The San Joaquin Valley (pronounced /ˌsæn wɑːˈkiːn/) refers to the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Stockton. The Central Valley is a large flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is an expansive inland River delta and Estuary in northern California in the United States. Stockton is a City in California and the seat of San Joaquin County (the fifth largest agricultural county in the United States Although most of the valley is rural, it does contain major urban cities such as Stockton, Fresno, Visalia, Modesto, Bakersfield, and Merced. 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. Merced, is the County seat of Merced County California in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Pollution 1.2 Climate 2 Economy 2.1 Agriculture 2.2 Petroleum 2.3 Other major industries and employers 2.4 Poverty 3 Culture 3.1 Politics 3.2 Ethnic and cultural groups 3.2.1 Mexicans/Chicanos 3.2.2 European and Asian groups 3.2.3 Okies and Arkies 3.3 Recent changes 4 Education 5 Transportation 5.1 Roads 5.2 Rail 5.3 Water 6 Medical interest 7 Cities and counties 7.1 Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants 7.2 Cities with 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants 7.3 Cities With Fewer Than 20,000 Inhabitants 7.4 List of counties 8 Other related articles 9 References

Geography

The San Joaquin Valley extends from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains in the south, and from the various California coastal ranges (from the Diablo in the north to the Santa Ynez in the south) in the west to the Sierra Nevada in the east. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is an expansive inland River delta and Estuary in northern California in the United States. The Tehachapi Mountains (təˈhætʃəˌpi are a short transverse range in southern California in the United States, running SW-NE connecting The Diablo Ranges is a Mountain range in western California, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges. The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U Unlike the Sacramento Valley, the river system for which the San Joaquin Valley is named does not extend very far along the 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 Most of the valley south of Fresno instead drains into Tulare Lake, which no longer exists on a regular basis due to diversion of its sources. Tulare Lake is an extinct fresh-water Lake that was formerly the largest in the Western United States. Major rivers include the San Joaquin, Kings, and Kern rivers, all of which have been largely diverted for agricultural uses and are mostly dry in their lower reaches. The San Joaquin River ( 330 miles (530 km long is the second-longest River in California, United States. The Kings River is a major river of California, USA. It arises in the Sierra Nevada, consisting of three forks The Kern River is a river in the US state of California, approximately long

Pollution

Hemmed in by mountains and rarely having strong winds to disperse smog, the San Joaquin Valley has long suffered from some of the United States' worst air pollution. Smog is a kind of Air pollution; the word "smog" is a Portmanteau of Smoke and Fog. Air pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of Chemicals Particulate matter, or Biological materials that cause harm or discomfort This pollution, exacerbated by stagnant weather, comes mainly from diesel-and gasoline-fueled vehicles and agricultural operations such as dairies and field-tilling. Population growth has caused the San Joaquin Valley to rank with Los Angeles and Houston in most measures of air pollution. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Only the Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles has worse overall air quality, and the San Joaquin Valley led the nation in 2004 in the number of days with quantities of ozone considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Inland Empire is a region mainly located in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties of Southern California and generally encompasses the OZONE is an object oriented Operating system written in the C programming language. Groundwater purity is an ongoing issue in this valley including the Turlock Basin. The Turlock Basin is a sub-basin of the San Joaquin Valley Groundwater basin which occupies approximately 13700 total square miles making it the largest groundwater However, it has been shown that San Joaquin County has better air quality than any other region in the San Joaquin Valley. It has also been shown that the Sacramento region has worse air quality, as does Stanislaus County.

Water pollution is another significant problem in the valley. Soil salination in heavily irrigated areas has significantly reduced the viability of some of the valley's most fertile tracts, especially those in the Tulare lake bed. Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil Salt affected soils are caused by excess accumulation of salts typically most pronounced at the soil surface Contamination of groundwater by leakage from manure pits at dairy farms and cattle feedlots has led to significant outcry.

Climate

The San Joaquin Valley has hot, dry summers and cool winters characterized by dense Tule fog. Tule fog (ˈtuːli is a thick ground Fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California 's Great Central The rainy season occurs from November through April.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office for the San Joaquin Valley is located in Hanford and includes a Doppler weather radar. The National Weather Service ( NWS) once known as the Weather Bureau is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the County seat of Kings County California. A weather radar is a type of Radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion estimate its type ( Rain Weather forecasts and climatological information for the San Joaquin Valley are available from its website at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/.

