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The County of Contra Costa, California (the "County") was incorporated in 1850
as one of the original 27 counties of the State of California (the "State"), with
the City of Martinez as the County Seat. It is one of the nine counties in the
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. The County is the ninth most populous county in
California, with its population reaching approximately 930,000 as of January 1,
2000. The County has one of the fastest growing work forces among Bay Area counties,
with growth in its employment base being driven primarily by the need to provide
services to an increasing local population. Due to the presence of relatively
high-wage skilled jobs and relatively wealthy residents, the County achieves high
rankings among all California counties on a variety of income measurements.

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