Madera County is a county in California, located in the Central Valley north of Fresno County. The county seat is Madera. The part of Yosemite National Park is located in the county's northeast. Madera County was formed in 1893 and derives its name from the town of Madera. Madera in Spanish means timber or lumber. The county has a total area of 2,153 miČ, 99% of it is land and 1% of it is water. As of the census of 2000, there are 123,109 people in the county, organized into 36,155 households, and 28,598 families.