Amador County is a county located in the Sierra Nevada in California. As of 2005, the population was 38,471. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County bills itself as "The Heart of the Mother Lode" and lies within the Gold Country. There is a substantial wine-growing industry in the county. It is named for Jose Maria Amador, soldier, rancher and miner, who established a successful gold mining camp near the present town of Amador City. In Spanish, '' amador'' means "one who loves." The county has a total area of 605 mi². 593 mi² of it is land and 12 mi² of it (1.94%) is water.