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The '''Central Valley''' is a broad, elongated, flat [[valley]] that dominates the interior of [[California]]. It is {{cvt|40-60|mi|km|-1}} wide and runs approximately {{cvt|450|mi|km}} from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] [[Coastal California|coast of the state]]. It covers approximately {{cvt|18000|mi2|km2}},<ref name=area>{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/grace/grace-tracking-water-from-space/california-central-valley |title=California Central Valley|publisher=American Museum of Natural History |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029043744/http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/grace/grace-tracking-water-from-space/california-central-valley |archive-date=October 29, 2016}}</ref> about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the [[California Coast Ranges|Coast Ranges]] to the west and the [[Sierra Nevada]] to the east.
The Central Valley is a [[
The Central Valley [[Drainage basin|watershed]] comprises {{convert|60000|mi2|km2}}, or over a third of California. It consists of three main drainage systems: the [[Sacramento Valley]] in the north, which receives over {{convert|20|in|mm}} of rain annually; the drier [[San Joaquin Valley]] in the south, and the [[Tulare Lake|Tulare Basin]] and its [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid desert]] climate at the southernmost end. The [[Sacramento River|Sacramento]] and [[San Joaquin River|San Joaquin]] river systems drain their respective valleys and meet to form the [[Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta]], a large expanse of interconnected [[canal]]s, [[stream bed]]s, [[Slough (hydrology)|slough]]s, [[marsh]]es and peat islands. The delta empties into the [[San Francisco Bay]], and ultimately into the Pacific.<ref name=" every">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Bittman |title=Everyone Eats There |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/californias-central-valley-land-of-a-billion-vegetables.html |quote=Central Valley, which is two valleys: the San Joaquin to the south and Sacramento to the north. All told,[ sic] the Central Valley is about 450 miles long, from Bakersfield up to Redding, and is 60 miles at its widest, between the Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coast Ranges to the west. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 10, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013012804/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/californias-central-valley-land-of-a-billion-vegetables.html?hp |archive-date=October 13, 2012 }}</ref> The waters of the Tulare Basin essentially never reach the ocean (with the exception of [[Kings River (California)|Kings River]] waters diverted northward for irrigation), though they are connected by man-made canals to the San Joaquin.
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==Name==
Older names include "the Great Valley", a name still often seen in scientific references (notably [[Great Valley Sequence]]), as well as "Golden Empire", a [[Boosterism|booster]] name that is still referred to by some organizations (notably [[Golden Empire Transit]], [[Golden Empire Council]]).{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}
Ideas about what constitutes the “Central Valley” can vary from person-to-person. While almost all authoritative sources and external observers consider the [[Sacramento Valley]] to be part of the “Central Valley”, many residents consider the Central Valley to consist of only the [[San Joaquin Valley]]. This is perhaps due to significant landscape and cultural differences between the two; the San Joaquin Valley is poorer and drier with more fertile soil, while the Sacramento Valley is wealthier and wetter with poorer soils.<ref name="y033">{{cite book | last=Arax | first=M. | title=The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California | publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | year=2020 | isbn=978-1-101-91019-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMLYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 | access-date=2024-07-20 | page=18}}</ref> The major presence of the [[Sacramento River]] and its tributaries in the Sacramento Valley, with its high year-round flow and wide waterways, has been compared to the small and seasonal rivers of the San Joaquin basin; this also contributes to different identities between the two regions.<ref name="y033"/>
==Population==
[[File:California Central Valley Aerial.jpg|thumb|The Central Valley from the air, looking south from near [[Rio Vista,
Subregions and their counties commonly associated with the valley include:<ref name="overview">{{cite web|access-date=July 27, 2009|archive-date=May 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503170012/http://www.library.ca.gov/CRB/97/09/|publisher=California State Library|title=A Statistical Tour of California's Great Central Valley|url=http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/09/|url-status=live|work=California Research Bureau}}</ref>
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The four main population centers in the Central Valley area are roughly equidistant from the next. From south to north, they are [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]], [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] and [[Redding, California|Redding]]. These four cities act as hubs for regional commerce and transportation.
The table displays the counties of Central Valley and their respective population during the 2020 US Decennial Census. Total jobs for each county is from the U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2002–2020).
