Scouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs related to their environments.
Scouting in Pennsylvania has a long and rich tradition, from 1908 to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Northern California is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers include the San Francisco Bay Area, the Greater Sacramento area, the Redding, California, area south of the Cascade Range, and the Metropolitan Fresno area. Northern California also contains redwood forests, along with most of the Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite Valley and part of Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta, and most of the Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions.
Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council (#055), the result of a council merger between the Santa Clara County Council and the Monterey Bay Area Council, is a Boy Scouts of America council headquartered in San Jose, California. In 2004, the previous two councils served over 11,000 youth in over 400 Boy Scout troops, Cub Scout packs, Venturing crews, and Explorer posts. In 2012, the Monterey Bay Area Council announced that after 89 years as a separate council, it had agreed to merge back into the Santa Clara County Council. As of 2013, the council served 13,000 youth in four different counties.
The program of the Boy Scouts of America is administered through 253 local councils, with each council covering a geographic area that may vary from a single city to an entire state. Each council receives an annual charter from the National Council and is usually incorporated as a charitable organization. Most councils are administratively divided into districts that directly serve Scout units.
The State Scenic Highway System in the U.S. state of California is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as scenic highways. They are marked by the state flower, a California poppy, inside either a rectangle for state-maintained highways or a pentagon for county highways.
Located in Los Angeles County, California's San Gabriel Valley, the Boy Scouts of America's San Gabriel Valley Council (#40) was one of five councils serving Los Angeles County. It was headquartered in Pasadena.
The Western Los Angeles County Council (WLACC) (#051) is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Headquartered in Van Nuys, the council services over 30,000 youth spanning six districts including the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, Malibu, and much of West Los Angeles.
Founded in 1915, the Los Angeles Area Council (LAAC) (#033) served most of the City of Los Angeles as well as several other cities in the greater Los Angeles area. It was one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Since its founding in 1915, the Los Angeles Area Council has brought its purpose and values to millions of youth. The Council served 54,567 youth in the Greater Los Angeles Area in 2008 alone.
One of the six Boy Scouts of America councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area, the Pacific Skyline Council was founded in 1940 as the Stanford Area Council (#031). In 1994, the Stanford Area Council merged with the San Mateo County Council (#020) to form the current council which serves youth in San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara county.
Alameda Council was one of the seven smallest BSA councils in the United States until 2020, serving youth in the city of Alameda. It was first organized in December 1916 and chartered in January 1917, shortly after the organization of BSA councils in Berkeley and Oakland, making it the third oldest BSA council in Northern California. It was one of six BSA councils that serve the San Francisco Bay area.
The Golden Gate Area Council (GGAC) is a council of the Boy Scouts of America, formed by a merger of the San Francisco Bay Area Council, Alameda Council, and the Mount Diablo Silverado Council in June 2020. GGAC is one of the six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay Area in California. GGAC includes the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, San Francisco, southern Solano, and a small portion of San Mateo.
The California Inland Empire Council (CIEC) of the Boy Scouts of America serves the Inland Empire of California. The service area comprises San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. People interested in joining scouting can go to BeaScout.org. The CIEC is headquartered in Redlands California where it has office and a Scout Shop.
Mount Diablo Silverado Council was a local council of the Scouts BSA and was one of six councils that serves the San Francisco Bay area in California. The council's office was located in Pleasant Hill, California. It served chartered organizations and BSA units in Contra Costa County, Lake County, Napa County, Solano County, and the cities of Albany and Berkeley in northern Alameda County. The council is located in BSA Western Region Area III. It merged with Alameda Council #021 and San Francisco Bay Area Council #028 in June 2020 to form the Golden Gate Area Council #023.
The Piedmont Council (California) of BSA serves chartered organizations and BSA units located in the city of Piedmont, located in the East Bay hills and surrounded by the city of Oakland. The council was first chartered in 1921, and by some measurements is the smallest in the BSA, but has a high level of activity and serves a high percentage of the available youth living in Piedmont. The council is home to units of Scouts BSA, Cub Scouts, Venturing Crews, Police Adventures and Sea Scouts.
The Old Baldy Council (#043) was founded in 1917 as the Pomona Council. It changed its name in 1921 to Old Baldy. The Old Baldy name is from Mount San Antonio, often called "Old Baldy" or "Mount Baldy", the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Greater Los Angeles Area Council (GLAAC) is a Boy Scouts of America Council created from the merger of the Los Angeles Area Council and the San Gabriel Valley Council. The vote to merge was held on March 21, 2015. The new name for the Council, Greater Los Angeles Area Council, was announced on June 11, 2015. The new Council will continue with Scouting Service centers in Los Angeles and Pasadena. GLAAC has three Scout shops located in Downtown Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Pasadena. Also in Pasadena is a local service center. GLAAC operates seven camps in the greater Los Angeles area. Due to the large size of the two original councils, the merger was a process that was completed over a time span, and completed in 2017.