Economy

Agriculture

Historian Kevin Starr has referred to the San Joaquin Valley as "the most productive unnatural environment on Earth. Kevin Starr (born 3 September 1940 in San Francisco) is an American Historian, best-known for his multi-volume series on the history " By some estimates, fully 25% of the United States' agricultural production (as measured by dollar value) comes from California, and the vast majority of that is in the San Joaquin Valley. Grapes—table, raisin, and to a lesser extent wine—are perhaps the valley's highest-profile product, but equally (if not more) important are cotton, nuts (especially almonds and pistachios), citrus, and vegetables. For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Raisins are dried Grapes They are produced in many regions of the world such as the United States, Australia, Chile, Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp The Almond ( Prunus dulcis, syn Prunus amygdalus Batsch Amygdalus communis L The pistachio ( Pistacia vera L Anacardiaceae or sometimes Pistaciaceae) is a small Tree native to mountainous regions of Citrus is a common term and Genus of Flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of The J. G. Boswell Company's farming operation in Kings County is the largest single cotton farm in the world, occupying over 162 km² (40,000 acres). James Griffin Boswell (May 13 1882 - September 11 1952 was founder of the J Certain places are identified quite strongly with a given crop: Stockton produces the majority of the asparagus consumed in the United States, and Fresno is sometimes incorrectly credited as the birthplace of the raisin. Asparagus officinalis is a flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus from which the Vegetable known as asparagus is obtained Raisins are dried Grapes They are produced in many regions of the world such as the United States, Australia, Chile,

Cattle and sheep ranching are also vitally important to the valley's economy. During recent years, dairy farming has greatly expanded in importance. As areas such as Chino and Corona have become absorbed into the suburban sprawl of Los Angeles, many dairy farmers have cashed out and moved their herds to Kings, Tulare, and Kern counties. Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Since dairy farms emit considerable quantities of methane and other pollutants, this has exacerbated the region's air quality problems. In addition, several high-profile incidents in which farmhands have drowned or suffocated in manure pits have led to calls to slow the proliferation of dairies in the region, with Kern County going so far as to declare a moratorium on new dairies in 2004.

Between 1990 and 2004, 28,092 hectares (70,231 acres) of agricultural land was lost to urban development in the San Joaquin Valley. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, ^[1] In an effort to confront the problem of urban sprawl, the eight Valley counties are participating in a "regional blueprint planning process" that may result in denser developments and more public transportation. ^[2]

Petroleum

California has long been one of the nation's most important oil-producing states, and the San Joaquin Valley has long since eclipsed the Los Angeles Basin as the state's primary oil production region. The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal Sediment -filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in Small oil wells are found throughout the region, and several enormous extraction facilities – most notably near Lost Hills and Taft, including the enormous Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the third-largest oil field in the United States – are veritable forests of pumps and derricks. Lost Hills is a Census-designated place (CDP in Kern County, California, United States. Taft is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was about 9200 people as of March 2008 according to the local newspaper "The Midway-Sunset Oil Field is a large Oil field in Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California in the United States.

Shell operates a major refinery in Bakersfield; it is currently (summer 2005) in the process of being sold to Flying J, a Salt Lake-based firm that operates truck stops and refineries. Royal Dutch Shell plc, commonly known simply as Shell, is a multinational oil company of Dutch and British origins Flying J Inc is a privately held US Corporation which operates Travel plazas under the "Flying J" brand along with related services Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The oil and gas fields in Kern County are considered to be in decline, and while no major discoveries have been made in the region for quite some time, the region retains more oil reserves than any other part of California. Of fields outside of the San Joaquin Valley, only the Wilmington Oil Field in Los Angeles County has untapped reserves greater than 100,000,000 barrels, while six fields in the San Joaquin Valley (Midway-Sunset, Kern River, South Belridge, Elk Hills, Cymric, and Lost Hills) each have reserves exceeeding 100,000,000 barrels of oil. The Wilmington Oil Field is a large Petroleum field in Los Angeles County in southern California in the United States. The Kern River Oil Field, discovered in 1899 is a large Oil field in Kern County in the San Joaquin Valley of California, north-northeast of The South Belridge Oil Field is a large Oil field in northwestern Kern County, San Joaquin Valley California in the United States, about forty The Elk Hills Oil Field (formerly the Naval Petroleum Reserve No Cymric Oil Field is a large Oil field in Kern County, California in the United States. Lost Hills Oil Field is a large Oil field in Kern County, California in the United States. ^[3]

