Central California | |
|---|---|
 San Joaquin Valley, California | |
 Map of counties that heavily overlap Central California in red, less accepted counties in pink | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Central California |
| Highest elevation | 14,505 ft (4,421 m) |
| Lowest elevation | −13 ft (−4.0 m) |
| Time zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Area codes | 209,559,661,805,831,916 |
Central California is generally thought of as the middle third of theU.S. state ofCalifornia, north ofSouthern California (which includesLos Angeles andSan Diego) and south ofNorthern California (which includesSan Francisco andSan Jose). It includes the northern portion of theSan Joaquin Valley (which itself is the southern portion of theCentral Valley, beginning at theSacramento–San Joaquin River Delta), part of theCentral Coast, the central hills of theCalifornia Coast Ranges and the foothills and mountain areas of thecentral Sierra Nevada.
Central California is considered to be west of the crest of theSierra Nevada. East of the Sierra isEastern California. The largest cities in the region (over 50,000 population), from most to least populous, areSacramento,Fresno,Bakersfield,Stockton,Modesto,Elk Grove,Salinas,Visalia,Clovis,Tracy,Merced,Manteca,Turlock,Tulare,Madera,Lodi,Porterville,Santa Cruz,Hanford, andDelano. Over time,droughts andwildfires have increased in frequency and become less seasonal and more year-round, further straining the region'swater security.[1][2][3]
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Central California can have widely varying definitions depending on the context. Some divide the state by lines of latitude making northern, central and southern sections. Others divide by county lines or watershed boundaries. Some definitions include more of theSan Joaquin Valley and even larger portions of theCentral Valley. Some have less or none ofCentral Coast.
Central California being in the middle of the state starts at36 parallel north (exact dividing line of Central and Southern California) and ending around38°30 parallel north (Sacramento County)
The rough definition of Central California includes some or all of the following counties:
Counties that are occasionally considered Central California:
Area cities and towns listed below are major regional centers or county seats.
The following regions are entirely contained within central California:
The following regions are partially contained within central California:
Central California has opened two new universities recently, one in each of the past two decades.
TheUniversity of California has one campus in the region.University of California, Merced opened on a newly constructed site on the east side ofMerced in 2005.
TheCalifornia State University system has four campuses in the region.California State University, Monterey Bay opened on the site of the formerFort Ord army base in 1994.California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock opened in 1957.California State University, Fresno opened in 1911.
TheMonterey Institute of International Studies is a graduate school that offers eleven master's degree programs ininternational policy,international management,language teaching, andtranslation andinterpretation. TheMonterey Institute of International Studies is a graduate school ofMiddlebury College.
San Joaquin College of Law is a private, nonprofit law school located inClovis.
Fresno Pacific University is a private university in Fresno.
TheNaval Postgraduate School andDefense Language Institute are located in Monterey.
The followingcommunity college campus sites are in the region:[4]
There are no community colleges in Mariposa or San Benito Counties.
Most of the major highways in the region run north-south around the mountains.Interstate 5 andState Route 99 are the primary highways in the San Joaquin Valley.US 101 andState Route 1 are the major coastal highways.
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Passenger rail in the region consists of the Amtrak long-haulCoast Starlight and the regionalGold Runner routes.
TheCalifornia High-Speed Rail system is under construction between Merced and Bakersfield. In Central California, the system will have stations in Merced, Madera, Fresno, and the Kings–Tulare area. Planning is underway to extend the initial line to San Francisco/San Jose and Los Angeles.
Freight rail is served by commercial railroads.Union Pacific Railroad andBNSF Railway operate mainline freight through the region in the Central Valley.
Major and regional airline services are available atFresno Yosemite International Airport andMonterey Regional Airport. Regional airline service is also available atMerced Regional Airport.
General Aviation airports exist in all ten counties. The largest are former military bases converted to civilian airports:
An active military air base is atNaval Air Station Lemoore in Kings County, and the144th Fighter Wing is stationed atFresno Air National Guard Base in Fresno County.
Variations on significant/influential definitions of the termcentral California are collected in this section.
The following counties are self-described as being in central California or central within California:
The following are definitions by influential organizations:
37°N120°W / 37°N 120°W /37; -120
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