One of nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Mateo County is home to some of the wealthiest towns in the nation, some of the state's most stunning coastline and growing suburban cities.

Established in 1856, the county just celebrated its sesquicentennial and is now thriving as the 14th most populous county in the state. Its occupants are diverse, with more than 40 percent of the population Asian or Hispanic and almost 60 percent of the population between the ages of 25 and 64.

The county also remains one of the most expensive in the nation, with housing costs and income levels far above national averages.

Just north of Silicon Valley and home to the San Francisco International Airport, the tourism and technology industries are the heart of the county's economic base. United Airlines remains the largest employer in the county.

High-tech giants like Oracle also make their home in San Mateo County, as do biotech stalwarts like Genentech.

San Mateo County is governed by a Board of Supervisors, who have taken on heady issues such as eliminating homelessness by 2015 and building a state-of-the-art $150 million juvenile detention and rehabilitation center.

Green space is cherished here; 74 percent of the county's 531 square miles of land is in agricultural use, watershed, open space, wetlands or parks.