Other major industries and employers

The isolation and vastness of the San Joaquin Valley, as well as its poverty and need for jobs, have led the state to build numerous prisons in the area. The most notable of these is Corcoran, whose inmates include Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, and Juan Corona. Corcoran is a town in Kings County, California, United States. Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (born March 19, 1944) is the convicted Assassin of United States Senator Robert F Other correctional facilities in the valley are at Avenal, Chowchilla, Tracy, Delano, Coalinga, and Wasco. Avenal is a city in Kings County, California, United States. It is part of the Hanford - Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. Tracy is a city in San Joaquin County, California, in the United States. Delano is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 38824 at the 2000 census Coalinga (koʊˈlɪŋɡə also pronounced by local residence as kʌˈlɪŋɡə is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. Wasco is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 21263 at the 2000 census

The only significant military base in the region is Naval Air Station Lemoore, a vast air base located 25 km (15. Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base located in Kings County, California. 5 mi) WSW of Hanford. Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the County seat of Kings County California. Unlike many of California's other military installations, NAS Lemoore's operational importance has increased in the 1990s and 2000s. The other, Castle Air Force Base, located near Atwater was closed during the Base Realignment and Closure of the 1990s. Castle Air Force Base (1941-1995 is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located northeast of Atwater, northwest of Merced Atwater is a city in Merced County, California, United States. Base Realignment and Closure (or BRAC) is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Although both are in Kern County, Edwards Air Force Base and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station are located in the High Desert area of that county. Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake or NAWS China Lake is an airborne weapons testing and training range operated by the United States Navy and its contractors The High Desert refers to a subregion located mostly in Southern California 's San Bernardino County, in the United States.

Poverty

The United States Census Bureau issued a report entitled the American Community Survey in 2007, which found that six San Joaquin Valley counties had the highest percentage of residents living below the federal poverty line in 2006. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census The American Community Survey (ACS is a project of the US Census Bureau that replaces the long form in the decennial Census. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The report also revealed that the same six counties were among the 52 counties with the highest poverty rate in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[4]

Culture

Politics

Culturally, the San Joaquin Valley is quite different from much of the rest of California. Among well-populated areas, the San Joaquin Valley is perhaps the most conservative in California. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined For example, signs can be seen around Pixley and Hanford supporting leaving the United Nations, and opposing abortion. Pixley is a Census-designated place (CDP in Tulare County, California, United States. Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the County seat of Kings County California. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security An Many commentators have noted the irony of the San Joaquin Valley's prevailing "small government" philosophy, given that its farm economy is the product of more than a century of expensive federal and state government projects and that cotton, one of its most important agricultural products, is heavily subsidized. While the importance of agriculture in the area can curb environmentalism, air pollution is a serious and acknowledged problem in the area. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Air pollution is the human introduction into the atmosphere of Chemicals Particulate matter, or Biological materials that cause harm or discomfort Resentment of perceived condescension by Southern Californians and San Francisco Bay Area residents is a recurring theme in the valley's politics, occasionally manifesting itself in laws such as Kern County's 2005 ban on the importation of sewage sludge from urban counties. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U 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 SLUDGE (Scripting Language for Unhindered Development of a Gaming Environment is a open source adventure game engine developed by Hungry Software

Several prominent California politicians have come from the San Joaquin Valley. California state senator and unsuccessful 2002 gubernatorial and 2004 senatorial candidate Bill Jones hails from the Fresno area as does former California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. A Lieutenant Governor is a high officer of state whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction Cruz Miguel Bustamante (born January 4 1953 is an American Politician.

Ethnic and cultural groups

Mexicans/Chicanos

While the barrios of East Los Angeles are California's most famous areas dominated by persons of Mexican ancestry, both first-generation Mexican immigrants and well-established Chicanos are important populations in the San Joaquin Valley. East Los Angeles can refer to East Los Angeles California (unincorporated community East Los Angeles (region The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Chicano (feminine Chicana) is a politically-loaded word for a Mexican American (in the sense of native-born Americans of Mexican ancestry as opposed to Mexican Since the onset of the bracero program during World War II, virtually all of the agricultural workers in the region have been of Mexican ancestry. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Ethnic and economic friction between Mexican-Americans and the valley's predominantly white farming elite manifested itself most notably during the 1960s and 1970s, when the United Farm Workers, led by César Chávez, went on numerous strikes and called for boycotts of table grapes. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> Overview The United Farm Workers of America (UFW is a labor César Estrada Chávez ( March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) born in Yuma Arizona, was a Mexican-American farm worker Labor Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. The UFW generated enormous sympathy throughout the United States, even managing to terminate several agricultural mechanization projects at the United States Department of Agriculture. However, from the 1970s onward, farmers have mostly hired illegal immigrants, preferred for their willingness to work longer hours for lower pay. Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country Today, Chicanos are somewhat better integrated into the valley's economic framework.

