Introduction to Northern California and Our Diocese
The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California stretches across 26 counties, from the Pacific Coast to the Sierra Nevada that forms our eastern boundary, and from the vineyards and cities of the south to the Oregon border in the north. Our diocese also includes the Sonoma and Napa wine country, historic Gold Country towns in the Sierra foothills, the orchards and fields of the Central Valley, and the redwood forests of the North Coast. Northern California’s cultural and political diversity is as varied as our geography. Trinity Cathedral and the Office of the Bishop are located in Sacramento, California’s capital city. Click here to see a map of the Diocese of Northern California.
The southern part of our Diocese occupies much of the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. This includes Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties, which have a combined population of over a million people. Nearly 2.5 million people live in the greater Sacramento area making it California's fourth largest metropolitan area. About half of our worshipping communities are located in these two areas. The other half of our worshipping communities are located in the less populated northern part of our diocese. This area includes the rich agricultural lands and small communities of the Sacramento Valley, which is framed by thick forests and beautiful mountains. While some more rural areas have stable or declining populations, northern California has sustained population growth overall, and many communities within our diocese have experienced rapid population growth as rising housing costs in other areas of California push people to seek new opportunities and more affordable options.
The Diocese of Northern California was established in 1910 as the Diocese of Sacramento after 36 years as a missionary district. But the history of The Episcopal Church in this area begins even earlier, in 1849, when a small prayer group organized itself in Sacramento, eventually becoming what is now St. Paul’s, Sacramento, the oldest congregation in our diocese. There are now 68 parishes and missions in the Diocese of Northern California, plus the seasonal chapel at Fallen Leaf Lake and the Belfry, a joint ministry of Episcopalians and Lutherans at the University of California, Davis. There is one Episcopal school in the diocese, St. Michael’s Episcopal Day School in Carmichael, serving 255 children in preschool through 8th grade. The bishop serves as the chair of the St. Michael’s board. Within our diocesan boundaries, there are three Episcopal camp and conference center properties: St. Dorothy’s Rest in Camp Meeker and the Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg, both owned and operated by the Diocese of California; and Noel Porter Camp and Conference Center, owned by the Diocese of Northern California and closed since 2016. The Diocese of Northern California also has deep ties to the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) and the School for Deacons in nearby Berkeley; five priests from the diocese currently serve as trustees at CDSP and three deacons serve on the board of the School for Deacons. Many diocesan clergy are alumni of these institutions.