About Napa

Napa, California

City of Napa by the Napa River” by Oleg Alexandrov

Napa is an old City by California standards, founded in 1847. It’s a place with a colorful past – a jumping off point for 49ers bound for the gold rush, birthplace of famous leather, and neighbor to some of the most prestigious vineyards in the world.

For the past 30 to 40 years, the City of Napa has been in transition. The City that was once known for its tanneries, prune processing and State hospital is now more known for its hospitality, fine food, and luxury hotels. While yesterday’s jobs came largely in heavy industrial pursuits at Kaiser Steel, Basalt Rock, Napa Pipe and Mare Island Shipyard, today’s workforce is mostly white collar and the economy is increasingly based on tourism.
As the County seat for one of the world’s Great Wine Capitals, the Napa name is synonymous with quality. We think that applies to our community and the people who make it what it is.

Today Napa is becoming a vibrant and modern town with a respect for its past. Just down the road from our protected historic districts, home to some of northern California’s finest Victorian homes, you will find visually stimulating contemporary architecture. Minutes from our many safe and comfortable neighborhoods is the popular Main Street “Restaurant Row” – already a crowd-pleaser and growing better every day. Our award-winning “living river” flood protection project is halfway to completion, making Napa safer while enhancing the ecosystem and providing stimulus to the economy and quality-of-life benefits. Napa is a city with a low crime rate, a high standard of living, clean air and nearly perfect weather.

City of Napa Facts on File:

Napa 2010: About Our City
County Seat of Napa County
Napa County Incorporated: February 18, 1850
Napa Town Site Founded: 1847
Incorporated as City of Napa: 1872
Napa City Size: 17.7 Square Miles
Napa County Size: 35 Miles Long
City of Napa Population: 77,106
City Projected Population Cap: 85,000
County Population: 136,704
Number of Household Units: 29,511
Number of Owner Occupied Homes: 16,831
Median Household Income (California Dept. of Finance 2008): $63,990
Median Family Income: $71,475
Per Capita Income: $28,264
Owner Occupied Units: 59.9 %
Renter Occupied Units: 40.1 %
Average Household: Size: 2.6
Average Family Size: 3.2
Rental Units Median Rent: $1050
1BD/1BA $815/month
2BD/2BA $1,375/month
Single Family Residences $1,300-$1,700
Condominiums $1,260
13 Mobile Home Parks
Median Home Cost: 3 BD/2BA $596,000
Range: $190,000 -$1,000,000+

Average Travel Time to Work in Minutes: 23.6
City Departments: 10
City Employees: Approx. 503 Full Time
Government: Manager/Council
Sister Cities: Launceston, Australia and Iwanuma, Japan
Residential Land: 67%
Commercial Land: 8%
Industrial Land: 4%
Parks, Public/Quasi Public: 12%
Undeveloped/Agriculture: 9%
2003 Taxable Sales Transactions* 504,077   *Thousands of Dollars
2009 Sales Tax (State and Local): 8.75%

Legislative Districts:
Congressional: 1
State Senate: 2
State Assembly: 7

Population Breakdown: Napa City Contains 60% of the County’s Population and Jobs

Important Numbers to Know

The City of Napa Provides:

Neighborhood Recreational Parks: 38
Community Parks: 4
City Wide Open Space Parks: 4
Total Acres of Park Land: 748
Ball Fields: 13
18-Hole Municipal Golf Course: 1
Tennis Courts: 48
Swimming Pools: 4