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This article is about California's Central Valley. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. For other uses, see Central Valley.
The Central Valley of California
The Central Valley of California
Part of the Valley as seen from overhead
Part of the Valley as seen from overhead
Central California in the summer
Central California in the summer

The Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U.S. state of California, United States. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is home to many of California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches nearly 400 miles (600 km) from north to south. Its northern half is referred to as the Sacramento Valley, and its southern half as the San Joaquin Valley. The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U The San Joaquin Valley (ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta The two halves meet at the shared delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, a large expanse of interconnected canals, streambeds, sloughs, marshes and peat islands. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is an expansive inland River delta and Estuary in northern California in the United States.

Contents

Boundaries and population

Bounded by the Cascade Range to the north, the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Tehachapi Mountains to the south, and the Coast Ranges and San Francisco Bay to the west, the valley is a vast agricultural region drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U The Tehachapi Mountains (təˈhætʃəˌpi are a short transverse range in southern California in the United States, running SW-NE connecting The Coast Ranges of California constitute one of the eleven traditional geomorphic provinces of California. San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive Estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento The Sacramento River is the longest River entirely within the U The San Joaquin River ( 330 miles (530 km long is the second-longest River in California, United States.

Lots of are countries commonly associated:

About 6. Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U Tehama County (pronounced teh-HAY-muh is a county located in the northern part of the U Glenn County is a county located in the Central Valley, in the northern part of the U Butte County is a County located in the Central Valley of the U Colusa County is a County located in the Central Valley of the U Sacramento County is a county in the US state of California. The County seat is the city of Sacramento, the State capital El Dorado County is a County located in the Gold Country of the U Sutter County is a county located along the Sacramento River in the Central Valley of the U Yuba County is located in the US state of California 's Central Valley, north of Sacramento, along the Feather River. Yolo County is located in the northern part of the US state of California, bordered by the counties of Sacramento, Solano, Placer County (from Spanish: placer - "pleasure" is a county located in the Sierra Nevada of the U San Joaquin County is a county located in Central Valley of the U Stanislaus County is a County located in the Central Valley of the state of California, between Stockton and Fresno. Merced County (pronounced "Mer-SED" is a County located in the Central Valley of the U Madera County is a County of the US state of California, located in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada north of Fresno County is a County located in the Central Valley of the U Kings County is a County located in the Central Valley of the U Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U Kern County is a County located in the southern Central Valley of the U 5 million people live in the Central Valley today and it is the fastest growing region in California. There are 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in the Central Valley. Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|Table of United States Core Based Statistical AreasIn the United States, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB has produced Below, they are listed by (MSA) population.

Geology

The flatness of the valley floor contrasts with the rugged hills or gentle mountains that are typical of most of California's terrain. Stockton is a City in California and the seat of San Joaquin County (the fifth largest agricultural county in the United States Modesto is the County seat of Stanislaus County in the US state of California. The Greater Visalia Area is a Metropolitan statistical area in Central California known officially by the United States Census Bureau as Merced, is the County seat of Merced County California in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. Chico (pop 86949 is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States, with 105000 Redding is a city in Northern California. It is the County seat of Shasta County California, USA The Yuba-Sutter Area is a smaller metropolitan community including Yuba and Sutter Counties in Northern California, USA 's Central Valley. The valley is thought to have originated below sea level as an offshore area depressed by subduction of the Farallon Plate into a trench further offshore. In Geology, a subduction zone is an area on Earth where two tectonic plates meet and move towards one another with one sliding underneath the other The Farallon Plate was an ancient Oceanic plate, which began Subducting under the west coast of the North American Plate &mdash then located in modern The San Joaquin Fault is a notable seismic feature of the Central Valley. The San Joaquin Fault is a seismically active geological structure in the California Central Valley, USA.

An example of the extreme differences between the geology of the valley floor and that of the rugged hills of the Coast Ranges (Between Tracy and Patterson, CA:Interstate 5)
An example of the extreme differences between the geology of the valley floor and that of the rugged hills of the Coast Ranges (Between Tracy and Patterson, CA:Interstate 5)

It was later enclosed by the uplift of the Coast Ranges, with its original outlet into Monterey Bay. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico This article is about the bay near Monterey CA For other uses see Monterey Bay Aquarium, California State University Monterey Bay Faulting moved the Coast Ranges, and a new outlet developed near what is now San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive Estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento Over the millennia, the valley was filled by the sediments of these same ranges, as well as the rising Sierra Nevada to the east; that filling eventually created an extraordinary flatness just barely above sea level; before California's massive flood control and aqueduct system was built, the annual snow melt turned much of the valley into an inland lake. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U

The one notable exception to the flat valley floor is Sutter Buttes, the remnants of an extinct volcano just to the northwest of Yuba City which is 44 miles north of Sacramento. The Sutter Buttes, also known as the Marysville Buttes or Histum Yani ( Maidu) are a small circular complex of eroded volcanic Lava domes Yuba City is a Northern California city founded in 1849 It is the County seat of Sutter County, California, United States

