Northern California | |
|---|---|
 Northern California coast as seen fromMuir Beach Overlook  View of an aerial tram inLake Tahoe | |
 Northern California counties in red | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Major cities | San Jose San Francisco Fresno Sacramento Oakland Stockton Fremont Modesto Elk Grove Santa Rosa Roseville Salinas Hayward Sunnyvale Visalia Chico Redding San Mateo San Rafael Eureka Susanville |
| Largest city | San Jose |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 15,775,319 |
Northern California (commonly shortened toNorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state ofCalifornia, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's58 counties.[1][2] Northern California in its largest definition is determined by dividing the state into two regions, the other beingSouthern California. The main northern population centers include theSan Francisco Bay Area (anchored by the cities ofSan Jose,San Francisco, andOakland), theGreater Sacramento area (anchored by the state capitalSacramento), theRedding, California, area south of theCascade Range, and theMetropolitan Fresno area (anchored by the city ofFresno). Northern California is coterminous with the natural range of thecoast redwood and thegiant sequoia, with many well-known old-growth forests and smaller groves. It contains most of theSierra Nevada, includingYosemite Valley and part ofLake Tahoe,Mount Shasta (the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range afterMount Rainier inWashington), and most of theCentral Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. Northern California is also home toSilicon Valley, the global headquarters for several of the largest most powerful companies in the world, includingAlphabet Inc. (Google),Apple,Meta, andNvidia.
TheNorthern California Megaregion, one of the 11megaregions of the United States is centered in Northern California, and extends from Metropolitan Fresno north to Greater Sacramento, and from the Bay Area east across theNevada state line to encompass the entireLake Tahoe–Reno area.[3]
Evidence ofNative American habitation in the area dates from at least 19,000 years ago[4] and successive waves of arrivals led to one of the most densely populated areas of pre-Columbian North America. The arrival of Europeanexplorers from the early 16th to the mid-18th centuries did not establish European settlements in northern California. In 1770, theSpanish mission atMonterey was the first European settlement in the area, followed by other missions along the coast—eventually extending as far north asSonoma County.[5]
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California experienced a population boom duringits gold rush (1848–1855), bringing more than 300,000 new residents, with very few of these settling in the southern part of the state. The northern two-thirds of the state was seen as the main part, and was often referred to as simply "California", while the southern third was called "Southern California".[6] At that time, the state was profoundly divided by theTehachapi Mountains which were a barrier to travelers before highways were built, and remain abioregion barrier. This geographical barrier curves fromPoint Conception at the Pacific Ocean eastward through theTransverse Ranges includingMount Pinos andTejon Pass, continuing through the Tehachapi Mountains includingTehachapi Pass, then cutting northward through the southernSierra Nevada mountain range toMount Patterson and theNevada border. TheMojave Desert and theGreat Basin Desert are separated from Northern California by mountain ranges in this definition of bioregions.[7][8] Southern California in the 1850s was a backwater of mainly Spanish-speakingCalifornios who resented paying state taxes without receiving state projects.[6][9]
In 1859, as proposed by the Californio politicianAndrés Pico, theCalifornia State Legislature passed the Pico Act aiming to divide the state and create a new territory in the south. The border started in the west at a latitude of six standard parallels south ofMount Diablo—meaning 144 miles south of Mount Diablo at the latitude of 35°45'N,[10] currently the border betweenMonterey andSan Luis Obispo counties. The proposed border bent southward to capture more of the Central Valley, then it angled northeast fromOld Tejon Ranch to the California border.[11] The new southern portion was to be called theTerritory of Colorado because much of its eastern border was theColorado River. This legislation was signed by GovernorJohn B. Weller and sent to theUnited States Congress for ratification, but it never came to a vote. Congress was too divided with tensions which would soon break out into theAmerican Civil War, and despite the efforts of SenatorMilton Latham, the bill died. However, the proposed east-west line continued to define one of the views of north–south division of the state.[6]
"Northern California" may refer to the state's northernmost 48 counties, using the line established by the Pico Act, or it may refer to the portion north of the geographic barrier formed by the Transverse Ranges, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the Southern Sierras.[6] Because of California's large size and diverse geography, the state can be subdivided in other ways as well. For example, theCentral Valley is a region that is distinct both culturally and topographically from coastal California, though in northern versus southern California divisions, theSacramento Valley and most of theSan Joaquin Valley are usually placed in northern California. Some observers describe three partitions of California, with north and south sections separated byCentral California.
