More than 95 percent of Solano County's 394,500 residents live in one of the seven incorporated cities, according to the 2000 Census. Fairfield and Vacaville each posted roughly a 24 percent increase in population over the last 10 years. In contrast, residents living in the rural or unincorporated areas of Solano County decreased by some 19,322 people. Warren Salmons, city manager in Dixon, said significant growth in the county as a whole, with a dip in population in its rural areas is partially a result of county planning. The unincorporated areas are not changing significantly.
Some counties are very much like cities in that they encourage development.
Solano County is unique among counties in California with a low percentage of the population in the unincorporated areas coupled with a declining percentage of growth, said Solano County Supervisor Duane Kromm. Solano County as a whole is more diverse, with the two groups comprising 56 percent of its population. I don't think they're very diverse in the African American and Philippino populations. And of course, any land gained by the cities is lost by the county. The unincorporated land is still a hefty majority, roughly 86 percent according to census figures.