Central California
Central California is generally thought of as the middle third of the U.S. state, of California, north of Southern California, which includes Los Angeles, and south of Northern California, which includes San Francisco. It includes the northern portion of the San Joaquin Valley (which itself is the southern portion of the Central Valley, beginning at the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta), part of the Central Coast, the central hills of the California Coast Ranges and the foothills and mountain areas of the central Sierra Nevada.
Central California | |
|---|---|
Region of California | |
San Joaquin Valley, California | |
Map of counties that overlap Central California | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Central California |
| Highest elevation | 14,505 ft (4,421 m) |
| Lowest elevation | −13 ft (−4 m) |
| Time zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Area code(s) | 209, 559, 661, 805, 831 |
Central California is considered to be west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada. East of the Sierra is Eastern California. The largest cities in the region (over 50,000 population), from most to least populous, are Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Salinas, Visalia, Clovis, Santa Maria, Merced, Turlock, Madera, Lodi, Tulare, Porterville, Hanford and Delano. Over time, droughts and wildfires have increased in frequency and become less seasonal and more year-round, further straining the region's water security.