Benicia State Capitol
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. As of 2000 its population was 394,542. The county seat is Fairfield.
Solano County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Prior to statehood, it had been referred to as Benicia County.
At the request of General Mariano Vallejo, the county derives its name directly from an Indian Chief, Chief Solano of the Suisunes, a Native American tribe of the region and Vallejo's close ally. Chief Solano at one time led the tribes between the Petaluma River and the Sacramento River. The chief was also called Sem-Yeto, which signifies "brave or fierce hand." The Chief was given the Spanish name Francisco Solano during baptism at the Catholic Mission, and is named after the Spanish Franciscan missionary, Father Francisco Solano. "Solano" is a common surname in the north of Spain, specially in Navarra, Zaragoza and La Rioja.
Travis Air Force Base is located just east of Fairfield.
Trivia
- In 1985 Humphrey the humpback whale strayed off his migration route and ended up in Rio Vista at which point rescuers from The Marine Mammal Center and other volunteers were able to turn him around in the narrow river channel.