The most rural county in the Bay Area, Napa County is facing growth pressures from rapidly expanding tourism as well as new development in the southern part of the county.

Napa County is centered on the beautiful Napa Valley, one of the foremost winemaking regions in the world. One of California's most-visited tourist destinations, Napa County attracts more than 5 million visitors a year-1.7 million of whom stay overnight. Especially on weekends, during the summer, and during the crush-the harvest in September and October-tourists cause severe congestion along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail.

Development in Napa is clustered along Highway 29, which parallels the Napa River on the western edge of the valley floor. Reflecting the agricultural use of the valley and the steep terrain of the surrounding hills, only five percent of the county's land is urbanized.

Population Growth

Napa County contains five cities: Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, Napa, and American Canyon. The city of Napa is by far the largest, with a population of 73,000. The other cities all have populations of fewer than 10,000. The county Board of Supervisors recently extended the Measure J urban growth boundary established by the voters twenty years ago. This measure limits growth to one percent per year in the unincorporated areas of the county. The City of Napa also recently reaffirmed its 1975 urban growth boundary until at least 2020 and passed Measure J, which requires a vote of the people to change.

Projected Growth in Napa County

Since the adoption of policy-based projections, this forecast is based on a conceptual growth pattern that may be different from existing general plans and zoning. Future growth in Napa County should primarily occur in the southern part of the county, with the rest of the county maintaining its traditional rural and agricultural character. The city of American Canyon will see slight increases in retail employment growth, while employment growth in the Napa Airport Industrial Park area will have moderate increases.

The City of Napa will have intensified mixed-use development in its downtown core, with more mixed-use development at lower densities being promoted in surrounding neighborhoods. Residential and employment growth is expected to increase only slightly in the downtown areas of St. Helena, Yountville, and Calistoga.