European and Asian groups

The San Joaquin Valley has—by California standards—an unusually large number of European, Middle Eastern, and Asian ethnicities in the heritage of its citizens. These communities are often quite large and, relative to Americans immigration patterns, quite eclectic: for example, there are more Azorean Portuguese in the San Joaquin Valley than in the Azores. The Azores ( Açores ɐˈsoɾɨʃ or) is a Portuguese Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1500 km (950  mi) from Many groups are found in majorities in specific cities, and hardly anywhere else in the region. For example, Assyrians are concentrated in Turlock, Dutch in Ripon, Sikhs in Stockton and Livingston, and Yugoslavs in Delano. The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Ripon is a city located in. The population was 10146 at the 2000 census Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. Stockton is a City in California and the seat of San Joaquin County (the fifth largest agricultural county in the United States Livingston is a city in Merced County California. According to the 2000 census the city population was 10473 See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian Delano is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 38824 at the 2000 census Kingsburg is famous for its distinctly Swedish air, having been founded by immigrants from that country. Kingsburg is a town in Fresno County California. For much of the town's history the fields around Kingsburg were mostly grape vineyards which produce mainly Raisin "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Ethnic groups found in a broader area are Portuguese, Armenians, Basques, and the "Okies" who migrated to California from the Midwest and South. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. Okie is a term dating from as early as 1907 denoting a resident or native of Oklahoma. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive In recent years, large numbers of Pakistanis have settled in Modesto and Lodi. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Lodi (ˈloʊdaɪ LOW-dye is a city located in As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 56999 In addition the late 1970s and 80s saw an influx of immigrants from Indochina settling in Stockton, Modesto, Merced, and Fresno. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. Merced, is the County seat of Merced County California in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. The Filipino American population are concentrated in Delano and Lathrop. Filipino Americans are Americans of Philippine ancestry which trace back to the Philippines, an archipelagic nation in Southeast Asia.

These cultures are often the result of established ethnic communities and groups of immigrants coming to the United States at once. This is in part due to the founding of religious communes in the San Joaquin Valley: for example, the first permanent Sikh Gurdwara was made in Stockton in 1915. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Okies and Arkies

The Depression-era migrants to the San Joaquin Valley from the South and Midwest are one of the more well-known groups in the Central Valley, in large part due to the popularity of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath and the Henry Fonda movie made from it. John Steinbeck III (February 27 1902—December 20 1968 was one of the best-known and most widely read American writers of the 20th century The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Henry Jaynes Fonda ( May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American Academy Award -winning Film and By 1910, agriculture in the southern Great Plains had become nearly unviable due to soil erosion and poor rainfall. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada Much of the rural population of states such as Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas left at this time, selling their land and moving to Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and fast-growing Los Angeles. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Those who remained experienced continuing deterioration of conditions, which reached their nadir during the drought that began in the late 1920s and created the infamous Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl, or the dirty thirties, was a period of severe Dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and (Small cotton farmers in states such as Mississippi and Alabama suffered similar problems from the first major infestation of the boll weevil. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. The boll weevil ( Anthonomus grandis) is a Beetle measuring an average length of six Millimeters which feeds on Cotton buds and flowers ) When the onset of the Great Depression created a national banking crisis, family farmers—usually heavily in debt—often had their mortgages foreclosed by banks desperate to shore up their balance sheets. In response, many farmers loaded their families and portable possessions into their automobiles and drove west.

Taking Route 66 to Barstow or Los Angeles and crossing the Tehachapi or Tejon passes, they began new lives as fruit and vegetable pickers on truck farms in the San Joaquin Valley. State Route 66 is a State highway in the US state of California, running along a section of old U Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Tehachapi Pass (elevation) is a Mountain pass in southern California in the United States. The Tejon Pass (teɪˈhoʊn is a Mountain pass at the southwest end of the Tehachapi Mountains linking Southern to Central California Having gone from the relative independence of homesteading to a condition that was essentially peasantry, many of them lived in squalid agricultural camps and were deeply unhappy with their economic plight; domestic disputes, crime, and suicide were rampant, and occasional riots broke out. Broadly defined homesteading is a lifestyle of simple agrarian Self-sufficiency. New Deal measures alleviated some of these problems, albeit belatedly: by the time that The Grapes of Wrath drew public attention to the Okies' plight, many of them had already left the valley. The New Deal was the name that United States President Franklin D Those that didn't were assimilated into California culture and society where they and future generations became noted tradesmen, educators, legislators and professional business people.