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! County
! Population
! Jobs
|-
|Butte County
|211,632
|73,219
|-
|Colusa County
|21,839
|7,834
|-
|Fresno County
|1,008,654
|374,478
|-
|Glenn County
|28,917
|9,314
|-
|Kern County
|909,235
|282,227
|-
|Kings County
|152,486
|43,542
|-
|Madera County
|156,255
|49,285
|-
|Merced County
|281,202
|74,470
|-
|Placer County
|404,739
|166,372
|-
|Sacramento County
|1,585,055
|669,429
|-
|San Joaquin County
|779,233
|247,406
|-
|Shasta County
|182,155
|61,665
|-
|Stanislaus County
|552,878
|184,916
|-
|Sutter County
|99,633
|29,951
|-
|Tehama County
|65,829
|17,735
|-
|Tulare County
|473,117
|157,971
|-
|Yolo County
|216,403
|106,643
|-
|Yuba County
|81,575
|16,937
|}
===Metropolitan areas===
As of
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! SMSA !!Population
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==Environment==
[[File:Central Valley STS040-609-38.jpg|thumb|right|Central Valley seen from space
===Flora===▼
The Central Valley was formerly a diverse expanse of grassland, containing areas of [[prairie]], desert grassland (at the southern end), [[oak savanna]], [[riparian forest]], [[marsh]], several types of seasonal [[vernal pool]]s, and large lakes such as now-dry [[Tulare Lake]] (once the largest [[freshwater lake]] west of the Mississippi), [[Buena Vista Lake]] and [[Kern Lake (Kern County)|Kern Lake]]. However, much of the Central Valley environment has been altered by human activity, including the introduction of [[exotic plant]]s, notably grasses. The valley's grasslands, wetlands, and riparian forests constitute the [[California Central Valley grasslands]], a [[temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]] [[ecoregion]]. The foothill oak woodlands and [[chaparral]] that fringe the valley have been categorized as the [[California interior chaparral and woodlands]] ecoregion.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=na0801 |name=California Central Valley grasslands|access-date=November 13, 2011}}</ref>
The dominant grass of the valley was ''[[Nassella pulchra]]'' mixed with other species, but today only 1% of the grassland in the valley is intact. Grassland flowers include [[California poppy]] (''Eschscholzia californica''), [[lupin]]s, and purple owl's clover (''[[Castilleja exserta]]''), which can still be seen, especially in [[Antelope Valley]] in the [[Tehachapi Mountains]]. Riverside trees include willows, western sycamore (''[[Platanus racemosa]]''), box elder (''[[Acer negundo]]''), Fremont cottonwood (''[[Populus fremontii]]''), and the endemic valley oak (''[[Quercus lobata]]''). Another endemic species is brittlescale (''[[Atriplex depressa]]'') which grows in saline and alkali soils.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilken |first=Dieter H. |date=1993 |title=Treatment for ATRIPLEX depressa |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment?3084,3089,3104 |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=University of California {{!}} Jepson Manual}}</ref>▼
▲===Flora===
▲{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
▲The dominant grass of the valley was ''[[Nassella pulchra]]'' mixed with other species, but today only 1% of the grassland in the valley is intact. Grassland flowers include [[California poppy]] (''Eschscholzia californica''), [[lupin]]s, and purple owl's clover (''[[Castilleja exserta]]''), which can still be seen, especially in [[Antelope Valley]] in the [[Tehachapi Mountains]]. Riverside trees include willows, western sycamore (''[[Platanus racemosa]]''), box elder (''[[Acer negundo]]''), Fremont cottonwood (''[[Populus fremontii]]''), and the endemic valley oak (''[[Quercus lobata]]'').
===Fauna===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Sandhill crane in a flooded field in Butte County-1850.jpg|thumb|A [[sandhill crane]] (''Antigone canadensis'') in a flooded field in [[Butte County, California]]. On their wintering grounds in the Central Valley, sandhill cranes forage primarily on waste grain in corn, rice, and wheat fields.]]
The Central Valley was once home to large populations of [[pronghorn]] antelope (''Antilocapra americana''), [[elk]] including the endemic [[tule elk]] subspecies (''Cervus elaphus nannodes''), [[mule deer]] (''Odocoileus hemionus''), [[California ground squirrel]]s, [[gopher (animal)|gopher]]s, mice, hare, rabbits and [[kangaroo rat]]s, along with their predators including the [[San Joaquin kit fox]] (an endangered subspecies surviving on the San Joaquin Valley's hillsides). The valley's wetlands were an important habitat for wintering [[waterbirds]] and migrating birds of other kinds. Reptiles and amphibians of the valley include the endemic San Joaquin coachwhip snake (''[[Masticophis flagellum]] ruddocki''), [[Gambelia sila|blunt-nosed leopard lizard]] (''Gambelia sila''), [[Gilbert's skink]] (''Eumeces gilberti'') and the [[western aquatic garter snake]] (''Thamnophis couchii''). Endemic invertebrates are present. The Central Valley is home to endemic fish species, including the [[Sacramento
===Protected areas===
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===Health===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2024}}
The valley gives its name to [[Coccidioidomycosis|Valley fever]], which is primarily a disease of the lungs that is common in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is caused by the [[fungus]] ''[[Coccidioides immitis]]'', which grows in soils in areas of low rainfall, high summer temperatures, and moderate winter temperatures. These fungal spores become airborne when the soil is disturbed by winds, construction, or farming. This illness frequently takes weeks or months to resolve. Occasionally Valley Fever is life-threatening or even fatal.