Technically, California's exact north–south midway division is around37°N, near the latitude ofMorgan Hill andChowchilla. Thegeographic center of California is at37°09′58″N119°26′58″W / 37.16611°N 119.44944°W /37.16611; -119.44944 nearNorth Fork, northeast of Fresno.[12]
The state is often considered as having an additional division north of the urban areas of theSan Francisco Bay Area andSacramento metropolitan areas. Extreme northern residents have felt under-represented in state government and, in 1941, attempted to form a new state with southwestern Oregon to be calledJefferson, or more recently to introduce legislation tosplit California into two or three states.
The coastal area north of the Bay Area is often referred to as theNorth Coast, touching the counties ofMendocino,Lake,Humboldt, andDel Norte. The interior region north of Sacramento metropolitan area is referred to by locals as theNorthstate, consisting of about 20 counties.[13]
"Northern California" was used byTim Draper as the name of the northernmost state to be created by splitting California into three new states. The bill,Cal 3, was prevented from appearing on the 2018 California ballot because of a constitutional review by theSupreme Court of California.[14]
Since the events of theCalifornia Gold Rush, Northern California has been a leader on the world's economic, scientific, and cultural stages. From the development of gold mining techniques and logging practices in the 19th century that were later adopted around the world, to the development of world-famous and online business models (such asApple,Hewlett-Packard,Google,Yahoo!, andeBay), northern California has been at the forefront of new ways of doing business. In science, advances range from beingthe first to isolate and name fourteentransuranicchemical elements, to breakthroughs in microchip technology. Cultural contributions include the works ofAnsel Adams,George Lucas, andClint Eastwood, as well asbeatniks, theSummer of Love,winemaking, the cradle of the international environmental movement, and the open, casual workplace first popularized in theSilicon Valleydot-com boom and now widely in use around the world. Other examples of innovation across diverse fields range fromGenentech (development and commercialization of genetic engineering) toCrossFit as a pioneer in extreme human fitness and training.It is also home to one of the largest Air Force Bases on the West Coast, and the largest in California by square meters,Travis Air Force Base.
Northern California's largestmetropolitan area is theSan Francisco Bay Area which consists of 9 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. The Bay Area consists of the major cities ofSan Jose,San Francisco,Oakland, and their manysuburbs. Although not a part of the Bay Area, in recent years the Bay Area has drawn more commuters from as far asCentral Valley cities such asSacramento,Stockton,Fresno,Turlock andModesto. These cities in the central part of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills may be viewed as part of a singlemegalopolis.[3] The 2010 U.S. Census showed that the Bay Area grew at a faster rate than theGreater Los Angeles Area while Greater Sacramento had the largest growth rate of any metropolitan area in California.
The state's larger inland cities are considered part of Northern California in cases when the state is divided into two parts. Key cities in the region which are not in major metropolitan areas includeEureka on the farNorth Coast,Redding, at the northern end of the Central Valley,Chico, andYuba City in the mid-north of the Central Valley, as well asFresno andVisalia on the southern end. Though smaller in each case, with the notable exception ofFresno, than the larger cities of the general region, these smaller regional centers are often of historical and economic importance for their respective size, due to their locations, which are primarily rural or otherwise isolated.