Many of the Okies and Arkies left the San Joaquin Valley during World War II, most of them going to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego to work in war industries. Many of those who stayed ended up in Bakersfield, which became an increasingly important center of oil production after major Southern California oil fields such as Signal Hill began to dry up. Signal Hill is a small City (22 mi², 58 km² in Los Angeles County, California that is an Enclave (completely surrounded by the Their influence remains strong: Bakersfield resembles a West Texas town such as Midland or Lubbock far more than it does anywhere else in California. West Texas is a region in Texas that has more in common geographically with the Southwestern United States than it does with the rest of the state Midland is a city in and the County seat of Midland County located on the Southern Plains of the western area of the U Country music legends Buck Owens and Merle Haggard came out of Bakersfield's honky-tonk scene and created a hard-driving sound that is still deeply associated with the city. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr, (August 12 1929 – March 25 2006 was an American Singer and Guitarist, with 20 number-one hits on the Merle Ronald Haggard (born April 6, 1937) is an American Country music Singer, Guitarist and Songwriter. A honky tonk (also called a honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is a type of bar with musical entertainment that is common in the Southwestern

Recent changes

The California real estate boom that began in the late 1990s has significantly changed the San Joaquin Valley. Once distinctly and fiercely independent of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the area has seen increasing exurban development as the cost of living forces young families and small businesses further and further away from the coastal urban cores. A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential from which most of the Workforce commute out to earn their livelihood Stockton, Modesto, and Tracy are increasingly dominated by commuters to San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and the small farming towns to the south are finding themselves in the Bay Area's orbit as well. Bakersfield, traditionally a boom-bust oil town once described by urban scholar Joel Kotkin as an "American Abu Dhabi," has seen a massive influx of former Los Angeles business owners and commuters, to the extent that gated communities containing million-dollar homes are going up on the city's outskirts. Joel Kotkin is a noted scholar on urban development currently a fellow at Chapman University and the New America Foundation. In its modern form a gated community is a form of Residential community containing controlled entrances for Pedestrians Bicycles and Automobiles Wal-Mart, IKEA, Target and various large shipping firms have built huge distribution centers at the far southern end of the valley, lured by the convenience of Route 58 and the region's low wages. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores IKEA is a privately-held international home products retailer that sells flat pack Furniture, accessories bathrooms and kitchens at retail stores around the world Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 State Route 58 is an East - West Highway across the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the Further integration with the rest of the state is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

The town of Mountain House is one of the latest planned communities in the valley. Mountain House is an unincorporated Planned community in the foothills of the Diablo Range along the western boundary of San Joaquin County, Its master plan envisions a city with a population of 43,000 before 2015. Quay Valley is proposed to be an even larger new city that would be located on about 12,000 acres in the southern part of Kings County [1]. Quay Valley, also referred to as Quay Valley Ranch, is a proposed planned community consisting of about 12000 acres (18 A population of 150,000 is estimated at project build-out. Proponents describe Quay Valley as a sustainable model city that would maximise use of solar power. They make the claim that Quay Valley residents may never see an electric bill.

Education

The San Joaquin Valley is home to several institutions of higher education, the most well-known being California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and University of the Pacific. California State University Fresno, commonly referred to as Fresno State and even plainly State, is one of the campuses of California State University The University of the Pacific is a private university in Stockton California, originally affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The University of California, Merced campus began classes in 2005. The University of California Merced, otherwise known as UC Merced or UCM is the tenth and newest of the University of California campus Other than Fresno, the California State University system also maintains campuses at Bakersfield (CSU Bakersfield) and Turlock (CSU Stanislaus). History Today's California State University system is the direct descendant of the California State Normal School (now San José State University) a California State University Bakersfield (often abbreviated CSUB or shortened to CSU Bakersfield or Cal State Bakersfield) is a Public university California State University Stanislaus, also known as Stanislaus State or simply Stan State is a campus in the California State University system There are numerous community colleges as well. A community college is a type of Educational institution. The term has different meanings in different countries

Transportation

Roads

Interstate 5 (I-5) and State Route 99 (SR 99, or just "99") each run along the entire length of the San Joaquin Valley. 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 I-5 runs in the western valley, bypassing major population centers (including Fresno, currently the largest U. S. city without an Interstate highway), while 99 runs through them. State and federal representatives have long pushed to convert 99 to an Interstate, although this cannot occur until all of the portions of 99 between I-5 and the U. S. 50 junction are upgraded to freeway standards.

