north of San
Francisco, bordered by Mendocino, Glenn, Colusa, Yolo, Napa and Sonoma counties.

What is the population of Lake County?
68,163 at the 2020 census.

How big is Lake County?
1,256 square miles (3,250 km2) of land.

What is the county seat of Lake County?
Lakeport, on Clear Lake’s western shore, is the county seat.

How many towns are in Lake County?
Two incorporated cities, Clearlake and Lakeport, plus 11 census-designated places including
Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville and Lucerne.

What ZIP codes does Lake County use?
95422 for Clearlake, 95453 for Lakeport, and separate codes for each of the county’s larger
unincorporated communities, from 95423 (Clearlake Oaks) to 95485 (Upper Lake).

What is Lake County known for?
Clear Lake itself, California’s largest natural freshwater lake, its Wine Country vineyards, and
The Geysers, the world’s largest geothermal power field.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in California.