where is san benito county in california located?
San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2000 the population was 53,234. The county seat is Hollister. History. San Benito County was formed in 1874. The county is named after the San Benito Valley. Father Juan CrespÃ¬, in his expedition in 1772, named a small river in honor of San Benedicto (Saint Benedict), the patron saint of the married, and it is from the contraction of this name that the county took its name.