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Air pollution is a growing problem that affects all of the citizens in the Central Valley. Some reasons of poor air pollution in the Central Valley are due to agriculture and its geographical features.
Since the Central Valley consists mostly of farming land, a wide, flat valley, the emissions from the soil that is used for growing produce are released into the air. The soil exudes [[nitrous oxide]], an odorless and colorless gas that can be harmful when exposed to it for a long period of time, and incorporates itself into the ozone layer located at ground level.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comm |first=Bren |date=2019-03-04 |title=The surprising driver of air pollution in the California Central Valley |url=https://www.brencomm.com/post/the-surprising-driver-of-air-pollution-in-the-california-central-valley |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=Bren Communication |language=en}}</ref> Production of nitrous oxide in California has shown that the addition of soil and fertilization can emit about 161,100 metric tons per year. Long term effects that nitrous oxide can have on a human being is loss of blood pressure, fainting, anemia, or lung cancer.
The physical geographical attributes can also contribute to the air pollution quality. The Central Valley is surrounded by mountain ranges which can capture the pollution coming from the agricultural farming, preventing it from dispersing from the other areas in California.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-09-28 |title=Why Does California's Central Valley Have Such Bad Air Pollution? |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-09-28/why-does-california-s-central-valley-have-such-bad-air-pollution |access-date=2022-12-20}}</ref>
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==Climate==
[[File:1960- Groundwater loss - depletion - Central Valley of California.svg |thumb |Within a long period of groundwater depletion, short periods of recovery were mostly driven by extreme weather events that typically caused flooding and had negative social, environmental and economic consequences.<ref name=NatureComms_20221219>{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Pang-Wei |last2=Famiglietti |first2=James S. |last3=Purdy |first3=Adam J. |last4=Adams |first4=Kyra H. |last5=McEvoy |first5=Avery L. |last6=Reager |first6=John T. |last7=Bindlish |first7=Rajat |last8=Wiese |first8=David N. |last9=David |first9=Cédric H. |last10=Rodell |first10=Matthew |display-authors=4 |title=Groundwater depletion in California's Central Valley accelerates during megadrought |journal=Nature Communications |date=19 December 2022 |volume=13 |issue=7825 |page=7825 |doi=10.1038/s41467-022-35582-x |pmid=36535940 |pmc=9763392 |bibcode=2022NatCo..13.7825L }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230130223801/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35582-x/figures/4 Archive] of chart itself)</ref>]]The northern Central Valley has a hot [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa''); the more southerly parts in [[rainshadow]] zones are dry enough to be Mediterranean steppe
===Tule fog===
{{Main|Tule fog}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Dense Tule fog in Bakersfield, California.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tule fog]] in [[Kern County]]]]
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Central Valley rivers converge in the [[Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta]], a network of marshy channels, distributaries, and sloughs that wind around islands mainly used for agriculture. There the rivers merge with tidewater, and eventually reach the ocean after passing through [[Suisun Bay]], [[San Pablo Bay]], upper [[San Francisco Bay]], and finally the [[Golden Gate]]. Many of the islands lie below sea level because of intensive agriculture, and face a high risk of flooding, which would allow salt water to rush back into the delta, especially when too little fresh water is flowing in from the Valley.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=July 26, 2009|archive-date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710224624/http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs00500/pdf/fs00500.pdf |publisher=ca.water.usgs.gov|title=Delta Subsidence in California: The sinking heart of the State|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs00500/pdf/fs00500.pdf|url-status=live|work=[[United States Geological Survey]]}}</ref>
The Sacramento River carries far more water than the San Joaquin, with an estimated {{convert|22|e6acre.ft|km3}} of virgin annual runoff, as compared to the San Joaquin's approximately {{convert|6|e6acre.ft|km3}}. Intensive agricultural and municipal water consumption decreased the rate of outflow to about {{convert|17|e6acre.ft|km3}} for the Sacramento and {{convert|3|e6acre.ft|km3}} for the San Joaquin. These figures vary widely from year to year. Over 25
===Engineering===
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The [[Great Flood of 1862#Central Valley|Great Flood of 1862]] was the valley's worst flood in recorded history, flooding most of the valley and putting some places as much as {{convert|20|ft}} under water.