State Route 58 (SR 58), which is a freeway in Bakersfield and along most of its route until its terminus in Barstow, is an extremely important and very heavily traveled route for truckers from the valley and the Bay Area who want to cross the Sierra Nevada and leave California (by way of Interstate 15 or Interstate 40) without having to climb Donner Pass or brave the horrendous traffic congestion of Los Angeles. State Route 58 is an East - West Highway across the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. In the US state of California, Interstate 15 is a major north-south route through the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego In the US state of California, Interstate 40 has its western terminus in Barstow. Donner Pass (el 7085 ft / 2160 m is a high Mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles west Proposals have also been made to designate this highway as a western extension of I-40 once the entirety of the route between Mojave and Barstow has been upgraded to a freeway. Mojave is a Census-designated place (CDP in Kern County, California, United States. This would provide an Interstate connection for Bakersfield, currently the second-largest U. S. city without an Interstate.

Other important highways in the valley include State Route 46 (SR 46) and State Route 41 (SR 41), which respectively link the California Central Coast with Bakersfield and Fresno; State Route 33, which runs south to north along the valley's western rim and provides a connection to Ventura and Santa Barbara over the Santa Ynez Mountains; and State Route 152 (SR 152), an important commuter route linking Silicon Valley with its fast-growing exurbs such as Los Banos. State Route 46 (SR 46 is an east-west State highway in the US State Route 41 (SR 41 is a State highway in the US state of California, connecting the Cabrillo Highway ( SR 1) in Morro Bay The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. State Route 33 is a north-south State highway that connects the central and southern areas of the U Incorporated in 1866 the city of San Buenaventura (usually referred to as Ventura) is the County seat of Ventura Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County California, United States. The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the State Route 152 is a State highway that runs near the latitudinal middle of the U For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. Los Banos is a city in Merced County, California, near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5.

Rail

Amtrak provides rail service through the San Joaquin Valley. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 There are also plans for a high-speed rail line that will link the valley with San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West While many valley politicians and businesses are eager supporters of the line, eager to provide better connections to the larger and wealthier cities to the north and south, large and vocal factions in cities such as Modesto and Stockton have opposed the line due to adverse impacts such as increased noise. Even if the project were to be approved, construction would likely not begin until 2010 at the earliest.

Water

A now large port for oceangoing cargo ships is present in Stockton, which is connected to the San Francisco Bay by way of a deepwater channel along the San Joaquin River Delta. San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive Estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento Congestion at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together account for the majority of container traffic in the United States, has led to calls for further development of the port. History The south-facing San Pedro Bay was originally a shallow Mudflat, too soft to support a Wharf. The Port of Long Beach, also known as Long Beach’s Harbor Department, is the 2nd busiest Seaport in the United States Containerization (or containerisation) is a system of Intermodal freight transport Cargo Transport using standard ISO containers

Unlike the Sacramento River, the San Joaquin River has never been navigable much past Stockton. This was a significant factor in the San Joaquin Valley's slow 19th-century development.

Medical interest

San Joaquin Valley Fever is an older term for what is more properly known as coccidioidomycosis, a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides immitis. Coccidioidomycosis (also known as Valley fever, San Joaquin Valley Fever, California valley fever, desert fever and (incorrectly

Cities and counties

Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants

• Bakersfield
• Fresno
• Modesto
• Stockton
• Visalia

Cities with 20,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

• Atwater
• Ceres
• Clovis
• Dinuba
• Delano
• Hanford
• Lemoore
• Lodi
• Los Banos
• Madera
• Manteca
• Merced
• Oakdale
• Patterson
• Porterville
• Reedley
• Sanger
• Selma
• Tracy
• Tulare
• Turlock
• Wasco

Cities With Fewer Than 20,000 Inhabitants

• Exeter
• Pixley
• Lindsay
• Farmersville
• Waterford
• Woodlake

List of counties

• San Joaquin
• Fresno
• Kern
• Kings
• Madera
• Merced
• Stanislaus
• Tulare

Other related articles

• List of California rivers
• San Joaquin (soil)

References

Coordinates: 36°37′44″N 120°11′06″W / 36.62889, -120.185

A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system.

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