Another significant geologic feature of the Central Valley lies hidden beneath the delta. The Stockton Arch is an upwarping of the crust beneath the valley sediments which extends southwest to northeast across the valley. The Stockton Arch is a geologic feature underlying the Central Valley in California in the vicinity of the Delta of the Sacramento and San

Physiographically, the Central Valley lies within the California Trough physiographic section, which is part of the larger Pacific Border province, which in turn is part of the Pacific Mountain System. Physiographic regions of the US Interior (See legend) For [1][2]

Climate

The northern Central Valley has a hot Mediterranean climate (Koppen climate classification Csa); the more southerly parts in rainshadow zones are dry enough to be Mediterranean steppe (BShs, as around Fresno) or even low-latitude desert (BWh, as in Bakersfield). A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems It was developed by Wladimir Köppen, a German climatologist For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow (TV series. It is hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter, when frequent ground fog known regionally as "tule fog" can be impenetrable. Tule fog (ˈtuːli is a thick ground Fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California 's Great Central Summer temperatures reach into the mid to upper 90s°F (30s°C), and occasional heat waves might bring temperatures well over 100°F (38°C), with some locations topping out at around 115°F (46°C). A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot Weather, which may be accompanied by high Humidity. Winter and spring comprise the rainy season — although during the late summer, southeasterly winds aloft can bring thunderstorms of tropical origin, mainly in the southern half of the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley (ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta The northern half of the Central Valley (the Sacramento Valley) has more precipitation than the dryer southern San Joaquin Valley. The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U

Rivers and delta

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers flow through the northern and southern halves of the valley, respectively. The Sacramento River is the longest River entirely within the U The San Joaquin River ( 330 miles (530 km long is the second-longest River in California, United States. The two rivers join to form the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, an unusual inverted river delta, behind the Carquinez Strait. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is an expansive inland River delta and Estuary in northern California in the United States. An inverted river delta is special category of River delta in which the narrow end of the delta emerges on the seafront and the wide end is located further inland so that with The Carquinez Strait is a narrow tidal Strait in northern California. Streams in the southern third of the San Joaquin Valley terminate in Tulare Lake and Buena Vista Lake. Tulare Lake is an extinct fresh-water Lake that was formerly the largest in the Western United States. By the mid twentieth century, however, nearly all of the water in these streams was diverted for agriculture and these lakes are usually dry except during exceptionally large snowmelt floods. Major tributaries include:

Sacramento Valley

San Joaquin Valley

View of the Tuolumne River near Waterford.
View of the Tuolumne River near Waterford. The Sacramento River is the longest River entirely within the U The Pit River or Pitt River is a major river watershed draining Northeastern California into the State's Central Valley. This article treats the river in California For other uses see Feather River (disambiguation The Feather River is a principal tributary of The Yuba River is an important River in California and a major Tributary of the Feather River, which is a tributary of the Sacramento River Dry Creek is a Stream in Placer County and Sacramento County California, USA, tributary to the American River. American River ( Río de los Americanos in the Mexican period located in the US state of California, has a prominent place in United States history for Waterford is the eighth largest city of the nine incorporated cities in Stanislaus County, California, United States.

These rivers are not tributary to the San Joaquin River:

Flooding

Most lowlands of the Central Valley are prone to flooding. The San Joaquin River ( 330 miles (530 km long is the second-longest River in California, United States. The Cosumnes River (pronounced ka-Sum-nes) is a tributary of the Mokelumne River (pronounced mo-Kulla-mee) approximately 80 mi (128 The Mokelumne River is a River in Northern California. The Upper Mokelumne River originates in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and flows The Calaveras River is a River in the California Central Valley. The Stanislaus River in California is one of the largest Tributaries of the San Joaquin River. The Tuolumne River is one of the major rivers draining the western slope Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Merced River (pronounced "mer-SED" is in California. Its headwaters are in the southern half of Yosemite National Park. The Chowchilla River is a River in Central California and a minor tributary of the San Joaquin River. The Fresno River is a River in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. The Kings River is a major river of California, USA. It arises in the Sierra Nevada, consisting of three forks Kaweah River is a River in Tulare County California, located in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada. Tule River is a River in Tulare County California. The river originates in the Sierra Nevada east of Porterville and consists of three forks The Kern River is a river in the US state of California, approximately long Major public works projects beginning in the 1930s sought to reduce the amount of snowmelt flooding by the building of large dams. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. In 2003 it was determined that Sacramento had both the least protection against and nearly the highest risk of flooding. Congress then granted a $220 million for upgrades in Sacramento County. [1] Other counties in the valley that face flooding often are Yuba, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin. Yuba County is located in the US state of California 's Central Valley, north of Sacramento, along the Feather River. Stanislaus County is a County located in the Central Valley of the state of California, between Stockton and Fresno. San Joaquin County is a county located in Central Valley of the U

