Central Valley

Extracted Attributes

Central Valley (California)

The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California, United States. It is 40–60 mi (60–100 km) wide and runs approximately 450 mi (720 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast. It covers approximately 18,000 mi2 (47,000 km2), about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east. The Central Valley is a region known for its agricultural productivity. It provides a large share of the food produced in California, which provides more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. More than 7,000,000 acres (28,000 km2; 11,000 mi2) of the valley are irrigated via reservoirs and canals. The valley hosts many cities, including the state capital Sacramento, as well as Redding, Chico, Yuba City, Woodland, Davis, Roseville, Elk Grove, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Fresno, Visalia, Porterville, and Bakersfield. The Central Valley watershed comprises 60,000 square miles (160,000 km2), or over a third of California. It consists of three main drainage systems: the Sacramento Valley in the north, which receives over 20 inches (510 mm) of rain annually; the drier San Joaquin Valley in the south, and the Tulare Basin and its semi-arid desert climate at the southernmost end. The Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems drain their respective valleys and meet to form the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, a large expanse of interconnected canals, stream beds, sloughs, marshes and peat islands. The delta empties into San Francisco Bay, and ultimately into the Pacific. The waters of the Tulare Basin essentially never reach the ocean (with the exception of Kings River waters diverted northward for irrigation), though they are connected by man-made canals to the San Joaquin. The valley encompasses all or parts of 18 California counties: Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Placer, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Yolo and Yuba. The Central Valley has struggled to transform its economy beyond its role as an agricultural breadbasket. Although safety nets have drastically improved Central Valley poverty rates, the Central Valley still remains as one of the most impoverished regions of California. Air pollution is a major issue, but it is mostly an issue in the San Joaquin Valley, rather than the Sacramento Valley.

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• Central Valley (California)

  The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California, United States. It is 40–60 mi (60–100 km) wide and runs approximately 450 mi (720 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast. It covers approximately 18,000 mi2 (47,000 km2), about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east. [...] The Central Valley is a region known for its agricultural productivity. It provides a large share of the food produced in California, which provides more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. More than 7,000,000 acres (28,000 km2; 11,000 mi2) of the valley are irrigated via reservoirs and canals. The valley hosts many cities, including the state capital Sacramento, as well as Redding, Chico, Yuba City, Woodland, Davis, Roseville, Elk Grove, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Fresno, Visalia, Porterville, and Bakersfield. [...] The Central Valley watershed comprises 60,000 square miles (160,000 km2), or over a third of California. It consists of three main drainage systems: the Sacramento Valley in the north, which receives over 20 inches (510 mm) of rain annually; the drier San Joaquin Valley in the south, and the Tulare Basin and its semi-arid desert climate at the southernmost end. The Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems drain their respective valleys and meet to form the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, a large expanse of interconnected canals, stream beds, sloughs "Slough (hydrology)"), marshes and peat islands. The delta empties into San Francisco Bay, and ultimately into the Pacific. The waters of the Tulare Basin essentially never reach the ocean (with the exception of Kings River "Kings River

• 11.2: Physical Geography - Geosciences LibreTexts

  The Central Valley is a vast, flat plain that contrasts with the rugged mountains that surround it. The valley floor is thought to have originated as an offshore area that was depressed by the subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the North American Plate. The valley has no earthquake faults of its own but is surrounded by faults to the east and west. [...] The Central Valley Project was the world's largest water and power project when undertaken during Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal public works agenda, which was designed for infrastructure development, economic stimulus and to ultimately employ millions of out-of-work Americans, due to the Great Depression. The Central Valley Project was the culmination of eighty years of political fighting over the state's most important natural resource - Water. The Central Valley of California lies to the west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains with its annual run-off draining into the Pacific Ocean through the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. It is a large geological floodplain moderated by its Mediterranean climate of dry summers and wet winters that includes regular major drought cycles. At the time [...] The Central Valley is very hot and dry during the summer, with daytime temperatures frequently surpassing 100°F (38°C). Common heat waves can bring temperatures exceeding 115°F (46°C). The rainy season is from mid-autumn to mid-spring, although during the late summer, southeasterly winds can bring tropical thunderstorms, mainly in the southern half of the San Joaquin Valley but occasionally to the Sacramento Valley. The northern half of the Central Valley receives greater precipitation than the semidesert southern half. Frost occurs at times in the fall months, but snow is extremely rare. Climate data for Fresno, California (Fresno Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1881–present

• Capturing Precarity & Plenty in California's Central Valley

  Skip to content Instagram Bluesky Spotify Facebook RSS Feed Edge Effects # Capturing Precarity & Plenty in California’s Central Valley By Steven Haring in Exhibits The Central Valley is a flat, sprawling valley in the heart of California, spanning over 400 miles between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada Mountains and draining into the San Francisco Bay. The Valley has a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. [...] “The Central Valley is the armpit of California.” After I first moved here, a group of Californians would—with a straight face—give me unsolicited opinions like this about their home state. On some level, I get why people slander the Central Valley. While driving on Interstate 5 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the sights and smells can convince a lot of people that Central California is drive-thru country. A black asphalt parking lot with a dumpster standing at the edge and a brown, dry landscape in the background. A graffitied dumpster sits at the edge of an asphalt lot at the Orestimba Vista Point, which overlooks the golden hills along Southbound Interstate 5 west of Newman. A yellow tractor with a trailer attached to it, representing agriculture in Central Valley. [...] The imperfect symmetry of the Central Valley is even evident in its common name. “Central” can mean principal, primary, and important, or it can mean middle, halfway, and intermediate. This place—like many rural places—is both energetic and permanent, interstitial and connected. People, crops, water, and resources flow through the Valley at a tremendous rate, but, for most people, there is barely an exchange with the golden hills and ancient lake beds underpinning it all. Landscape with a water body and some greenery and trees in the background and a narrow plume of smoke rising into the sky. Migratory waterfowl swim in remnant wetlands in the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge while agricultural burning takes place in the distance.

• California's Central Valley | USGS California Water Science Center

  ## Regional Characteristics The Central Valley, also known as the Great Valley of California, covers about 20,000 square miles and is one of the more notable structural depressions in the world. Occupying a central position in California, it is 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 Valley averages about 50 miles in width and extends about 400 mi northwest from the Tehachapi Mountains to Redding. Generally, most of the valley lies close to sea level and the land surface has very low relief, but is higher along the valley margins. [...] The Central Valley is one of the more notable structural depressions in the world.

• Central Valley Regional Overview

  The Central Valley is one of the more notable structural depressions in the world. [...] The Central Valley can be divided into two large parts: the northern one-third is known as the Sacramento Valley and the southern two-thirds is known as the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley can be split further into the San Joaquin Basin and the Tulare Basin. The San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys meet in the Delta area where the combined discharge of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers flows through the Central Valley's one natural outlet, the Carquinez Strait, on its way to San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Just east of the Delta, several streams issue from the Sierra Nevada into the valley and flow to the Delta in an area referred to as the Eastside Streams. ### Valley Facts [...] The Central Valley, also known as the Great Valley of California, covers about 20,000 square miles and is one of the more notable structural depressions in the world. Occupying a central position in California, it is 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. ### Featured Research Natural Gas Compressor Station Results of Hexavalent Chromium Background Study in Hinkley, California Learn More ### Central Valley Menu Central Valley Main Page > Regional Overview Programs Hydrologic Model Land Subsidence in California National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program Media Map of California's Central Valley's four major regions

• Country

  United States

• Located In

  Sacramento County

• Instance Of

  Q39816

• Coordinates

  Lat: 40.2, Lon: -122.201111111