In 2003, it was determined that Sacramento had both the least protection against and nearly the highest risk of flooding. Congress then granted a $220
=== Landslides ===
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=== Droughts ===
{{See also|Climate change in California}}
Out of the past twenty-two years, California has experienced significant drought conditions for thirteen years. From 2000 to 2018 was the second driest period that California has ever experienced. The driest three-year period ever in California was from 2012 to 2014. Three-quarters of the state of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions. There are also multiple types of droughts such as agricultural droughts, meteorological droughts, snow droughts, and hydrological droughts. All of these droughts affect California in different ways. Droughts can damage forests and can cause wildfires. Droughts cause forests to become dry which causes trees to die. Dead trees result in wildfires. The U.S. drought monitor is released every Thursday, showing which parts of the U.S. are in a drought. It started in 2000, and since then the longest duration of a drought in California lasted a total of 376 weeks. It started on December 11, 2011, and ended on March 5, 2019. The most intense period captured on the drought monitor was on the week of July 29, 2014. It showed that 58.41% of California's land was affected by a drought. In 2014–2015, farm-related losses in California totaled $5 billion and 20,000 farmers also lost their jobs.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}▼
▲Out of the past twenty-two years,{{When|date=May 2024|reason=This section has significant problems}} California has experienced significant drought conditions for thirteen years. From 2000 to 2018 was the second driest period that California has ever experienced. The driest three-year period ever in California was from 2012 to 2014. Three-quarters of the state of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions. There are also multiple types of droughts such as agricultural droughts, meteorological droughts, snow droughts, and hydrological droughts. All of these droughts affect California in different ways. Droughts can damage forests and can cause wildfires. Droughts cause forests to become dry which causes trees to die. Dead trees result in wildfires. The U.S. drought monitor is released every Thursday, showing which parts of the U.S. are in a drought. It started in 2000, and since then the longest duration of a drought in California lasted a total of 376 weeks. It started on December 11, 2011, and ended on March 5, 2019. The most intense period captured on the drought monitor was on the week of July 29, 2014. It showed that 58.41% of California's land was affected by a drought. In 2014–2015, farm-related losses in California totaled $5
==Economy==
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===Agriculture===
The Central Valley is one of the world's most productive agricultural regions.{{r|FB 2019-08-30}}<ref name=every/> More than 230 crops are grown there.<ref name=every/> On less than 1 percent of the total farmland in the United States, the Central Valley produces 8 percent of the nation's agricultural output by value: US$43.5 billion in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/pdfs/2013/finaldraft2012-2013.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-03-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619060334/https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/PDFs/2013/FinalDraft2012-2013.pdf |archive-date=June 19, 2016 }}</ref> California's farms and ranches earned almost $50
Virtually all non-tropical crops are grown in the Central Valley, which is the primary source for produce throughout the United States, including tomatoes, grapes, cotton, apricots, and asparagus.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pollan|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Pollan|date=December 16, 2007|title=Our Decrepit Food Factories|url=http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/our-decrepit-food-factories/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118073604/http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/our-decrepit-food-factories/|archive-date=November 18, 2011|access-date=November 13, 2011|magazine=The New York Times magazine}}</ref> Six thousand [[almond]] growers produced more than {{convert|600|e6lb|e6kg}} in 2000, about 70 percent of the world's supply and nearly 100 percent of domestic production.<ref>{{Cite news |title=California's Central Valley. Where the Mountains Are Almonds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/06/dining/national-origins-california-s-central-valley-where-the-mountains-are-almonds.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |quote= The state's 6,000 growers produce more than 600 million pounds a year, more than 70 percent of the world's supply and virtually 100 percent of domestic production. |date=September 6, 2000 |access-date=December 16, 2008 |first=Todd S. |last=Purdum}}</ref><ref name=FAOSTAT>{{cite web |url=http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Statistics Division, FAOSTAT |title=Production/Crops for almonds with shell |format=database |date=2013 |access-date=December 22, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122053717/http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/Q/QC/E |archive-date=November 22, 2016 }}</ref>
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* https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/drought-monitoring-economic-environmental-and-social-impacts {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202035600/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/drought-monitoring-economic-environmental-and-social-impacts |date=December 2, 2021 }}
* https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/06/california-americas-garden-is-drying-out/
* [
* [https://archive.today/20121220101150/http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/california CA Central Valley & Foothills], project area of the [
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058791/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1 ''The Big Valley'' series]
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