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Inhabited for millennia byNative Americans, from theShasta tribe in the north, to theMiwoks in the central coast and Sierra Nevada, to theYokuts of the southern Central Valley, northern California was among the most densely populated areas of pre-Columbian North America.[15]
The first European to explore the coast wasJuan Rodríguez Cabrillo, sailing for the Spanish Crown; in 1542, Cabrillo's expedition sailed perhaps as far north as theRogue River in today'sOregon.[16] Beginning in 1565, the SpanishManila galleons crossed the Pacific Ocean fromMexico to the SpanishPhilippines, with silver and gemstones from Mexico. The Manila galleons returned across the northern Pacific, and reached North America usually off the coast of northern California, and then continued south with their Asian trade goods to Mexico.
In 1579, northern California was visited by the English explorerSir Francis Drake who landed north of today'sSan Francisco and claimed the area for England. In 1602, the SpaniardSebastián Vizcaíno explored California's coast as far north asMonterey Bay, where he went ashore. Other Spanish explorers sailed along the coast of northern California for the next 150 years, but no settlements were established.[17]
The first European inhabitants were Spanish missionaries, who builtmissions along the California coast. The mission atMonterey was first established in 1770, and atSan Francisco in 1776. In all, ten missions stretched along the coast fromSonoma to Monterey (and still more missions to the southern tip ofBaja California). In 1786, theFrench signaled their interest in the northern California area by sending a voyage of exploration to Monterey.
The first twenty years of the 19th century continued the colonization of the northern California coast by Spain. By 1820, Spanish influence extended inland approximately 25 to 50 miles (80 km) from the missions. Outside of this zone, perhaps 200,000 to 250,000 Native Americans continued to lead traditional lives. TheAdams-Onís Treaty, signed in 1819 between Spain and the young United States, set the northern boundary of the Spanish claims at the 42nd parallel, effectively creating today's northern boundary of northern California.
In 1812, the Russian state-sponsoredRussian-American Company establishedFort Ross, a fur trading outpost on the coast of today'sSonoma County. Fort Ross was the southernmost Russian settlement, located some 60 miles (97 km) north of Spanish colonies in San Francisco. In 1839, the settlement was abandoned due to its inability to meet resource demands, and the increasing Mexican and American presence in the region.[18]
AfterMexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico continued Spain's missions and settlements in northern California as well as Spain's territorial claims. The MexicanCalifornios (Spanish-speaking Californians) in these settlements primarily traded cattle hides andtallow with American and European merchant vessels.
In 1825, theHudson's Bay Company established a major trading postjust north of today'sPortland, Oregon. British fur trappers and hunters then used theSiskiyou Trail to travel throughout northern California.[19] The leader of a further French scientific expedition to northern California,Eugene Duflot de Mofras, wrote in 1840 "...it is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two hundred men."[20]: 260 By the 1830s, a significant number of non-Californios had immigrated to northern California. Chief among these wasJohn Sutter, a European immigrant fromSwitzerland, who was granted 48,827 acres (197.60 km2)centered on the area of today'sSacramento.[21]
American trappers began entering northern California in the 1830s.[20]: 263–4 In 1834, American visionaryEwing Young led a herd of horses and mules over theSiskiyou Trail from missions in northern California to British and American settlements inOregon. Although a small number of American traders and trappers had lived in northern California since the early 1830s, the first organized overland party of American immigrants to arrive in northern California was theBartleson-Bidwell Party of 1841 via the newCalifornia Trail.[20]: 263–273 Also in 1841, an overland exploratory party of theUnited States Exploring Expedition came down theSiskiyou Trail from the Pacific Northwest. In 1846, theDonner Party earned notoriety as they struggled to enter northern California.
When theMexican–American War was declared on May 13, 1846, it took almost two months (mid-July 1846) for word to get to California. On June 14, 1846, some 30 non-Mexican settlers, mostly Americans, staged a revolt and seized the small Mexican garrison in Sonoma. They raised the "Bear Flag" of theCalifornia Republic over Sonoma. The "Bear Flag Republic" lasted only 26 days, until the U.S. Army, led byJohn Frémont, took over on July 9.[22] The California state flag today is based on this original Bear Flag, and continues to contain the words "California Republic."
