From the coast to the mountains, there are numerous counties in California to think about. California is the nation's third largest state in terms of land mass and is divided into 58 counties. Among them are Marin County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Ventura County, Placer County, Napa County, San Luis Obispo County and San Francisco County. California was nicknamed the "Golden State" after the discovery of gold in 1848 caused American settlers to rush there in the hopes of striking it rich. Many beautiful attractions are associated with California, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Coast Highway and the tall trees of Redwood National Park. People are generally drawn to a particular county based on things like the average commuter times and the climate. Are you a skier or a surfer? Would you rather tour wine country, hike mountains or visit a beach? Other considerations are the school systems and unemployment rates for a particular county.

Aquariums, restaurants and other hot spots aside, job security is vital. California's top employers include companies like Kaiser Permanente Medical Center and Visa International Service Association as well as technology giants Apple Inc., E Bay Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp., Stanford University and NASA, all found in Santa Clara County. The entertainment industry, largely centered around Hollywood in Los Angeles employs thousands of individuals, as does the United States Navy in San Diego. Beyond prestigious Stanford, academia offers many jobs in schools like the University of California, with campuses statewide, and the University of Southern California. Rounding out the list of major employers are California's vineyards and wine companies, in addition to the farm and agriculture industry.