Economy

A typical Central Valley scene at ground level
A typical Central Valley scene at ground level

Agriculture remains the primary industry in the Central Valley. The Central Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. It is commonly referred to as the "fruit basket of the world. " A notable exception has been the Sacramento region, where the large and stable workforce of government employees helped steer the economy away from agriculture. Despite state hiring cutbacks and the closure of several military bases, the Sacramento economy has continued to expand and diversify and now more closely resembles that of the nearby San Francisco Bay Area. Primary sources of population growth are people migrating from the San Francisco Bay Area seeking lower housing costs, as well as immigration from Asia, Central America, Mexico, Ukraine and the rest of the former Soviet Union.

Agriculture

Virtually all non-tropical crops are grown in the Central Valley, which is the primary source for a number of food products throughout the United States, including tomatoes, almonds[3], grapes, cotton, apricots, and asparagus. Four of the top ), Kern County (#4 with $2. 058), and Merced County (#5 with $2. 058 billion). 2002 Data Sets

parts of the valley into productive use. For example, the Central Valley Project was formed in 1935 to redistribute and store water for agricultural and municipal purposes with dams and canals. The Central Valley Project (CVP is a federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to use water in California's Central Valley Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

National Farmworkers Association (NFWA)

It was in the Central Valley, especially in and around Delano, that farm labor leader Cesar Chavez organized Mexican American grape pickers into a union in the 1960s, the National Farmworkers Association (NFWA), in order to improve their working conditions. Delano is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 38824 at the 2000 census César Estrada Chávez ( March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) born in Yuma Arizona, was a Mexican-American farm worker Labor See also History of Mexican-Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican ancestry A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming

Social issues

San Joaquin Valley Congestion

Since the 1980s, Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia, Tracy and Modesto have exploded in both area and population, as housing values along the coast increased. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Tracy is a city in San Joaquin County, California, in the United States. Modesto is the County seat of Stanislaus County in the US state of California. Many people from Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area relocated to growing San Joaquin Valley suburbs in search of more affordable housing while retaining employment outside the Valley. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Bay, is a geographically and ethnically diverse metropolitan region that surrounds the This has led to traffic congestion between their Valley residences and their Bay Area employment, as well as increased violent crime, drug trafficking, organized crime, and air pollution. A violent crime or crime of violence is a Crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global Black market consisting of the cultivation manufacture distribution and sale of illegal Drugs "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. Air pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of Chemicals Particulate matter, or Biological materials that cause harm or discomfort Air pollution has become a principal environmental and health concern as recently as the 1960's, and resulted in the establishment of the California Air Resources Board in 1967. The California Air Resources Board, also known as ( CARB) is the "clean air agency" in the Government of California. The San Joaquin Valley now has the worst air quality in California, along with the highest asthma rates. Asthma is a chronic Condition involving the Respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict become inflamed, and are

Highways and Infrastructure

Highways Interstate 5 and State Route 99 run, roughly parallel, north-south through the valley, meeting at its north and south ends. Route description Southern California See also San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 starts State Route 99 (SR 99 commonly known as Highway 99 or 99, is a north-south State highway in the U Interstate 80 crosses it northeast-southwest from Rocklin to Vacaville. In the US state of California, Interstate 80, a major east-west route of the Interstate Highway System, has its western terminus in San Francisco Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California. It is a primarily residential community located north of Sacramento. Vacaville California is located in Solano County, California, United States between Sacramento and San Francisco. In addition to highways, the California Aqueduct follows I-5 from Tracy on southwards to Southern California across the Transverse Ranges and the federal Central Valley Project includes numerous facilities between Shasta Dam and the Grapevine. The California Aqueduct is a 444  Mile  (715  km)-long Aqueduct in the United States Tracy is a city in San Joaquin County, California, in the United States. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U The Transverse Ranges (or more accurately the Los Angeles Ranges) are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, one of the various North American The Central Valley Project (CVP is a federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to use water in California's Central Valley PG&E's and Western Area Power Administration's system of three 500 kV wires (Path 15 and Path 66) run through the valley. For the 1970s rock music band see Pacific Gas & Electric (band. The Western Area Power Administration (Western markets and delivers Hydroelectric power and related services within a 15-state region of the central and western U Path 15 is the name of a major north-south power transmission corridor in California. Path 66 (also called the California Oregon Intertie or abbreviated COI) is the name of several 500 kV power lines that were built by Western Path 26 also runs in the southernmost part of the San Joaquin Valley. Path 26 is a set of three 500 kV power lines that forms Southern California Edison 's (SCE intertie with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E to the

References

  1. ^ Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S.. U. S. Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2007-12-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev
  2. ^ Benke, Arthur C. ; Cushing, Colbert E. (2005). Rivers of North America. Academic Press, 554. ISBN 0120882531.  
  3. ^ Michael Pollan

External links

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