CommodoreJohn Drake Sloat ordered his naval forces to occupyYerba Buena (presentSan Francisco) on July 7 and within days American forces controlled San Francisco, Sonoma, andSutter's Fort in Sacramento.[22] Thetreaty ending the Mexican–American War was signed on February 2, 1848, and Mexico formally cededAlta California (including all of present-day northern California) to the United States.
TheCalifornia Gold Rush took place almost exclusively in northern California from 1848 to 1855. It began on January 24, 1848, whengold was discovered atSutter's Mill inColoma.[23] News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 people coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.San Francisco grew from a tiny hamlet, home to about 1,000Californios into aboomtown of over 50,000 people in the 12 years between 1848 and 1860.[24][25] New roads, churches, and schools were built, and new towns sprung up, aided in part by the development of new methods of transportation such assteamships which came into regular service andrailroads which now connected the coasts. The Gold Rush also had negative effects:American colonists chose to use genocide as a tool to remove theIndigenous people so that they could look for gold on their land.
The Gold Rush also increased pressure to make California aU.S. state. Pro-slavery politicians initially attempted to permanently divide northern and southern California at 36 degrees, 30 minutes, the line of theMissouri Compromise. But instead, the passing of theCompromise of 1850 enabled California to be admitted to the Union as afree state.[26]
The decades following the Gold Rush brought dramatic expansion to northern California, both in population and economically – particularly in agriculture. The completion of theFirst transcontinental railroad in 1869, with its terminus in Sacramento (and then later, Oakland), meant that northern California's agricultural produce (and some manufactured goods) could now be shipped economically to the rest of the United States. In return, immigrants from the rest of the United States (and Europe) could comfortably come to northern California. A network of railroads spread throughout northern California, and in 1887, arail link was completed to thePacific Northwest. Almost all of these railways came under the control of theSouthern Pacific Railroad, headquartered in San Francisco, and San Francisco continued as a financial and cultural center.
Substantial tensions during this era included nativist sentiments (primarily against Chinese immigrants),[27] tensions between the increasing power of the Southern Pacific Railroad and small farmers, and the beginnings of the labor union movement.
Northern California's economy is noted for being the de facto world leader in high-tech industry (software,semiconductor/micro-electronics,biotechnology andmedical devices/instruments), as well as being known forclean power, biomedical, government, and finance. Other significant industries include tourism, shipping, manufacturing, and agriculture. Its economy is diverse, though more concentrated in high technology. It is home to the state capital, as well as several Western United States regional offices in San Francisco, such as theFederal Reserve and9th Circuit Court.
Northern California has a warm or mild to cool climate, in which theSierra mountains gets snow in the late fall through winter and occasionally into spring. Summers are mild along the coast and generally warm and dry, while winters are cool and usually wet. The high temperatures range from 50s °F (10–15 °C) to 30s °F (−1 – +4 °C) in the winters while summers temperature range is 90s °F (32–37 °C) to 60s °F (15–20 °C) or 50s °F (10–15 °C), with highs well into the 100s °F (37–42 °C) for the Sacramento region. Snow covers the mountains (generally above 3,000 feet (910 m)) in mid January through February. Fog occurs infrequently or occurs normally in the west and coast, especially in the summer, creating some of the coolest summer conditions in North America.[28] Since the first decade of the 21st century,droughts andwildfires have increased in frequency as a consequence ofclimate change.[29][30]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 86,105 | — | |
| 1860 | 346,714 | 302.7% | |
| 1870 | 516,089 | 48.9% | |
| 1880 | 772,778 | 49.7% | |
| 1890 | 961,628 | 24.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,147,725 | 19.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,569,141 | 36.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,003,075 | 27.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,632,273 | 31.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,066,654 | 16.5% | |
| 1950 | 4,654,248 | 51.8% | |
| 1960 | 6,318,482 | 35.8% | |
| 1970 | 7,849,575 | 24.2% | |
| 1980 | 9,359,160 | 19.2% | |
| 1990 | 11,490,926 | 22.8% | |
| 2000 | 13,234,136 | 15.2% | |
| 2010 | 14,573,946 | 10.1% | |
| 2020 | 15,775,319 | 8.2% |
The population of the forty-eight counties of northern California has shown a steady increase over the years.[31][32]
The largest percentage increase outside the Gold Rush era (52%) came during the 1940s, as the region was the destination of many post-War veterans and their families, attracted by the greatly expanding industrial base and (often) by their time stationed in northern California duringWorld War II. The largest absolute increase occurred during the 1980s (over 2.1 million person increase), attracted by job opportunities in part by the expansion taking place inSilicon Valley and theCold War–era expansion of the defense industry. Since the 2000 U.S. Census, Northern California has grown at a faster rate than Southern California due to the strong economic performances of the Bay Area and Sacramento.[33]
The U.S.National Park System controls a large and diverse group of parks in northern California. The best known isYosemite National Park, which is displayed on the reverse side of theCalifornia state quarter. Other prominent parks are theKings Canyon-Sequoia National Park complex,Redwood National Park,Pinnacles National Park,Lassen Volcanic National Park and the largest in the contiguous forty-eight states,Death Valley National Park.
