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A Brief History of Napa
The name 'Napa' (meaning "Fairy Valley") is derived from the language of the Wappo, a tribe of Native Americans. The first recorded exploration of Napa Valley, led by Padre Jose Altimura, was in 1823.  The population at the time was estimated between three and six thousand natives.

In the 1830's, lured by the rich volcanic soil and an ideal growing season, farmers started settling in the Napa Valley. The valley became one of the first in California to be settled by American farmers. In 1848, Napa City was laid out by Nathan Coombs on property he acquired from Nicholas Higurerra's Rancho Entre-Napa, and 1836 Mexican Land Grant.

California was granted statehood in 1850, at which time the Napa Valley was in the Territory of California, District of Sonoma. In 1850, when counties were being organized, Napa became one of the original 27 counties of California, with "Napa City" as the county seat.

In the late 1850's and the 1860's, Napa flourished, with quicksilver mines throughout the county, particularly on Mt. St. Helena. Boat transportation was available on the Napa River where steamers could make the trip to San Francisco in about three hours. A stagecoach line and a railroad ran between Vallejo to the south and Calistoga at the northern end of the Valley. Sawmills in the Valley were full of timber hauled by horse team to Napa City where it was then shipped out via the Napa River to Benicia and San Francisco.

Today, commercial use of the Napa River has been all but abandoned in favor of more rapid highway transportation; however, pleasure boaters still use the waterway. The railway is now used by the Napa Valley Wine Train, offering leisurely lunch and dinner trips through the length of the Valley. Wheat fields and prune orchards have given way to vineyards, which virtually carpet the Valley floor and some of the hillsides. The climate and easy lifestyle, which drew the Napa Indians and the first white settlers, continues to attract people to the Napa Valley.

Many of the original farmers established small vineyards with cuttings supplied by the Catholic Missions in Sonoma and San Rafael. While these varieties were not noted wine grapes, they established that the soils and climate of the Napa Valley were especially well suited to viticulture.  In 1861, Riesling cuttings were introduced to the valley, and from these small beginnings, Napa Valley has become one of the world's premier winemaking regions.

Virtually all the best known wineries offer tours and tasting daily, with the most popular time for knowledgeable visitors being from late August through early October, the time of the grape harvest and crush.

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Napa Infrastructure/Demographics

POPULATION: As of the census of 2006, there were 74,966 people, 20,001 households, and 12,453 families residing in the city. There were 27,776 housing units.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,154, and the median income for a family was $58,788. The per capita income for the city was $23,642. About 6.1% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Click here for the NVEDC.org Demographic Report

BUSINESS:  Napa Valley's premier industry is wine--grape growing, winemaking and tourism.  A strong agricultural preserve attitude and accompanying legislation makes Napa Valley unique among California counties.

Click here for the Napa Chamber of Commerce

SCHOOLS:  Napa schools include both public and private from preschool through the community college and Pacific Union College, an accredited 4-year institution.  Here is both a link to the complete directory of schools in Napa Valley and a link to the Board of Education.  In addition, I've made arrangements for free school reports which you can request:

Click here for the Napa School Directory
Click here for the Napa Unified School District Site
Click here for eSchool Reports

VISITOR INFORMATION: Napa is world renowned as a tourist/wine country destination. Fine restaurants, wineries, Bed and Breakfast Inns, bicycle touring and other attractions draw visitors from all over the world. There are eight golf courses, the Mondavi Center for Wine, Food and the Arts (COPIA), the Napa Valley Opera House, the Wine Train,  the Lincoln Theatre for performing arts, museums, parks, and even "Old Faithful" Calistoga geyser. Surrounding counties provide Marine World Discovery Center, the Jelly Belly Factory, Safari West, and a profusion of other attractions.

Click here for the NapaYellowPages.com Visitor Guide

Click here for the Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau