Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county. As of 2000 the population was 58,309. The county seat is Lakeport. Lake County was formed in 1861 from parts of Napa County. As of the census2 of 2000, there were 58,309 people, 23,974 households, and 15,367 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km² (46/mi²). There were 32,528 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (26/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.25% White, 2.11% Black or African American, 3.04% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 4.11% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. 11.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.