Other areas under federal protection includeMuir Woods National Monument,Giant Sequoia National Monument,Devils Postpile National Monument,Lava Beds National Monument,Point Reyes National Seashore, theMonterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and theCordell Bank andGulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries (both off the coast of San Francisco). Included within the latter National Marine Sanctuary is theFarallon National Wildlife Refuge; thisNational Wildlife Refuge is one of approximately twenty-five such refuges in northern California.National forests occupy large sections of northern California, including theShasta–Trinity,Klamath,Modoc,Lassen,Mendocino,Eldorado,Tahoe, andSequoia national forests, among others. Included within (or adjacent to) national forests are federally protected wilderness areas, including theTrinity Alps,Castle Crags,Granite Chief, andDesolation wilderness areas.
In addition, theCalifornia Coastal National Monument protects all islets, reefs, and rock outcroppings from the shore of northern California out to a distance of 12 nmi (22 km), along the entire northern California coastline. In addition, the National Park Service administers protected areas onAlcatraz Island, theGolden Gate National Recreation Area,Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area, and theSmith River National Recreation Area. The NPS also administers theManzanarNational Historic Site inInyo County, theRosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park inRichmond, and theTule Lake National Monument outside ofTulelake.
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Northern California hosts a number of world-renowned universities includingStanford University andUniversity of California, Berkeley. Top-tier public graduate schools includeBoalt Hall andHastings law schools andUC San Francisco (a top-ranked medical school) andUC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the largest veterinary school in the United States.
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The following regions are entirely or partly within northern California:
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Northern California is home to three of the state's fourextended metropolitan areas, which are home to over three-fourths of the region's population as of the2010 United States census:[35]
| Metropolitan region | Population |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 7,468,390 |
| Greater Sacramento | 2,461,780 |
| Metropolitan Fresno | 1,081,315 |
The following are major central business districts:
See also articles:
See also categories:
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There are 11 airports in Northern California categorized as Primary Service Commercial airports by the FAA:[37]
| Airport | ID | City | Category | 2018 Enplanements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco International Airport | SFO | San Francisco | Large Hub | 27,794,154 |
| San Jose International Airport | SJC | San Jose | Medium Hub | 7,037,144 |
| Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport | OAK | Oakland | Medium Hub | 6,687,963 |
| Sacramento International Airport | SMF | Sacramento | Medium Hub | 5,907,901 |
| Fresno Yosemite International Airport | FAT | Fresno | Small Hub | 853,538 |
| Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport | STS | Santa Rosa | Non Hub | 217,994 |
| Monterey Regional Airport | MRY | Monterey | Non Hub | 188,046 |
| Stockton Metropolitan Airport | SCK | Stockton | Non Hub | 99,258 |
| Arcata-Eureka Airport | ACV | Arcata | Non Hub | 69,604 |
| Redding Municipal Airport | RDD | Redding | Non Hub | 42,775 |
| Mammoth Yosemite Airport | MMH | Mammoth Lakes | Non Hub | 23,522 |
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